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

Antoine Daumen of Domaine de la Vieille Julienne was unsure about the season as it progressed. ‘We were cautious to begin with, we had low expectations,’ he says, ‘but the old vines were still very healthy at the end despite the dryness.’ He was pleased with the domaine’s wines in 2022 – they have silky tannins, moderate alcohol and good acidity.

Châteauneuf rode out the challenges of 2022 better than any other appellation this year, and unpleasantly green tannins are relatively rare.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022 wines

‘The lower the yield, the easier it is for the vine to adapt,’ says Antoine’s father Jean-Paul Daumen. They averaged 22hl/ha (the authorised maximum is 35hl/ha).

It was the same figure at Château de Beaucastel, where César Perrin agrees on the importance of old vines. ‘Our job with global warming is to keep the old vineyards,’ he says, and thinks there are two styles of wine this year: juicy wines from young vines for drinking within five years, and more powerful wines from old vines for drinking after 15. He compares 2022 to 2005 – a good but tannic year that took a long time to come round.

See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores

All the growers I spoke to agreed on the importance of the rain that fell throughout the region on 14 August, which helped to swell the berries with juice and unlock some vines whose ripening had stalled. For many, it saved the vintage.

For certain producers to the far east of the appellation, however, the storm had the opposite effect. Nicolas Brunier of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe clearly remembers that day. ‘We got a call saying there’s a storm coming,’ he recalls. But here instead of rain it brought hail. ‘Thirty minutes later and there’s nothing left… no more leaves, no more grapes, nothing – a catastrophe.’

It’s the first year in the domaine’s history that no red or white Vieux Télégraphe was made. There is some weather that even old vines can’t withstand.

See the Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Southern Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Northern Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Key Châteauneuf-du-Pape producers in 2022

• Château de Beaucastel
• Château Rayas
• Domaine de Cristia
• Domaine de la Janasse
• Domaine de la Mordorée

Best value Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines in 2022

• Château La Nerthe, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2022
• Château Mont-Thabor, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2022
• Clos du Calvaire, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2022
  

Rhône 2022 score tables:

All top Rhône 2022 score table

Top-scoring southern Rhône 2022

Top-scoring northern Rhône 2022 

Top-scoring Rhône 2022 red wines

Top-scoring Rhône 2022 white wines

Individual appellation analysis on:

Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise | Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres | Lirac & Tavel

Matt Walls’ top-scoring Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022 wines:

The wines below all scored 95 points or above, and are listed white then red in score order.

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• Expert’s Choice: White Châteauneuf-du-Pape