Matt Walls: my top wines of 2022

I remember watching the London fireworks on television last New Year’s Eve. They were spectacular to watch, but where there would usually be throngs of spectators, the streets remained incongruously empty. Social distancing was still in force. It reminded me of my year’s wine drinking up to that point: some dazzling bottles, but often enjoyed without company – or via a screen.

As 2022 began, the Covid-19 pandemic gradually relaxed its grip and many of us hurried back to everyday life. The usual whirlwind of events and tastings that had stalled two years earlier started up once again. And we were as keen to taste winemakers’ wares as they were to pour them. After two years of limitation and loss, many of us were living for the moment.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Matt Walls’ top wines of 2022

Mature bottles

Perhaps that’s why there are so many older wines in my top ten this year. It felt like winemakers wanted to pull the corks on bottles they had been saving. Two particularly memorable bottles were Domaine Saint Gayan’s Gigondas 1989 and Domaine de Beaurenard’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc 1990 – both still going strong.

I also tasted some thrilling young wines this year which will be stunning when they’re ready to drink, such as Château de Beaucastel’s Hommage à Jacques Perrin, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2019, Domaine Alain Voge’s Les Vieilles Fontaines, Cornas 2019, Domaine Clape’s Cornas 2020 and Domaine Rostaing’s Côte Brune, Côte-Rôtie 2020. All are impressive now, and all will be even better in 10 years’ time.

My list of top wines of 2022 concentrates on mature bottles. Of course young wines can be delicious and exciting, especially if they’re designed to be enjoyed in their youth. But wines that are built for the long haul rarely satisfy if we drink them too early. You’re left thinking how good they might be in the future, rather than how good they are now.

Many of the wines on my list have proved themselves, fulfilled their potential, and have a deeper emotional resonance as a result.

One exception is the Yves Gangloff, La Barbarine, Côte-Rôtie 2019. Sitting down with a colleague on the last day of a long trip, we saw this rare gem on a restaurant wine list. It was the essence of young Côte-Rôtie, and gave us such immense pleasure that any less than 100 points seemed parsimonious.

At that moment, it was perfection. Will it perform that well again, at a different age, in a different setting? I hope, one day, I’ll find out.

Not tasting but drinking

The Gangloff might have been young, but it passed the second test of a wine’s mettle. We can gain a good impression of a wine from a single taste, but to really get to know a wine, it’s always better to spend time with it.

After all, loud or demonstrative wines can impress with a mouthful, but prove exhausting over the course of a bottle. Other, more subtle wines, such as Domaine Georges Vernay’s Côte-Rôties, can be unfairly overlooked in blind tastings. But share a bottle with a friend and they always leave you wanting more. If you can’t find the Maison Rouge 1996, try the 2012.

Most of the wines on my list I’ve spent some time with – a glass or a bottle with friends and food. Rather like fireworks, wine is an experience better shared, and in person.

Matt’s top wines of 2022:

Related content

Jonathan Cristaldi: my top fine wines of 2022

Rhône 2021 en primeur: full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Rhône 2021: best value wines