There’s a reason I keep coming back to Julien Sunier: His wines always deliver levels of freshness and purity that few artisan vignerons can match. Though a relative newcomer in the world of wine, he has been a perennial favorite at SommSelect while quickly becoming one of the trendiest (and tastiest!) producers in the growing ‘natural wine’ movement.
We’ve offered multiple vintages from Sunier’s three different crus (Régnié, Fleurie, Morgon) but I can’t recall a more enjoyable bottle than today’s combination of vintage and place: 2016 Morgon, sourced from five estate-owned acres in the prestigious vineyards of “Corcelette,” “Py,” and “Charmes.” The energy, purity, and mineral verve in this wine is astounding; it will attract lovers of elegant reds, but the accompanied complexity and depth should also lure in those who enjoy heartier styles. While spirited and youthful now—and irresistible because of it—this will also enjoy a long cellar life. My advice? Drink a few now and continue revisiting throughout the next decade—it will delight with each pop of the cork. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again (and again): Cru Beaujolais is today’s most affordable way to engage in the discussion of what constitutes a ‘terroir-driven’ wine.
Sunier is one of a new wave of producers who’ve helped raise the profile of Beaujolais as a stronghold of natural farming and winemaking. Following in the footsteps of local legends like Lapierre and Foillard, Sunier would also be considered a disciple of the legendary Jules Chauvet, who was preaching the natural wine gospel in Beaujolais as far back as the 1950s. Yet while he hails from Burgundy (Dijon), Sunier wasn’t from a wine family; his mother was a hairdresser who counted vigneron Christophe Roumier as a client. In his twenties, Sunier followed the itinerant “cellar rat” path, 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 its Gamay grape.
As mentioned, Sunier’s Morgon hails from three of Beaujolais’ greatest sites: “Charmes,” “Côte du Py” and “Corcelette” (the latter two made famous by iconic Jean Foillard). If there was ever a “Grand Cru” classification for Cru Beaujolais, these would certainly be at the top of the list. Throughout these three sites, Julien owns five acres of vines—averaging 60 years old—that he farms organically with biodynamic principles. In 2016, he and his team hand harvested low yields toward the end of September and the grapes were shuttled to their nearby winery. Indigenous yeasts triggered fermentation in concrete vessels and an old vertical press was used to extract the juice. It was then moved into neutral Burgundy casks—purchased from his friend and mentor, Christophe Roumier—where the wine aged for nine months. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Sunier’s 2016 Morgon displays an ultra bright ruby core moving out to slight pink hues on the rim. The perfumed nose is overflowing with violet, rose petal, flower stems, ripe black cherry, black raspberry, crushed cranberry, graphite, fresh herbs, and subtle spices. You will detect a little trapped CO2 in the wine (a means of maintaining freshness without resorting to excess addition of sulfur), so be sure to decant it and allow it to shed that prickle. The bright acidity keeps your mouth watering while the smooth yet crisp tannins direct the wine towards an extremely long and satisfying finish. This is refined and refreshing, but there is a seriousness to the structured core of fruit and earth—enough to keep this chugging along for 10+ years. Should you want to consume in its youth, pour in large Burgundy stems after a 60-minute decant and keep the serving temperature around 60 degrees. There is a cooling sensation to this Morgon that makes you say “ahh!” so I recommend pairing a dish of the same nature—the attached frisée-lardon salad doesn’t require much prep time and you won’t break a sweat! Cheers!
