Domaine Antonie Sunier

Based in the Cru of Regnié, Antoine is one to watch in Beaujolais. Leaving behind a life in computers Antoine moved to Regnié, close to his brother Julien’s winery and established his own domaine in 2014. On 5.5ha, 4.3 in Regnié, 1.2 in Morgon the land is worked sustainably, using cover crops including cereals and peas for biodiversity. The soils are diverse from deep granite in Regnié to old alluvial in Morgon. The wines are grown up and tense, their elegance belies the gamay of old, looking only towards a future of discovery. Stocks are strictly limited on these wines.

Beaujolais

FRANCE

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.

Antoine’s wild yeast fermented, low sulfur Beaujolais Crus are textured, ample and graceful.

Viticulture

Antonie Sunier started off with 3.8 hectares of vines in Régnié, distributed his first vintage in 2014, and was certified organic in 2020. Today, with his 5.5 hectares of vines (4.3 ha in Régnié and 1.1 ha in Morgon), Antoine follows the lunar calendar and vinifies his juices naturally.

Winemaking

The winemaking starts with hand-harvesting of the grapes with careful sorting of the bunches in the vineyard. Fermentations occur using the traditional carbonic method in a closed concrete vats with no de-stemming and only including indigenous yeasts. The fermentations last between 8-15 days, at which point the grapes are pressed and flow, with the help of gravity, into a combination of 80-90% used Burgundy barrels (8+ years old) and the balance in epoxy-lined concrete tanks. The élévage lasts 7-8 months, at which point the wines are bottled without fining and filtration and only a small addition of SO2 at the bottling.