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Picpoul de Pinet report 2023: Latest releases tasted

Natalie Earl assesses the most recent vintages in this southern France region, which edges the Mediterranean from low-lying land, and selects the top wines, value picks and producers to look out for.

Picpoul de Pinet 2022 vintage rating:  4.5 / 5

An electrifying, savoury scent meets my nostrils as I wind down the car window: wet rocks, mossy greenness, a briny tang; it’s the smell of the sea. I can’t see it yet, all I can see are neat rows of trellised vines blurring past, on a flat expanse of pale, clayey-looking soils. I know it’s there though, I can sense it.

We are driving along the edge of the Étang de Thau, a large lagoon, behind which the Picpoul de Pinet vineyard area spreads over 1,550ha. Being a coastal, Mediterranean climate, rainfall is low, winters are mild and sea mists and breezes play an important role in getting the vines just enough moisture.

The 2021 and 2022 vintages were markedly different in climate terms. Most of what is available on the market now, however, is from 2022, with only three 2021s shown at the tasting, all of which were Patience cuvées but none of which scored particularly high.


See the Languedoc report 2023 homepage


Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Picpoul de Pinet wines from 2022

See the Languedoc report 2023 homepage


Tasting notes and scores for the top Picpoul de Pinet latest releases:

The wines below are listed by score.


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