Julien Sunier’s continued presence on SommSelect since year one is a testament to the consistently outstanding wine being created at this tiny French estate. Stocking up on his organic, gorgeously perfumed Burgundy pays generous dividends, too, because they age impressively well and
always deliver superb levels of energy that few artisan
vignerons can match. With each passing year, the small-quantity, high-quality production of his Fleurie, Morgon, and Régnié Crus remains unchanged while demand becomes increasingly fierce.
That’s why everyone has their ears perked and wallets at-the-ready for each limited annual release—a modestly sized village could deplete his total production in a matter of hours, so you can imagine how rapidly the wine disappears when it crosses international borders. Historically, we’ve only ever acquired his Régnié, Morgon, or Fleurie in individual doses once per year—on a good year. We were militaristic in our approach this time around. After pushing our way to the front of the line for the 2018 releases, we were given a limited, one-time opportunity to offer all three crus at once. With this purchase, you’re in for one of the greatest French treats imaginable: the Régnié is an outrageously delicious wine right now; the Morgon is a plush, textured stunner; and the breathtaking Fleurie is the most Burgundian of them all, with the elegance and structure to age/improve over the next decade. This truly is one of the most exciting offers we’ve done and I don’t envision us running a Sunier three-pack ever again, so take what you can!
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.
Throughout all of Julien’s vineyard sites, each vine is chemically-untouched and tended to by hand—he’s adamant about farming organically with biodynamic principles. At Julien’s winery in Avenas, his Gamay bottlings are crafted slightly differently according to the vintage and terroir. Generally speaking, the “Cru” bottlings undergo a cold carbonic vinification with wild, airborne yeasts and zero sulfur additions. An old-fashioned wooden press is used for pressing and the juice is transferred into old barrels via gravity. An unfined and unfiltered bottling with trace amounts of sulfites occurs roughly one year after harvest. The specifics of each bottle is below.
RÉGNIÉ
Despite sharing a long border with world-famous Morgon, Régnié remains a severely underrepresented Cru that holds some of the best value for old-vine Cru Beaujolais. Sunier’s 2018 is sourced from four organic parcels averaging 60 years in age: “En Oeillat,” “Les Forchets,” “Les Ferras,” and “Basse Ronze.” Each cluster is hand-harvested before a natural vinification and nine months of aging in a combination of 10-year-old Burgundian barrels (90%) and stainless steel (10%). Always Sunier’s most accessible wine upon release, this offers up delicious notes of wild strawberry, ripe black cherry, licorice, forest floor, baking spice, rose petal, crushed stone, and red plum. Few things in life are more mouthwatering and flat-out enjoyable than this—it’s like eating brambleberries off a cool granite countertop. Decant for 15 minutes and serve in Burgundy stems. Drink now or cellar for 2-3 years.
MORGON
Sunier’s Morgon parcels are among the most treasured in all of Beaujolais: the lieux-dits of “Corcelette,” “Py,” and “Charmes.” If there was ever a Grand Cru-vineyard classification for Beaujolais, these would certainly be in the running. Throughout these sites, Julien’s chemically-untouched vines also average 60 years of age and are farmed organically with biodynamic principles. Indigenous yeasts trigger fermentation and 90% of the wine aged nine months in neutral, decade-old Burgundy barrels with the remaining 10% resting in stainless steel. His Morgon is a masterclass in luxuriousness and lift: The palate is full and multi-layered, but 12.5% alcohol and superb energy give it mindblowing finesse. You’ll uncover dense cherry, violets, damp earth, spiced plums, and heaps of pulverized minerality with a hint of smoke. Decant for at least 30 minutes and enjoy over the next 3-5 years.
FLEURIE
The king of the lineup. Sourced from “Grand Pré” and “La Tonne,” two parcels that are situated at varying elevations. The former is lower and brings more polish and concentration whereas the latter clings to a precipitous, pure-granite slope at a much higher altitude, resulting in finesse and minerality. Coming in at 25-60 years of age, these high-density, low-yielding vines must be entirely worked by hand. Vinification is, of course, 100% natural and aging occurs in 100% neutral Burgundy barrels for nine months. This is always the most “Burgundian” of Sunier’s wines, offering up intense florality—damp wildflowers, candied violet, crushed rose petal—and breathtakingly pure red-black fruits intertwined with fresh herbs, subtle spice, and a constant presence of crushed-rock minerality. It’s über-classy, refined, and dripping with pedigree. Decant 30-60 minutes and enjoy in your largest Burgundy stem. It can certainly be enjoyed now, but the ultimate reward comes between years three and five—although a full decade certainly isn’t out of the question. Cheers!
