In a relatively short period of time, Julien Sunier has shot to the top rank of Cru Beaujolais producers, joining the likes of icons/exemplars such as Marcel Lapierre and Jean Foillard. We’ve now offered pretty much everything Sunier makes at one point or another, and we’re especially excited about his 2016s—which, as was the case with many others in Beaujolais, represent a return to more “classical” Sunier form after the ultra-ripe, super-concentrated 2015 vintage.
If 2015 was dominated by cellos, 2016 brought the violins back into the mix. For those of you who snapped up his 2016 Régnié (and especially for those of you who didn’t), we’ve got his deeper, more-structured 2016 Fleurie for you today: As “Burgundian” an expression of Cru Beaujolais as one could hope for, and one which, while delicious and expressive now, is built to improve over the next 5-10 years. If you’re not yet familiar with Sunier’s wines, I implore you to check them out: They’ve become fast favorites around here!
As I’ve noted in previous Sunier offers, it sometimes seems like the highest praise one can give a non-Burgundy wine is to call it ‘Burgundian.’ This goes beyond comparing a grape/wine’s flavors to those of Pinot Noir. Above all, ‘Burgundian’ winemaking is steeped in a reverence for terroir, and in trying to put whatever is special about a vineyard into the bottle. This is what Julian Sunier and a legion of other young, energetic vintners are doing in the 10 “Cru” villages of Beaujolais. Even though Beaujolais is indeed part of the “Burgundy” region (albeit with Gamay, not Pinot, as its signature red grape), only recently have we begun to parse its Cru vineyards (Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent, etc.) with the kind of reflection and esteem once reserved for the Premier and Grand Cru vineyards up north in the Côte d’Or. Sunier’s 2016 Fleurie is not just “Burgundian” in name, but in spirit: it has that “somewhere-ness” that transforms a wine from good to great.
With Beaujolais (which is undoubtedly having a moment right now) you get that sense of place without the prohibitive price tag. Cru Beaujolais is probably today’s most affordable way to engage in the discussion of what constitutes a ‘terroir-driven’ wine, and it didn’t used to be this way: ultra-fruity, super-cheap Beaujolais nouveau was the extent of the average drinker’s knowledge of the category. Now, some of the most buzzed-about producers in the world of wine are Beaujolais-makers: Lapierre; Dutraive; Foillard; Clos de la Roilette; and, yes, Sunier…these are rock-star names among in-the-know sommeliers, not least because sommeliers can afford to drink their wines!
After perhaps Moulin-a-Vent and Morgon, Fleurie is known not just for some of the most structured Beaujolais reds but for its concentration of big-name producers. Julien Sunier joined the fray officially in 2008, after acquiring a small stand of old vines that spilled across three Cru villages: Fleurie, Morgon and Régnié. His source for this bottling, named “Niagara,” is a small, 2.4-hectare parcel of 40-year-old vines that grow out of Fleurie’s famous roche-mère (“mother rock”) of granite. The high-elevation site—which, at nearly 600 meters, is a good 300 meters higher than his Régnié vineyard—is framed by forests and forms a steep, magnificent amphitheater that demands manual viticulture and harvest. Sunier wouldn’t have it any other way: His vineyards have been farmed organically since the domaine’s inception.
Although he hails from the Burgundy area (Dijon), Sunier wasn’t from a wine family; his mom was a hairdresser who counted wine legend Christophe Roumier as a client. In his twenties, Sunier did the itinerant young winemaker thing, interning in California and New Zealand before landing back in Burgundy, where he worked with the likes of Nicolas Potel and Jean-Claude Rateau. He then worked for the large négociant firm Mommessin, where, among other things, he became intimately acquainted with the terroir of Beaujolais and the Gamay grape.
Today’s 2016 Fleurie is Gamay at its most structured, and expressive. Whole grape clusters are fermented in cool concrete vats with only indigenous yeast, which results in the exquisite purity of fruit Sunier is known for. Following alcoholic fermentation, the leftover clusters are manually removed, then the wine is tranferred, without a pump, into an antique wooden basket press. The wine ages on its lees for 11 months in used oak barrels (acquired from Roumier!), which allows the pure fruit flavors to develop complexity without the overpowering characteristics of new oak. The wine is racked from barrel and blended in tank one month prior to bottling with the smallest amount of added sulfur possible.
In the glass, Sunier’s 2016 Fleurie is a bright, rosy red with pink and garnet reflections at the rim. The aromas are perfumed and complex, toggling between fresh strawberry, cherry, and cranberry and more-savory notes of dried rose petals, fresh herbs, wet stones, and cracked black pepper. Medium-bodied and full of life, the wine has a very tactile mineral component that gives it drive and persistence on the palate—it is a prime example of how a wine need not be “big” to be powerful. If you are opening a bottle or two now (which I endorse), decant it about 60 minutes before serving in Burgundy stems at 60-65 degrees. However, do try to find a way to save a few bottles for later—this wine is really going to blossom in 3-5 years, adding weight and aromatic breadth as it does. Pair it with roast pork or chicken (or even richer fish dishes, such as the attached salmon preparation), and celebrate the joys of finesse in red wine. It’s awfully fun to do. Cheers!
