Matt Walls: My top wines of 2023
Throughout 2023, Decanter's Rhône correspondent Matt Walls sampled the finest wines the region has to offer, yet the source of his most intoxicating encounter was a surprising one.
Well, this is awkward. Top of the list of my wines of the year isn’t a Hermitage or Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but an IGP Côtes Catalanes. Given the amount of memorable Rhône wines I taste each year, it might come as a surprise that the number one spot goes to a wine from the Roussillon. But there’s no denying it. No wine made more of an impression on me in the last 12 months.
Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Matt Walls’ top 10 wines of 2023
And yes, it’s the equal lowest scoring wine in my top ten, but scores are an attempt to concisely communicate quality above all else. What’s more, this is a personal selection, and for that there are other criteria that come into play – for me, it’s important that a wine has character and personality. Another important element that’s rarely discussed is a wine’s ability to surprise. And Danjou-Banessy’s Estaca 2020 shocked me.
To begin with, I was wrong-footed by the lowly IGP classification. It announced a relatively straightforward varietal Grenache, albeit one with local character. What I found was a particular iteration of this grape that I’d never encountered before.
Everything about the wine was extraordinary. The colour was a pale cherry red with an orange tint. The aromatics were sublime. I’m a big fan of whole-bunch fermentation with old-vine Grenache, and here it was unusually pronounced, giving the wine a deep, herbal complexity: crushed bay leaves and rose petals in wood smoke.
It had the plump plushness that makes Grenache so luxurious to taste, but crucially it had lift and freshness too. I didn’t expect an IGP Côtes Catalanes to be so compelling, so exciting.
What makes the wine even more notable is that the Danjou-Banessy brothers did not acidify, chaptalise, add yeast, fine or filter. No wonder it had such purity of expression. Such a unique version of Grenache can only be the product of a very special place. I sat in wonder.
It created a tremor in my mental wine map, changing the landscape of this corner of France. I’ve been getting to know Rhône varieties for many years, so it takes a lot to reframe my understanding of grapes like Grenache. This wine revealed another facet of the jewel, a secret drawer in the cabinet.
This is how much the wine stunned me. This sense of shock is just one of the reasons why it made such a strong impression and created such a vivid memory. Not just a memory of the wine, but of the place where I drank it, and the people I drank it with.
A bottle consumed then forgotten is a fleeting pleasure. A bottle consumed then remembered is something more profound. Unlike viewing a painting, the only way we can revisit a wine-drinking experience is through memory.
All of the bottles on this list made a strong impression on me this year. And I will go on enjoying them in my mind for years to come.
See tasting notes and scores for Matt Walls’ top 10 wines of 2023
Wines are listed in order of which made the biggest impression on Matt Walls in 2023
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Domaine Danjou-Banessy, Estaca, Côtes Catalanes, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, 2020
Strongly marked by whole-bunch fermentation, this is very herbal in style, with some extinguished bonfire and red cherry fruits. On the palate there’s lots of puppy fat, it’s full-bodied but fresh. Lifted finesse and schistous minerality. Rose petals come with air. A mysterious and beguiling wine, with complexity and secrets, from the single vineyard of Estaca. Beautiful 135-year-old Grenache vines on decomposed black schist with quartz and limestone in Espira-de-l’Agly. Not acidified, not chaptalised, no added yeast, unfined, unfiltered.
2020
Domaine Danjou-BanessyCôtes Catalanes
Domaine du Tunnel, Peygros, St-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2020
Amazingly vibrant and alive, with real intensity, perfect acidity and electricity running through it. Black cherry and raspberry flavours, incredible finesse, silky and concentrated without being heavy, leading to a tapered finish. An exceptional St-Joseph. Peygros is a lieu-dit next to Guigal's Vignes de l'Hospice in Tournon; the grapes used to go into Domaine du Tunnel's classic St-Joseph, but are now bottled separately as it's such an exceptional site. It's not often you taste a wine that's new to you and automatically ranks among the very best of an appellation, especially one as well-established as St-Joseph. That's what this wine did.
