Southern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines
Matt Walls finds that intense heat and drought during the growing season has certainly affected the resulting style of wines, with many concentrated and fruity examples. It's worth doing your research to find the best performing bottles.
Southern Rhône 2022 overall vintage rating: 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.
‘Hot, dry vintages tend to favour red wines and 2022 is no exception. In general the style is fairly concentrated and fruity, if not profound’
Budbreak was a little later than an average year in the southern Rhône, yet harvest was early, so the growing season was contracted due to the extraordinary heat and drought.
Flowering went well, and it was the earliest veraison (when grapes turn from green to red) ever reported.
Scroll down for Matt Walls’ top-scoring southern Rhône 2022 wines
The extreme weather conditions were both a blessing and a curse. Berries were particularly small this year due to the lack of water, meaning a large proportion of skins compared to juice, making for some very tannic wines. This isn’t problematic if the tannins are ripe, but where the hydric stress was more severe, some wines lack depth or taste green and bitter. The hot weather also contributed to low levels of acidity.
One welcome effect of the stop-start ripening, however, was to curb alcohol levels, which are pleasantly low this year. The dry weather at harvest, which started in mid-August for the whites, meant there was no disease pressure in the vineyards and producers could wait for the right moment to pick.
See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores
Hot, dry vintages tend to favour red wines and 2022 is no exception. Grenache fared well, particularly old vines grown on water-retaining clay, whose roots had better access to water reserves. Mourvèdre is very dense and tannic this year, providing resonance and ageing potential. Syrah struggled in the heat.
The whites can lack elegance and freshness, but certain producers with old vines in the best terroirs made some very impressive wines, in a broad, generous, Provençal style. It was often the Clairette-based blends that stood out for their freshness over the richer Roussanne.
Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines
Northern Rhône 2022: full report and top-scoring wines
Individual appellation analysis:
Châteauneuf-du-Pape | Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise | Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres | Lirac & Tavel
Because some vines suffered blockages and others didn’t, it’s hard to summarise the style of the 2022s in the southern Rhône, but in general it’s fairly concentrated and fruity, if not profound.
Châteauneuf performed the best, while the more brutally tannic, overripe or overly alcoholic wines were found elsewhere. It’s a better vintage than I expected, and there are many good wines to buy, some of which will age well. There are also plenty of wines to swerve.
Southern Rhône 2022 red wine of the vintage
Domaine de Cristia, Chapelle Saint Théodoric La Guigasse, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Southern Rhône 2022 white wine of the vintage
Domaine de la Solitude, Vin de la Solitude, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
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 southern Rhône producers in 2022
- 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 southern Rhône 2022 wines:
A selection of 30 southern Rhône wines which scored 95 points or above, listed white then red in score order.
Related articles
- Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The south
- Get to know Southern Rhône: Good, better, best
- Southern Rhône white wines: how do they compare?
Clos des Papes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Open and inviting aromas of dried pears, almost slightly hoppy. This is full-bodied and rich, but with good acidity thanks to the Bourboulenc and Piquepoul...
2022
Clos des PapesChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Beaurenard, Boisrenard, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
On a higher level to the domaine’s Tradition cuvée this year, this has really fresh and lively aromatics and a delightfully vibrant palate. The star...
2022
Domaine de BeaurenardChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de la Solitude, Vin de la Solitude Blanc, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Restrained aromatics lead to a full-bodied palate with great textural wealth. Not as obviously oaky as the domaine’s other cuvées (though it is certainly generously...
2022
Domaine de la SolitudeChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Château de Beaucastel, Roussanne Vieilles Vignes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Richer, more honeyed than the 2023 on the nose. Generous and full-bodied, with low acidity and more noticeable noble bitter notes than the 2023. The...
2022
Château de BeaucastelChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Château Rayas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Aromas of confit pear, honeysuckle and almond announce a very rich style, massive, mouthfilling, with rich alcohol and enough freshness to bring it all together....
2022
Château RayasChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine Chante Cigale, Extrait, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
A touch smoky, flinty, this is tight and tense on the palate, dry and savoury. It's really quite focused, never overly fat, with a long,...
2022
Domaine Chante CigaleChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Gourt de Mautens, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse, Rhône, France, 2022
Deep yellow/gold in colour, with intense honeysuckle and dried pear. Rich, almost oily in texture, this is powerful and potent, but with good balance. 30...
2022
Domaine de Gourt de MautensVin de Pays de Vaucluse
Domaine de la Solitude, Barberini, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
There's noticeable struck match reduction on the nose, which works its way through into the finish. The oak work is robust and toasty, but somehow...
