The elder of the Sunier brothers, Julien, a Burgundian by birth, was the first of the two brothers to arrive in the region to set up his own winery in the Beaujolais region. A career as a winemaker at Mommessin, Boisset's great Beaujolais winery, preceded him until he was laid off from the winery almost at the same time he had bought his own farm in the Avenas highlands. This motivated him to start looking for vines that he could grow himself in the area. He started in 2008 with 20 acres in Morgon and in the Beaujolais-Villages zone as well as a small piece of land in Fleurie that he bought from Yvon Métras. He soon reached 70 acres of organic vineyards.
So he belongs to this new generation of producers who are active in the great cru of Beaujolais and together with the older line of pioneering winemakers in the region (see e.g. Lapierre) have managed to tear away any reference to Beaujolais as an offshoot of Burgundy and turning it into France's most up-and-coming and dynamic wine region, which the world's top sommeliers are talking about.
So he belongs to this new generation of producers who are active in the great cru of Beaujolais and along with the older line of pioneering winemakers of the region (see e.g. Lapierre) have managed to remove any reference to Beaujolais as an offshoot of Burgundy and turning it into the most emerging and dynamic wine region of France, for which the world's top sommeliers are talking about.
Gamay Noir á Jus Blanc, one of the emerging "hero" grapes of the 21st century, is finding its place in cru like Fleurie, Morgon and Regnie and from producers like Julien, as one of the most hedonistic, expressive, direct varieties. At the same time it has gained the extra special weight of the importance of the wines' place of origin, the diversity of terroirs and the high quality that characterizes all the world's top wine regions. A completely different story from the "fairy tale" of the 90s, when the Beaujolais Nouveau style was the sole reference point for the region.
Julien's wonderful Beaujolais are produced using the classic carbonic methods, but with some cap dips towards the end of fermentation, presses are made in very old wooden vertical presses and the wines are aged for about 8 months in old oak barrels (by his mentor Roumier) along with fine lees. The result of his wines is sensational, with the beautiful, glossy, vibrant fruit of the varietal and spicy characters underlying. From the floral and fleshy fruit of Regnie, to Morgon, an authentic capture of the excess power and darker character of this cru, to the mineral and firmer character of Fleurie, Julien's wines are among the most authentic expressions of Beaujolais' dynamism.
