Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Notes of cooked blueberries and liquorice on the nose. This has great palate weight and density, it’s so savoury. The tannins are really searching, and the acidity is driving. A big tannic seat, and a lovely sense of vibrancy and freshness to the fruit. This has enormous presence, it's a big, powerful, dense vintage of Hommage that will age for a very long time. Around 60% of the blend comes from old-vine Mourvèdre from the Courrieux vineyard. Grapes are destemmed, fermented in tronconic wooden vats using natural yeasts after a brief cold maceration, with regular punching down.

Herbal notes flow throughout the juicy strawberry fruit. The alcohol is present but it doesn't feel excessive, the balance is good. It’s exceptionally long indeed, with vibrancy and freshness. The tannins are incredibly fine, plentiful and mouthcoating. A very complete wine that's hard to fault, showing whole-bunch southern Rhône winemaking at its best. This is pure Grenache grown on sand at the lieu-dit La Guigasse, aged for 24 months in demi-muids. 4,800 bottles made.

Full, lush and powerful, with a wall of intense tannin – this is an enormously powerful wine that will take many years to approach a state of drinkability. Huge concentration and huge intensity, in many ways this fits the Châteauneuf archetype of statuesque wines for very long ageing. Be prepared for a long wait, followed by rich rewards. Partly destemmed, fermented in concrete, matured for 12 months in foudres and demi-muids.

Rich black cherry and strawberry fruit, with impressive density and palate weight. The balance is good, with fur-coat tannins and admirable freshness. Yet again, this vintage turns out a wine seemingly far too good for the climatic conditions – but the evidence is here. Will be ready much sooner than the Vieilles Vignes cuvée, and is very close if not equal in quality, but just in a less robust, structured style. Parcels of Grenache planted on lieux-dits Chapouin, La Janasse and La Crau, the oldest planted in 1912.

Huge and powerful, but so fresh. This has great driving intensity, with even bigger, more structural tannins than the domaine’s other cuvée. A rampaging Châteauneuf that will take time to settle, and will always be wild. Long, vibrant and chiselled. An absolute beast. Mordorée has been massive but overripe in the past; it's still massive but with this vintage the ripeness is more controlled, and it has transformed into something extraordinary. Fermented and aged 80% in stainless steel, the rest in old barrels.

Instead of maturing the three main parcels separately in 2022, all were assembled and matured together. Red and black cherry aromas and Turkish delight, then strawberry and kirsch on the palate, very silky and generous. Well balanced, with adequate acidity and vibrancy. Not massively structured, but it has a light mineral seam, with tannins that are lightly grippy and without noticeable greenness. A middle-weight Rayas with a long finish.

Full and juicy, with a slake of cooling glycerol that's cut through with bright raspberry acidity. The alcohol is quite raised here – it is pure Châteauneuf Grenache after all – but otherwise the balance is good, and the garrigue herbs bring some complexity. Good length, really quite captivating. Grown on sandy soils, fermented and aged in old oak barrels, 5,600 bottles made. Best vintage to date of this cuvée.

Blackberry jam flavours, but still powerful and fresh. Crushed strawberries too, and crushed bay leaves. It’s full-bodied and powerful, with remarkably driving acidity. The finish is long, with pliable, if dense, tannins – chewy like liquorice. It’s concentrated but not overripe, and the alcohol doesn't feel excessive in the mouth (though it's still around 16.5%!). A great Grenache, with incredible structure. Selection from Les Trois Sources, the domaine’s oldest Grenache. Only produced when the Grenache is good enough.

Very full but not overly bulbous, with a big tannic base from the ripe Mourvèdre. Powerful, this has serious impact and intensity, it's long and undulating with a firm, dry finish. Really impressive and silky, with great detail of tannin and tangy raspberry acidity. Excellent. Resonant. Grown on sandy soils of lieux-dits La Guigasse and Pignan sud; matured mostly in demi-muids and some clay amphora. Just 3,400 bottles produced.

<p>Dark and inky in colour this year. It’s fresh in its berry fruits, really quite powerful, with muscular tannins and driving acidity behind. A dense, dark and brooding vintage of Beaucastel. The aromatic precision however is extremely impressive: elderberry, sloe and blackberry. It’s solid and will age well. Do not drink this young, as it will likely disappoint if opened too early. Grenache and Cinsault fermented in cement, Syrah and Mourvèdre fermented in foudres. Syrah and Counoise are whole bunch fermented.</p>

Vibrant strawberry notes to the Grenache here, it’s very alive. Rounded and generous, fresh, with only moderate alcohol this year. A touch of greenness to the tannin on the finish, but this is still well within the house style. Whole-bunch fermented, grown on the clay and galets of lieu-dit Pignan.

A touch less Mourvèdre this year, but not enough to change the profile of the wine, which is fairly classic albeit pretty bombastic in 2022. Raspberry and black cherry, ripe and exuberant. Full but not massive, the alcohol is present, slightly warming the finish. Tannins are a little grainy, so I would give this time to settle before broaching. Succulent and juicy, with a touch of liquorice. Vincent Avril believes the wine could close down quite early on. So drink young, or (even better) wait until 2030. All destemmed, aged in old foudres.

