2022 Julien Sunier Wild Soul Beaujolais Villages, Burgundy

Cherry, exotic spice, earth, liquorice richness. It’s fleshy and juicy, a lot of dark cherry and chocolate, with something of a pickled walnut edge, pleasing sooty tannin grip, with a gamey, sappy and pimento-laced finish of solid length. It has a bit of steely ‘minerality’ and no shortage of energy. The name ‘Wild Soul’ is apposite, yes, but it’s a very good drink.

92 points Jaimie Good wineanorak.com

Julien Sunier Wild Soul Beaujolais Villages is a joyful, unfiltered expression of Gamay that radiates energy, purity, and a deep respect for nature. Made from organically and biodynamically farmed fruit grown in the high-altitude hills of northern Beaujolais, this wine captures everything that makes Julien Sunier one of the most exciting names in the region, vibrancy, texture, and a touch of wildness that keeps you coming back for more.

Julien Sunier came to Beaujolais after working in Burgundy and California, bringing with him a Burgundian sensitivity to terroir and a deep belief in minimal intervention. Wild Soul is made from grapes sourced from granitic soils in villages just outside the cru zones, where old vines thrive in poor, rocky soils that give the wine its lifted aromatics and mineral core.

Wild fermented with native yeasts using semi-carbonic maceration and aged in concrete vats, the wine is bottled without fining or filtration and only a tiny touch of sulphur. The result is raw, honest Gamay with depth and brightness in equal measure.

In the glass, expect aromas of fresh raspberry, wild strawberry, crushed violets, and a touch of spice. The palate is light to medium bodied with juicy red fruit, silky tannins, and a lively finish marked by granitic grip and earthy freshness.

Wild Soul is natural wine with polish, a perfect companion to charcuterie, roast chicken, or just a sunny afternoon with good friends.