2020
Domaine du TunnelSt-Joseph
Ziereisen, Jaspis 10 Hoch 4 Syrah, Baden, Germany, 2018
What incredible, thrilling, open and expressive aromas of resinous herbs, thyme, dried blood and smoked salami. Intense, light-bodied, silky, fresh and transparent, with great acidity and length. Similar to a very good Côte-Rôtie. Extraordinary. Grown on steep limestone slopes in Efringen-Kirchen, close to the French and Austrian borders; 40% whole bunch.
2018
Ziereisen
Château Rayas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2006
A stunning, fresh perfume of orange rind, bright mint and strawberry jam. Plump, round and silky in the mouth, the rich alcohol and glycerol is matched by perfectly balanced acidity. Ethereal, bright, long and with so much personality; a beautiful, classic Rayas, which was opened 24 hours in advance of tasting.
2006
Château RayasChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine Rostaing, Côte Blonde, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2016
All the spice, smoke and florals of great Syrah, and the notes of tobacco, cedar and dried rose are quintessential Côte Blonde – a thrilling aromatic display. There's some weight here, but this still has that feather-light Côte Blonde touch. Perfect balance, even though the acidity is towards the low side. Very fine tannins, no overt stalkiness despite the whole-bunch fermentation. Silky, textured, finishing dry and savoury, the tannins are still quite prominent, so although this is wonderful on the nose now, I would wait just a little longer for it to fully integrate. A great Côte Blonde.
2016
Domaine RostaingCôte-Rôtie
Domaine JL Chave, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2001
Still surprisingly dark in the glass, with an enticing, gamey, liquorice, animal nose. More gaminess on the bright-acid palate, with herbal nuances and just-ripe blackberry fruit. Very open and juicy, with enjoyably strict tannins and a fresh, long, ferrous, bloody finish. A vintage that has always had acidity and freshness, according to Jean-Louis Chave.
2001
Domaine JL ChaveHermitage
M Chapoutier, De l'Orée, Hermitage, Rhône, France, 2015
Harmonious aromas of blanched almonds, honey, lemon verbena and candle wax. Totally caresses the palate, it’s so rich and satin textured. Subtle, attractive bitter notes help to bring structure; the acidity is low but it’s not problematic, this is still majestic. Phenomenal length, ending on savoury almond nougat notes from the oak, which has been used judiciously and to excellent effect, supporting and shaping the wine without dominating the fruit or sense of place. It could only be white Hermitage, and it's a classic, excellent example.
2015
M ChapoutierHermitage
Domaine Yves Gangloff, La Barbarine, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France, 2020
Malty, meaty, blackberry nose. Mouthfilling fruit and soft tannins, it's so velvety and fine. Emotional stuff, so complete, genuine and authentic.
2020
Domaine Yves GangloffCôte-Rôtie
Domaine Georges Vernay, Coteau de Vernon, Condrieu, Rhône, France, 2021
Gorgeous nose, full and vivid but serious; ginger and mint over white-fleshed fruits. Full but not heavy, with a gently creamy mid-palate. Amazing salinity and balance, finishing light and fresh. Partly planted by Christine Vernay’s grandfather before the appellation was established: from two mid-slope parcels, one planted in the 1960s, one before 1940, amounting to 4ha. Vinified in foudres and barriques, 5% new oak, for 12 months. Organic.
2021
Domaine Georges VernayCondrieu
Château La Nerthe, Cuvée des Cadettes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 1999
From the oldest vines of the estate and a bottle drawn from La Nerthe's extensive cellars during the 2023 Decanter Rhône Valley Wine Tour. Perfectly mature, with leather, forest floor, camphor and fresh, woody herbs. Full-bodied and powerful, with a meaty finish flecked with autumn leaves. Bright acidity, no excess alcohol, and still fresh with juicy tannins. This is the perfect time to drink it; really impressive.
1999
Château La NertheChâteauneuf-du-Pape
