Hermitage 2022: Report and top-scoring wines
There were some true standouts from Hermitage in 2022 for both white and red, despite extreme drought and heat, although many will be for fairly early drinking.
It’s an unusual style of red Hermitage this year: smaller in structure and stature than a usual year. Again, as with other appellations, it’s primarily down to problems with ripening – Guillaume Sorrel said it didn’t rain at all on the hill of Hermitage in June, July or August, and Maxime Chapoutier remembers the mercury hitting 40 ̊C as early as June.
Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring Hermitage 2022 wines
See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores
Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines
Northern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines
When balanced, the wines are charming, approachable and fairly fresh. The best will build complexity over time, but most will be at their peak when fairly young, about the 10-14 year mark. Soils with more clay such as Le Méal supplied wines with depth and intensity, but that Hermitage grandeur isn’t always present in 2022.
Individual appellation analysis on:
Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu | St-Joseph | Cornas & St-Péray | Crozes-Hermitage
‘It was a bit more difficult for whites as they don’t like drought,’ says Jean-Louis Chave. In contrast to the reds, the whites are often very concentrated and powerful, sometimes with confit notes like dried pear. It’s not always the most elegant vintage for white Hermitage, but the best are majestic, unmistakably Hermitage, and will be very long-lived.
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
Hermitage 2022 key producers:
- Domaine JL Chave
- Domaine Laurent Fayolle
- Domaine Marc Sorrel
- E Guigal
- M Chapoutier
Hermitage 2022 top value wines:
- Cave de Tain, Hermitage Blanc 2022
- Domaine Laurent Fayolle, Les Diognières, Hermitage Blanc 2022
- Domaine du Colombier, Hermitage Rouge 2022
Matt Walls’ top-scoring Hermitage 2022 wines:
The wines below scored 92 points and above, and are listed white then red in score order.
Related articles:
Walls: Get to know the 20 lieux-dits of Hermitage
Walls: Tasting Hermitage 2001 20 years on
Getting to know white Hermitage
M Chapoutier, Le Méal Blanc, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Decidedly rich in style, the oak is quite marked, with roasted pineapple notes, lemon verbena and lemon thyme. Very full-bodied, this is massive, assertive and...
2022
M ChapoutierHermitage
M Chapoutier, L'Ermite Blanc, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Surprisingly full-bodied for L'Ermite, richer in body than a classic vintage. This is precise and fine, with notes of lemon verbena and struck flint. Reductive...
2022
M ChapoutierHermitage
M Chapoutier, De l'Orée, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
This has the characteristic breadth and fat of De l'Orée, with a surprisingly bright and piercing acidic line. Rich, ripe mango, with a touch of...
2022
M ChapoutierHermitage
Domaine JL Chave, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
The plots of Péléat and Rocoules were a little richer than a typical year, with relatively low acidity, while Ermite had a honeysuckle florality and...
2022
Domaine JL ChaveHermitage
Domaine Laurent Fayolle, Les Diognières, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Beautifully expressive already, full-bodied, rich and opulent, with a touch of mille-feuille pastry and poached pear on the finish. Well balanced and long, the alcohol...
2022
Domaine Laurent FayolleHermitage
Domaine Marc Sorrel, Les Rocoules, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Very old school, almost Baroque nose, with dried mango and dried pear. Full-bodied, powerful and concentrated, the acidity is well balanced, the finish very long....
2022
Domaine Marc SorrelHermitage
Tardieu-Laurent, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Ripe, open and expressive, with honeyed mango and honeysuckle. Very full-bodied and creamy in texture, smooth like puréed mango. A rich, opulent style, with balanced...
2022
Tardieu-LaurentHermitage
Cave de Tain, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Precise, citrussy aromas, then a full-bodied palate showing mango and pear. Acidity is quite low, but the amount of dry extract makes up for it,...
2022
Cave de TainHermitage
Delas Frères, Domaine des Tourettes, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Crème pâtissière on the nose, very creamy and rich. Full-bodied, rich and opulent on the palate too, the oak is generously applied, the acidity quite...
2022
Delas FrèresHermitage
Domaine Marc Sorrel, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Dried pear aromas that are quite discreet for now. Full-bodied, powerful, opulent and rich, the alcohol feels quite prominent, but there's plenty of extract and...
2022
Domaine Marc SorrelHermitage
Cave de Tain, Epsilon Origine, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Very full-bodied and broad on the palate. A big, slow moving wine, with balanced acidity and an inner freshness that help to keep it vibrant...
2022
Cave de TainHermitage
Domaine JL Chave, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
A tasting of the different lieux-dits showed how the different soil types reacted to the drought. Granite-based parcels (Ermite, Les Bessards) suffered blockages in ripening...
2022
Domaine JL ChaveHermitage
M Chapoutier, L'Ermite, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Smoke, flint and petrichor notes – very L’Ermite. Remarkably round and full for L'Ermite considering the fairly low alcohol. Intense, zingy acidity and great mineral...
2022
M ChapoutierHermitage
E Guigal, Ex Voto, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Exuberant, the fruit really jumps out of the glass before the oak. Star anise, incense, very full-bodied but fresh and powerfully fruited. It's swallowed its...
2022
E GuigalHermitage
M Chapoutier, Le Méal, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
High-toned, remarkably smooth, full-bodied and concentrated with marked acidity. Tannins are blocky and robust, but certainly ripe. Actually very elegant in fruit, with remarkable depth,...
2022
M ChapoutierHermitage
Domaine Marc Sorrel, Le Gréal, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Darkly coloured. Wonderful nose – very Hermitage in its meaty, smoky, roasted notes. Surprisingly fresh and lively for such a hot and dry vintage. Powerful,...
2022
Domaine Marc SorrelHermitage
M Chapoutier, Le Pavillon, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Plum and damson compote, star anise and soy on the nose. This is fresh and lithe, with marked acidity and a great explosion of flavour;...
2022
M ChapoutierHermitage
Domaine Marc Sorrel, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
The whole-bunch element is quite marked on the nose currently, and there's good fresh fruit too. Powerful on the palate, this has good intensity and...
2022
Domaine Marc SorrelHermitage
Emmanuel Darnaud, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
More weight and concentration than some Hermitage this year, as well as more alcohol, concentration and a larger frame that will help it age. Fairly...
2022
Emmanuel DarnaudHermitage
Delas Frères, Ligne de Crête, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Surprisingly pale in colour. An attractive nose, quite fragrant, with thyme and marjoram notes, plus just-ripe blackberry and plum. Light-bodied for a Hermitage, this is...
2022
Delas FrèresHermitage
Domaine du Colombier, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Good purity of blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, this is smooth and silky, with measured tannins and balanced alcohol. Tannins are fine and ripe, the extraction...
2022
Domaine du ColombierHermitage
Domaine Yann Chave, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Wild strawberry and thyme notes make for a fairly light, perfumed style. Has some concentration of fruit, with more blackberry on the palate and cassis....
2022
Domaine Yann ChaveHermitage
Domaine Laurent Fayolle, Les Diognières, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2022
Raspberry and plum, rosehip and sloe. The acidity here is quite marked, it doesn't feel terribly ripe, the alcohol is also quite measured. Balanced, lighter...
2022
Domaine Laurent FayolleHermitage
