The list of superstars in Beaujolais is quite short. Names like Lapierre, Foillard, Metras, and Dutraive cause any knowledgeable sommelier to salivate, because these wines represent some of the greatest pound-for-pound quality on earth. In the last few years, there is a new family name to know: Sunier.
Our love for Julien Sunier’s exquisite cru Beaujolais wines has been made apparent by the steady flow of offers on this site. And it turns out his younger brother, Antoine, enjoys them too—so much so that after years of admiring Julien’s work, he quit his job and snatched up a small winery in 2014. In just a handful of vintages, Antoine’s wines not only compete with his brother’s but deserve a place alongside the top producers in the region. Today’s Régnié is unlike any other I’ve had from this cru village. Like those of his older brother, Antoine Sunier’s wines display incredible elegance, purity of fruit, and exceptionally high-toned perfume—there’s an endless explosion of aromatics that seem to change every minute in the glass. It is reminiscent of the most expressive Pinot Noir-based Burgundies, followed by great depth and brooding intensity on the palate. Put simply, it brings all the pleasure of great Côte de Nuits red wine at a Beaujolais price. Everything Antoine does is traditional: organic farming, old vines, neutral barrels, zero manipulation. He may be a newcomer, but when you taste his wine it is clear they are some of the finest on the market (and priced well below where they should be). If you’ve enjoyed our numerous Julien Sunier offerings this is a must-have—and be sure to stock up, because you’ll keep reaching for it.
Antoine grew up in Dijon and although his family wasn’t in the wine business, their proximity to the world’s finest terroir lit a fire under his brother, Julien. After their schooling, the brothers took entirely different paths: Julien headed for the vines, Antoine for a city job. While Julien established his own domaine in Beaujolais, Antoine found himself visiting at every possible opportunity—at first for leisure, then to assist in both the vineyard and cellar. He became enamored with the “farm life.” In 2012, Antoine left his job and dashed off to study enology in Beaune. Following, he studied at a pair of organic domaines and finally purchased a house equipped with a small cellar in 2014.
Antoine sources from vines within the lieux-dits of “Les Forchets,” “Le Potet,” and “Montmerond.” These small plots hold 45+-year-old vines dug deep in granitic and alluvial soils around an elevation of 1,200 feet. While his holdings in neighboring Morgon have been certified organic since 2003, his Régnié parcels are still in the process. Despite not having a certificate, Antoine farms organically with various biodynamic principles, exactly like his brother: all natural, no chemicals. Julien had this to say about both of their wines: “We are very proud to farm organically. It is almost double the cost in the vineyard but our price isn’t twice as much.” Antoine’s fruit from these three plots were delicately picked by hand in 2016, but there wasn’t much left to harvest—hail destroyed nearly 80% of the crop! Grapes were transferred into tanks without any use of pumps—only gravity here—and whole-cluster fermentation was triggered via indigenous yeasts. It was then manually racked before aging in a mixture neutral Burgundian barrels and concrete tanks for eight months. Antoine bottled the wine unfiltered and unfined with trace amounts of sulfur dioxide.
Antoine Sunier’s 2016 Régnié exhibits a concentrated bright ruby with light pink reflections on the rim. The nose is drop-dead gorgeous. There is an incredible elegance and purity of fruit to this wine. Wild strawberry, raspberry, freshly picked blueberry, cherry blossoms, and açaí burst out of the glass alongside rocky minerality and a cornucopia of red and purple flowers. It’s potpourri-like aromas are never ending and with its variety of fruit blossoms, this is reminiscent of the style of the wines from Lapierre. You’ll also pick up on additional notes of soft spice, truffle, wild herbs, and crushed granite. While the palate retains its elegance, there is a great deal of weight here. It’s dense and refreshing at once, with a rich core of supple fruit and earth. This is so enjoyable right now and as the weather trends warmer, I can’t imagine a greater wine. Perhaps lesser known, top wines from Régnié can age rather well and Antoine Sunier’s 2016 is no exception. Expect this to evolve until 2025 and beyond, but there’s no need to wait! If drinking now, just decant for 30 minutes and pour into large Burgundy stems around cellar temperature (55F). A quick tip: Service temperature is a big deal here—it always is, actually. If you serve this wine too warm (“room temp” is usually 72+ degrees), the aromas of the wine will not reach their potential and the gentle perfume I’m speaking about here will not be the same. So, if you don’t have a wine cellar and the wine is room temp, simply put the wine in the refrigerator 30 minutes (or 10 minutes in the freezer) before decanting so the wine is close to cellar temp when serving. Then, after pouring into stems, the wine will be at the perfect temperature after a few minutes. Once you get used to drinking reds closer to cellar temperature, you will never be able to return to drinking them at room temperature. You can follow this approach anytime you serve red, especially for higher-alcohol reds. Pair alongside the attached French-styled beef salad on a sunny day and it will set a new bar for refreshing. Cheers!
