2021 Julien Sunier Morgon 1.5L

Winemaker Notes:  The domaine of Julien Sunier is one of the most exciting properties to come out of the Beaujolais in the last decade. In the Spring of 2008, Julien set out on his own to pursue his dream of establishing a domaine more in sync with his own ideas of organic viticulture and natural winemaking. He secured three hectares of densely planted, old-vine, high altitude parcels in the Cru villages of Fleurie, Morgon and Régnié. He converted all of these vineyards to organic viticulture, and is intent on spreading the gospel of natural viticulture with wild abandon. Harvesting entirely by hand, Julien does whole cluster, indigenous yeast fermentations in concrete vats at low temperatures in an effort to preserve fresh fruit flavors and a delicate tannin structure. After the alcoholic fermentations are complete, the fruit is slowly and gently pressed over a 24-hour period using an ancient vertical press Julien acquired in the Côte D’Or. The wines are then aged for up to 11 months in 3 - 9 year old Burgundy hand-me-down barrels from his old friend, Christophe Roumier. The resulting wines are exceptionally pure, elegant and without artifice. Perhaps it is the provenance of his barrels, but there is a bit of a Chambolle spirit that comes through in Sunier's wines (and perhaps a touch of Morey on the Morgon). They are at once bright, floral and high-toned but with an ethereal texture and a beguiling, long finish. While you would be hard pressed to try and delay the immediate gratification of drinking the wines young, they have the depth and balanced structure to reward medium-term cellaring. We look forward to his continued rise to the forefront of the region’s most compelling producers.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


James Suckling - "Effusive nose of wild strawberries. This may be only on the lower edge of medium-bodied, but it has an excellent tannin structure and complex wild strawberry, redcurrant and red cherry aromas with delicate notes of garden herbs. Long structured finish with good wet stone minerality. A cuvee of six different vineyard sites. Matured for nine months in cask."


Vinous - "The 2021 Morgon comes from six parcels (2.8-hectares) hence there is no lieu-dit, each vinified separately. This has an open nose, one that errs towards a fine Grenache in style with just a hint of eau-de-vie. The palate is well-balanced with a fine acidity, edgy and lightly spiced with a dash of white pepper towards the finish. So fresh and vibrant"