Matt Walls’ top 10 fine wines of 2019

In 2019, I have left no galet roulé unturned. Terroir jokes aside, by Christmas I will have visited 40 appellations in the Southern Rhône. From big names like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, to tiny Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages such as Saint-Pantaléon-Les-Vignes, and calling in at esoteric satellite appellations such as Clairette de Bellegarde on the way – I’ve been everywhere!

There have been countless memorable moments, like visiting Château Rayas during my coverage of the 2018 vintage, only to be told by Emmanuel Reynaud that there was nothing to taste, he’d been so badly hit by mildew. Getting a lesson in semi-carbonic maceration at Domaine l’Anglore, Eric Pfifferling using a tank as a makeshift blackboard. Seeing Laurent Garnier DJing at Clos des Tourelles in Gigondas.

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Not to mention discovering so many exciting new domaines – names that might be less familiar currently, but will one day be better known: Domaine le Sollier in Duché d’Uzès, Domaine Moulin la Viguerie in Tavel, Domaine du Chapitre in Saint-Andéol…

I’ve been lucky enough to taste some unforgettable wines along the way, many of which have been from barrel. Though often impressive, they are exciting to taste for what they will become, rather than the pleasure they provide then and there. It’s the mature bottles, wines that have fulfilled their potential, that give the most satisfaction and it’s these wines that I’ve focussed on for this selection.

Some wines were so delicious young, I couldn’t help but include them, like a 2015 Gourt de Mautens rouge that is incredible now, and will be for a long time to come. The oldest on the list is a 1989 Clos Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘Cuvée du Papet’. It’s a historic wine: one of the first ever Cuvées Spéciales that ushered in a new era for Châteauneuf, at full maturity. A privilege to taste and from the the only appellation to feature twice.

Nature was kinder to Château Rayas in 2006, they made a spellbinding wine that is just coming into its own. The 2006 vintage is a personal favourite of mine – fresh, balanced and unshowy reds throughout the Rhône Valley that have aged beautifully. It crops up three times in this list – not just in Châteauneuf, but also in Gigondas and Cornas.

There’s only one other vintage that appears more than once, and that’s 2014. That might be surprising – it was a difficult, cold, wet year with various other challenges for winemakers to contend with. But it was the last really outstanding year for white wines in the Rhône, particularly in Condrieu. And the best wines of Ventoux are extraordinary in 2014, where the Syrah was tense, bright and peppery.

After Christmas, I’ll be spending more time in the Northern Rhône to complete the research for my forthcoming book The Wines of the Rhône (Infinite Ideas) that’s due for publication in October 2020. So expect my Top Ten next year to feature lots of Côte-Rôtie!

See Matt’s top 10 fine wines of 2019

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