Rhône 2022 en primeur: Full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Rhône 2022 en primeur vintage rating:

Northern Rhône: 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

Southern Rhône: 4 /5

Extreme weather conditions produced reds that range from light and juicy to dense and powerful. Blockages in ripening caused by heat and drought made for moderate alcohol levels, but sometimes tough tannins. Whites can lack freshness. Some excellent, ageworthy Châteauneuf-du-Papes; also good in Rasteau.

‘Never before has a vintage so confounded my expectations’

While preparing for my three-week visit to taste the 2022 vintage in the Rhône, I read that the region experienced the hottest and driest growing season since 1950. Even hotter and drier than 2003 – a vintage burned into the memory of local winemakers. So I approached the tastings with a degree of trepidation. Extreme conditions rarely make for balanced wines.

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

But as I started to work my way through them, a very different picture began to emerge. Rather than boozy behemoths, what I often found were middle-weight wines with just-ripe berry fruits and moderate alcohol levels. Some were lean, even, with green, unripe tannins. Never before has a vintage so confounded my expectations.

See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores

The drought started early in the year, and barely let up until harvest. Between 15 October 2021 and 1 September 2022, it rained just 300mm in the southern Rhône, compared to an average of 600mm. Combined with the intense heat (it was the hottest May on record) many vines simply shut down and stopped growing in order to conserve water.

Some winemakers I spoke to, such as Jean-Paul Daumen of Domaine de la Vieille Julienne and Jean-Louis Chave, believe this is evidence of vines adapting to an increasingly extreme climate. Louis Barruol of Château de Saint Cosme describes these blockages due to hydric stress as the vine’s ‘security mode’. He says that ‘in 2003, the vines kept growing when they should have shut down… what we have [in 2022] is very different.’ To many, it gives hope for the future.

Rhône 2022 red wine of the vintage:

Domaine de Cristia, Chapelle Saint Théodoric La Guigasse, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France 2022

Rhône 2022 white wine of the vintage:

M Chapoutier, Le Méal, Hermitage, Rhône, France 2022

Although the whole of the Rhône Valley experienced similar weather conditions, this effect isn’t uniform. It’s slightly more common in the north than in the south. As well as this leaner style of red, there are others that feel jammy and alcoholic, and you can find both styles side by side all over the region. It makes generalising about appellations and even producers difficult. So although there are some great wines, 2022 is too variable to be described as a great vintage, but it’s largely a good one.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the standout appellation, thanks to its wealth of old vine Grenache with deep root systems. But the northern Rhône was marginally more consistent in quality. In both north and south, the greatest terroirs really proved their worth.

Northern Rhône 2022: full report and top-scoring wines

Southern Rhône 2022: full report and top-scoring wines

Lovers of white Rhône were spoiled in 2020 and 2021, but the wines in 2022 don’t have the same freshness or acidity. There are some very good whites for those seeking richness and power, but generally speaking, this is a vintage for reds.

It’s hard to predict exactly what style of wine you’ll get from a 2022 Rhône without opening a bottle or reading a review. It might be underripe, it might be overripe. It might walk the line between the two and be utterly delicious. It’s certainly better than 2003. And if the weather continues to be chaotic, it may well be a vision of vintages to come.

Individual appellation analysis on:

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

Châteauneuf-du-Pape | Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise | Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres | Lirac & Tavel

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

Key Rhône producers in 2022:

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 10 southern Rhône producers

• Château de Beaucastel
• Château de St Cosme
• Château Rayas
• Clos des Papes
• Domaine de Beaurenard
• Domaine de Cristia
• Domaine de la Janasse
• Domaine de la Mordorée
• Domaine de la Vieille Julienne
• Le Clos du Caillou

Top-scoring Rhône 2022 wines

See below the 30 highest scoring wines, listed white then red in score order.

Related articles

• Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The north
• Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The south
• Walls: Best Rhône wine lists in the UK