"The domaine of Julien Sunier is one of the most exciting new tiny properties to come out of the Beaujolais in recent years. Sunier grew up in Dijon, but was not part of a wine family. His mother in fact made her living cutting hair, and one of her regular clients happened to (auspiciously) be Christophe Roumier.
When Julien graduated from school, he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life, so he decided to go work with Roumier to "see what this wine stuff was all about". He then got the "wine bug" and spent his early twenties globe-trotting on the international wine route. His travels took him to California and New Zealand, allowing him to both surf and work harvest in both hemispheres. When he returned to Burgundy, Julien worked alongside winemakers Nicolas Potel in Nuits Saint-Georges and Jean-Claude Rateau in Beaune, where he solidified a passion for organic and biodynamic viticulture.
Following his stint in Burgundy, Julien spent five years managing a large negociant where he worked with growers in all of the 10 Cru Beaujolais villages. This work proved to be invaluable as it gave him a strong understanding of the various micro-climates and micro terroirs throughout the region.
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, hilltop parcels in the Cru villages of Fleurie, Morgon and Régnié. He is currently working to convert all of his vineyards to organic viticulture. 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 barrels that he gets 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 hand that comes through on Sunier's wines (though perhaps a touch of Morey on the Morgon?). They are at once bright, floral and high-tones 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 seeing Sunier's continued rise to the forefront of the region's most compelling producers."
Searched for: brand: julien sunier
Processing Confirm
Do you agree?
When shopping for grocery items, we want to make sure you know that Empire Wine & Spirits, LLC dba Empire Wine & Liquor and Empire Edibles, LLC (dba Empire Too) are separate businesses.
Wine & Liquor are sold through Empire Wine & Liquor and Grocery items and Beer are sold through Empire Too.
In order to accept a transaction containing items from both businesses, there will be a separate charge originating from each respective business.
One delivery will be made and only charge a single delivery fee. Final rates will be calculated in the shopping cart. Gift cards sold by Empire Wine & Liquor CAN NOT be used on items sold by Empire Too.
Each coupon only applies to the above specified qualifying item.
How to redeem the coupon:
- Add the coupon to your shopping cart by clicking the apply coupon checkbox. Each coupon is only valid for a limited time or while stocks last. Once you have applied a coupon, the date by which you must redeem it (the "Expiry Date") will be displayed on the coupon. You will usually have until 11:59pm on the expiration date to redeem the coupon. Quantities are limited and collected coupon may expire before the expiration date.
- Add a Qualifying Item to your shopping cart by clicking the "Add to Cart" button.
- When you're done shopping, click the "Proceed to Checkout" button and place your order for the Qualifying Item.
- The coupon discount will be automatically applied at checkout, reducing the price of the Qualifying Item accordingly. If the discount has been applied successfully, it will appear on the final Checkout page.
Terms and Conditions:
- Empire Wine & Liquor, LLC reserves the right to modify or cancel any coupon at any time.
- Each coupon may only be used at www.empirewine.com for the purchase of Qualifying Items.
- Each coupon collected can only be used once. Customers may be able to collect some coupons more than once, however, customers may not collect and use a coupon more than 10 times and may not use more than one of the same coupon in a single order.If you return any Qualifying Item(s) purchased with a coupon, the coupon discount or value will be subtracted from the refund you receive.
- Offers valid in each case while stocks last.
- Coupons have no cash redemption value and are not transferable or assignable.
- Coupons must not be used in conjunction with any other promotional discounts.