Wow, what a nose! Leaf tea, menthol and pine resin, a really captivating and complex display. Dense and intensely solid, with fine, bold tannins. The acidity is deep-set, rising gently through the fruit, leading to a long finish. Shows how well some Mourvèdre performed this year. Two thirds aged in demi-muid, the rest in barrique; one third new oak, that's very well integrated.

Relatively pale in the glass. Pine needles and rosemary, very much a garrigue herb inflected nose. Broad and mouthfilling, generous and juicy, with rich strawberry fruit, ending on a sandy mineral note. Well balanced despite its breadth and warmth. Luxurious, languorous style that will drink well young and old. 100% old vine Grenache grown on sand in lieu-dit Pignan, no destemming, aged for 24 months in old demi-muids. 3,200 bottles made.

The powerful, gutsy Mourvèdre element is very much in evidence, bringing a solid base and firmness of body to the core of the wine. It's tannic, and will take time to come round, but the tannins are fine, detailed and succulent and the finish is long. A grand and monumental Châteauneuf for an affordable price. Fermented in stainless steel, matured half in concrete tanks and half in new barrels (the wood is very well integrated).

Provençal herbs and leaf tea on the nose, Turkish delight too. Full-bodied, smooth and plump. It's robust but generous, with plentiful ripe tannins; acidity isn't high but the wine feels balanced and the finish is long. All destemmed, fermented in concrete tanks, aged mostly in large old foudres and some stainless steel tanks. Very promising and likely to be good value.

This is ripe for sure, but not overripe, and the oak is sensitively applied, giving some shape and focus to the wine. The alcohol is gently warming but not excessive in the realms of pure Châteauneuf Grenache, and it has remarkable length of fruit. A hedonistic treat. Aged in demi-muids and barriques, one third new oak, for 18 months.

Big, juicy, bold and powerful. Really driving, chunky, mouthfilling fruit and tannin. It’s long, broad and expansive, a huge wine for those that enjoy massive Châteauneufs. It's all there though – the fruit, the ripeness, the smooth tannin, the acidity, the freshness. Will take time to come together then it will be very long lived. The most powerful Dame Voyageuse to date – don't expect an approachable second wine!

Very ripe, and if anything even fresher than Les Trois Sources this year. Great finesse of tannin, and a really solid base for long ageing. This will take a long time to come round, and will be good for decades. Moderate alcohol, and a freshening, succulent, saline edge. No Syrah in the blend here, plentiful Mourvèdre however, which performed well in 2022. From three parcels close to the limestone plateau, some clay, relatively high altitude and late ripening, with less exposure to the sun.

A more concentrated, deeper, fuller style than the domaine’s Tradition cuvée, with inner sucrosité to the strawberry and damson fruit. It's matched by good acidity and fine but present tannin and a long finish. Transparent in colour, an enjoyably precise, light extraction style. Fermented in concrete, aged in old oak barrels for 14 months.

Darker in colour than the domaine’s other cuvées this year. Sage, raspberry and crushed strawberry aromas, open and enjoyable already. Full-bodied, more generous and expansive too. The alcohol is remarkably balanced for this style, especially in a warm, ripe vintage. Should age with interest on its fine balance. Fermented in concrete, aged in old oak barrels for 14 months.

Pure Grenache, over 100 years old, on sandstone. Gorgeous strawberry notes on the nose. A delicate, fine, beautiful style. The acidity is balanced with fine Darjeeling tannins. Only medium-bodied. Great finesse, 'ça pinote' as they say around here, as it resembles Pinot Noir. Star anise and incense on the finish. All aged in amphora.

Dark in colour, this has intriguing herbal depths. Not massive, but it has an enjoyably compact frame, no lack of concentration, and serious intensity leading to a long finish. It’s vibrant, with amazing purity and clarity of flavour. Grown half on large pebbles, half on sand in lieu-dit Les Cassanets, destemmed, then fermented in tronconic concrete vats, then matured mostly in demi-muids and old barriques except for 7% in amphora. 6,800 bottles made.

Enjoyably fresh and fluid style, good acidity, with lip-smacking raspberry and strawberry fruit. Good feeling of lift and drinkability considering the extreme vintage conditions. Elegant, fine tannins. Fermented in concrete vats, then aged in concrete and old foudres.

Two parcels, distinctly different. The first is grown on galets, clay and sand and has an intensely spicy profile – cardamom and cocoa nibs – with oregano notes and grainy, grippy tannins that will need time to soften. The second is more herbal than spicy, with deep blackberry jam flavours, fleshy and silky and chewy tannins. The final blend (if it is indeed bottled separately) will have a strong bearing on the eventual wine, so take the score as a guide only. It will need long ageing to show its best whatever the blend, and should be highly complex when ready, and likely to always have quite textural, grainy tannins.

A tasting of the component varieties suggests that despite the extreme vintage conditions this is looking like a beautifully floral expression, with cherry blossom and potpourri notes over the expansive strawberry raspberry fruits. Tannins are slight, fine, with a subtle green note. Spicy and bright.