Roumier’s Beaujolais? The Stunning 2017 Cru Beaujolais of Julien Sunier
Posted on: 11/8/18 8:07 PM
Satisfying to collectors, hipster somms and normal people alike, Beaujolais is one of the few categories right now that everyone wants. And for good reason–it represents some of the best values in wine for the money. Lacy, perfumed, and always drinkable, we’re consuming (maybe glugging) Beaujolais more than ever before. Today we’re offering one of our undisputed favorites, the universally loved and highly sought-after Julien Sunier.
Just in time for Thanksgiving, we’re releasing his 2017 allocation … and we couldn’t be happier with these wines. Although 2017 was yet another vintage suffering from the effects of hail (regrettably reducing yields) the wine that came out of it is exceptionally good: ethereally textured, opulent with intensely vibrant fruits, suggesting a higher toned, more aromatic version of the fabulous 2015’s. Consider us (along with the critics) huge fans.
Don’t miss one of the hottest producers of Beaujolais from this fantastic vintage.
2017 Julien Sunier Regnie
“The 2017 Régnié burst from the glass with aromas of red fruit compote, strawberries and flowers. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, with a textural attack, lovely depth at the core and a layered, multifaceted profile. At 13.5% natural alcohol, it’s the ripest of Sunier’s 2017s, but it’s beautifully balanced.”
2017 Julien Sunier Fleurie
“Notes of sweet cherries, raspberries and candied rose petals introduce the 2017 Fleurie, a satiny, medium to full-bodied wine that’s supple, fine-grained and giving. This was the last vintage produced from a steep, high-altitude parcel that Sunier has ceded to David Chapel, so henceforth this cuvée will be produced from lower-lying lieux-dits.”
2017 Julien Sunier Morgon
“A blend of grapes from Les Charmes, Côte du Py and Corcelette, the 2017 Morgon from Julien Sunier wafts from the glass with attractive notes of juicy cherries, rose petals and raspberries. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, firm and chewy, perhaps marked by the hail this year, with a more compact profile than is typical of Sunier’s elegant style.”
More about the Wine
Without question Julien Sunier is one of the most sensational and compelling new (and for that matter tiny) estates to come out of the Beaujolais in recent memory. Although he grew up in Dijon, the capital of Côte-d’Or, Julien and the rest of the Sunier family had nothing to do with Burgundy. And it seemed like it was going to stay that way until Julien’s mother, a hairdresser, happened to have a repeat customer named Christophe Roumier (one of Burgundy’s most respected and acclaimed winemakers). Roumier sat and listened to Madame Sunier talk, perhaps complain, of her listless eldest son Julien, who had no idea what his path was after graduating from school. Roumier, being the thoughtful and sensitive man he is famous for being, politely asked if her son would like to work for him. Thanks to a good haircut, the Sunier family was now connected to arguably one of the greatest winemakers in the world. The rest, as they say, is history.
Julien does as little intervention with his wines as possible. The vineyards are completely organic, which is amazing given the low price of these wines (winemakers spend on average twice the amount on organic vineyards to non-organic). In the cellar Julien depends on native yeast and elevage is completely done in neutral Burgundy barrels (actually used Roumier barrels). None of the wines, although steeped into the “natural” wine category, don’t carry the traits that drive many of us smell and taste (feral, funky and sometimes, fecal). His wines are highly floral, always pure, and almost impossible to keep your hands off of.
We urge you not to miss them.
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