Tasted with Antoine Sunier (pictured with brother Julien, left) in Avenas, 12 February 2020.
Domaine Antoine Sunier
243 Route des Plaignes
69430 Régnié-Durette
Tel: +33 4 27 49 99 72
www.antoine-sunier.com
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Antoine Sunier worked for 13 years with mobile phones, working for enterprises in Bourgogne-Franche-Comte. But at the same time “obviously” he enjoyed tasting – “drinking” – plenty of wine with his brother, Julien. Finally, Antoine decided to change his life; he started to work at Château du Premeaux whilst doing a one year course at Beaune’s CFPPA – Camille Lapierre was studying there at the same time, amongst others. In 2013 Antoine moved to Avenas and did a stage with Jean-Claude Lapalou before installing himself in a house and cuverie in Régnié in 2014.
“Of course, you can compare my approach to that of Julien; we have the same philosophy in wine, in an organic approach. Our techniques are similar though the terroirs are different. I’ve 5 hectares of vines, mainly in Régnié, but also some Morgon next to Grand Cras that’s been cultivated in organic fashion for a long time – roughly 60-year-old vines. It wasn’t planned that I have a similar range of appellations to Julien, it was simply the best that was available when I wanted to start. It depends on the vintage, carbonic, semi-carbonic, a pied-de-cuve, but every year no sulfur.”
Antoine on 2018:
“2018 was relatively easy in the vines, though less-so in the cuverie due to the heat. My wines were bottled at the end of May.”
The wines…
Very fine – a great first impression from these wines.
2018 Morgon
Plenty of barrel elevage and some concrete.
That’s got fine aromatic energy – faintly saline, good depth – nice clarity too. Driving, fresh, juicy, super fresh finishing, no rigour. Long, mineral finishing. That’s an excellent wine.
2018 Régnié
An assembly of parcels. Terroirs that are part alluvial, part more sand. Vinified like the Morgon.
The more creamy, lactic impression of low-sulfur wine – cleans up though with air. A bigger shape, more structural/architectural. The finish is a little less energetic – it couldn’t be more – but wide and delicious. That’s an excellent wine again, though for my style preference I’d take the Morgon.
This a cuvée since 2018 – this was previously in the last wine – a parcel name. A windy area. This only with barrel elevage but old barrels 8-10 years.
Directly a fine clarity of aroma – good mineral freshness and slowly a floral note arrives – that’s super. That’s sleek, direct, slowly growing a grain of tannin. Bright, tasty, growing more intense in the finish. Excellent maybe even better!
2017 Morgon
All barrel elevage as there were fewer grapes.
More width, more spice, more concentration apparent. Despite the nose, this has fine freshness and direction, there’s a finishing weight of flavour here – a slightly different shape to this wine versus the 18s but equally delicious.