Antoine Sunier 2019 Régnié, Beaujolais, France
- Winemaker: Antoine Sunier
- Varieties: Gamay
- Farming: Organic
- Terroir: From 350m elevation and 45+ year old vines located in Les Forchets, Le Potet and Montmerond, on rocky, granite soils.
- Vinification: Gravity flow to tanks, Indigenous yeast fermentation at low temperatures, to preserve fresh fruit flavors and a delicate tannic structure. Whole cluster fermentation for 8-15 days, horizontal pressing, manual racking for elevage.
- Aging: Aged 8 months on the lees in 90% neutral burgundy barrels and 20% concrete tanks. Bottled with no fining or filtration. Total sulfur = 15 mg/l, Free sulfur = 0 (undetectable)
- Notes: From 45+ year old vines located in Les Forchets, Le Potet and Montmerond, this wine is quite full-bodied showing good tannin structure and dark fruit. Régnié is one of the Beaujolais crus most suitable for aging, and this wine is no exception. The beauty of well-structured Beaujolais wine is that it also drinks well in its youth. Now it shows dark, purple berry fruit and gritty tannins. Over time it will begin acting like Burgundy showing more earthy and truffle notes along with the fruit aromatics.
When starting out, Antoine Sunier's two biggest influences were his older brother, Julien Sunier, and natural wine legend Jean-Claude Lapalu, with whom Antoine did a stint following his studies in Beaune. Through some serious hunting, Antoine was able to find organically farmed vineyards in Régnié and Morgon, with an average vine age of at least 45 years.
