Northern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

Northern Rhône 2022 overall vintage rating: 4/5

Diverse in style and quality due to intense heat and drought. Blockages in ripening were widespread around Cornas and Hermitage, making for some lighter wines with moderate alcohol; others more robust. Côte-Rôtie tends to be soft and velvety. Whites can be overly rich but some are enjoyably powerful and exuberant.

‘Most will drink young and into the medium term, but the more tannic, structured wines will take a long time to soften, then age for decades’

In both the northern and southern Rhône, the contrast between the 2021 and 2022 vintages couldn’t be stronger. The 2021 vintage saw widespread frosts, then a cool, wet season; in 2022, growers were spared any frost damage, but experienced a hot, dry year.

In the north, there was almost a month’s difference in picking dates between 2021 and 2022: in 2021, Domaine Clape started harvesting its reds on 20 September; in 2022, it was 23 August.

Scroll down for Matt Walls’ top-scoring northern Rhône 2022 wines

The drought was less severe compared to the southern Rhône, but it was still extremely parched. Cornas struggled with widespread blockages in ripening due to water stress, and some wines display green, fibrous tannins as a result. Hermitage suffered too, but not to the same degree. Côte-Rôtie was blessed with a little more rain, and it shows in the style of the wines; softer, more velvety, if sometimes lacking acidity.

Stéphane Ogier, of his eponymous domaine, notes that ripening issues were more common with younger vines, and stressed the importance of fermenting with stems in 2022, which contributes structure and freshness and reduces alcohol levels.

See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores

Both bunches and berries were reduced in size in 2022 – Loïc Jamet at Domaine JP Jamet says that in some bunches ‘some grapes didn’t even touch each other, they were so small’. That’s good for aerating the grapes, reducing the likelihood of disease, but bad for overall yields.

The lack of water meant that even the vines themselves were stunted, often reaching little more than shoulder height, compared to the often lofty canopies which reach above head height. This meant limited photosynthesis, which was one reason why the wines have modest alcohol levels this year – typically 12.5% to 13.5% for reds, 13% to 14% for whites.

The hot, dry weather made for a relatively hassle-free year in the vineyard. Jamet says ‘it was quite an easy year for us, there wasn’t much need to scissor the vines [to control the canopy], and no rot’.

Pierre Rostaing of Domaine Rostaing says that there was little grass to cut between the vines. ‘But it was hard to watch the vines suffer,’ he says, with many vines, particularly younger ones, not surviving the summer.

Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Southern Rhône 2022: full report and top-scoring wines

Due to the disparity of style throughout the region this year, it’s hard to generalise about ageability; most will drink young and into the medium term, but the more tannic, structured wines will take a long time to soften, then age for decades. Consulting drinking windows is advisable.

There was much optimism among growers about vines acclimatising to hot, dry summers. Clément Bärtschi, winemaker and cellar master at M Chapoutier, adds that ‘growers have also adapted’ in the way they work: leaving more leaf shadow on the grapes, pressing more gently, reducing new oak, spraying wet clay on grapes to slow down ripening, picking whites earlier and seeking more generous yields.

And unlike 2003, ‘no-one planned to be on the coast in mid-August,’ says Bärtschi. This time growers were ready to react. The result is a better vintage than 2003, and although very mixed in style and quality, there are plenty of wines worth seeking out.

Northern Rhône 2022 red wine of the vintage

Domaine JL Chave, Hermitage

Northern Rhône 2022 white wine of the vintage

M Chapoutier, Le Méal, Hermitage

Individual appellation analysis on:

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu | St-Joseph | Cornas & St-Péray | Hermitage | Crozes-Hermitage

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

Top 10 northern Rhône producers

• Domaine Clape
• Domaine JL Chave
• Domaine JP Jamet
• Domaine Marc Sorrel
• Domaine Rostaing
• E Guigal
• Franck Balthazar
• M Chapoutier
• Pierre Jean Villa
• Stéphane Ogier

Top-scoring northern Rhône 2022 wines:

The wines below all scored 96 points or above, and are listed white then red in score order.

Related articles

• Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The north
• Northern Rhône whites: Panel tasting results
• Walls: top northern Rhône reds under £30