Beaujolais Gang of Four (or Five?!) Tasting

I hosted a tasting of all Beaujolais styles and Crus and wanted the full “Gang of Four” represented.

Many of you are familiar with these four: Jean Foillard, Marcel Lapierre, Jean-Paul Thevenet, and Guy Breton. They learned from the “father of natural winemaking,” Jules Chauvet, and have popularized high-quality, semi-carbonic Beaujolais wines during the past 15-20 years.

But what many don’t know is that there’s a FIFTH member of the gang, the enigmatic Yvon Metras, who is regarded by many Beaujolais nerds as the finest winemaker in the region (yes, even above Foillard and Lapierre). His wines are very difficult to obtain in the USA as his production is tiny and he doesn’t have an importer — he was previously with Kermit Lynch but essentially decided he didn’t like the business/paperwork side of it. I was delighted to get my hands on one of his bottles — even if it was only his basic regional Beaujolais — for this tasting.

Tasting Notes:

2022 Yvon Metras Beaujolais (magnum): wild pale garnet color. Strawberry, tart cherries, and a touch of banana candy. Lovely acidity with very soft tannins, and definitely on the “natty” side, but well made.

2021 Jean Foillard Beaujolais-Villages: surprising deep purple color. Earthy, with cherry, plum, and a hint of violet. Textbook Bojo but left me wanting more, knowing how incredible Foillard’s Cru wines can be.

2018 Marcel Lapierre Julienas: ruby red. Super expressive nose of assorted red berries, baking spices, dirt, and dark flowers. Long and deliciously juicy. I don’t drink a lot of Julienas, but Lapierre is a master and this was one of my Co-WOTN.

2022 Jean-Paul & Charly Thevenet Regnie ‘Grain & Granit’: honestly, I don’t remember a ton about this one. I do recall it being a bit on the sweet side, and some of my friends who aren’t quite as nerdy about wine liked it a lot more than I did.

2016 Jean-Paul Thevenet Morgon ‘Vieilles Vignes’ (magnum): a testament that high-end Beaujolais can age. At 9 years old, this still has lovely acidity and some noticeable, yet soft and well-integrated tannins. Crushed red fruit, violet, and a hint of licorice. Long, elegant, earthy finish. One of my Co-WOTN.

2022 Guy Breton Morgon ‘Vieilles Vignes’: bright ruby color. Lots of wild red fruit, with a bit of steminess. Juicy, chuggable wine, but lacking the complexity that I’ve seen in Morgon from similarly well-regarded producers.