2022
Domaine de la SolitudeChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Château de Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Notes of cooked blueberries and liquorice on the nose. This has great palate weight and density, it’s so savoury. The tannins are really searching, and...
2022
Château de BeaucastelChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Cristia, Chapelle Saint Théodoric La Guigasse, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Herbal notes flow throughout the juicy strawberry fruit. The alcohol is present but it doesn't feel excessive, the balance is good. It’s exceptionally long indeed,...
2022
Domaine de CristiaChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de la Janasse, Chaupin, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Rich black cherry and strawberry fruit, with impressive density and palate weight. The balance is good, with fur-coat tannins and admirable freshness. Yet again, this...
2022
Domaine de la JanasseChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de la Janasse, Vieilles Vignes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Full, lush and powerful, with a wall of intense tannin – this is an enormously powerful wine that will take many years to approach a...
2022
Domaine de la JanasseChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de la Mordorée, La Reine des Bois, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Huge and powerful, but so fresh. This has great driving intensity, with even bigger, more structural tannins than the domaine’s other cuvée. A rampaging Châteauneuf...
2022
Domaine de la MordoréeChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Château de St Cosme, Le Claux, Gigondas, Rhône, France, 2022
This has an enjoyably earthy aromatic display with peppery herbs underneath. Soft and juicy, with more herbal notes, bay leaf and oregano on the palate....
2022
Château de St CosmeGigondas
Château Rayas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Instead of maturing the three main parcels separately in 2022, all were assembled and matured together. Red and black cherry aromas and Turkish delight, then...
2022
Château RayasChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Cristia, Les Sablons, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Full and juicy, with a slake of cooling glycerol that's cut through with bright raspberry acidity. The alcohol is quite raised here – it is...
2022
Domaine de CristiaChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de la Vieille Julienne, Réservé, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Blackberry jam flavours, but still powerful and fresh. Crushed strawberries too, and crushed bay leaves. It’s full-bodied and powerful, with remarkably driving acidity. The finish...
2022
Domaine de la Vieille JulienneChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Le Clos du Caillou, La Réserve, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Very full but not overly bulbous, with a big tannic base from the ripe Mourvèdre. Powerful, this has serious impact and intensity, it's long and...
2022
Le Clos du CaillouChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Château de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
<p>Dark and inky in colour this year. It’s fresh in its berry fruits, really quite powerful, with muscular tannins and driving acidity behind. A dense,...
2022
Château de BeaucastelChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Château de St Cosme, Hominis Fides, Gigondas, Rhône, France, 2022
Showing spice and herb notes on opening, such as oregano, olive and marjoram, with a touch of dried ham too. Relatively full-bodied, this has depth...
2022
Château de St CosmeGigondas
Château Rayas, Pignan, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Vibrant strawberry notes to the Grenache here, it’s very alive. Rounded and generous, fresh, with only moderate alcohol this year. A touch of greenness to...
2022
Château RayasChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Clos des Papes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
A touch less Mourvèdre this year, but not enough to change the profile of the wine, which is fairly classic albeit pretty bombastic in 2022....
2022
Clos des PapesChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Cristia, Chapelle Saint Théodoric Le Grand Pin, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Relatively pale in the glass. Pine needles and rosemary, very much a garrigue herb inflected nose. Broad and mouthfilling, generous and juicy, with rich strawberry...
2022
Domaine de CristiaChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Cristia, Renaissance, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Wow, what a nose! Leaf tea, menthol and pine resin, a really captivating and complex display. Dense and intensely solid, with fine, bold tannins. The...
2022
Domaine de CristiaChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Gourt de Mautens, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse, Rhône, France, 2022
A tasting of six different barrel samples with winemaker Jérôme Bressy shows that all are distinctly different. He's now using 100% whole bunch. The overall...
2022
Domaine de Gourt de MautensVin de Pays de Vaucluse
Alain Jaume & Fils, Les Origines, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
The powerful, gutsy Mourvèdre element is very much in evidence, bringing a solid base and firmness of body to the core of the wine. It's...
2022
Alain Jaume & FilsChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Château de Fonsalette, Cuvée Syrah, Côtes du Rhône, Rhône, France, 2022
Two parcels, distinctly different. The first is grown on galets, clay and sand and has an intensely spicy profile – cardamom and cocoa nibs –...
2022
Château de FonsaletteCôtes du Rhône
Clos du Calvaire, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Provençal herbs and leaf tea on the nose, Turkish delight too. Full-bodied, smooth and plump. It's robust but generous, with plentiful ripe tannins; acidity isn't...
2022
Clos du CalvaireChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Cristia, Vieilles Vignes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
This is ripe for sure, but not overripe, and the oak is sensitively applied, giving some shape and focus to the wine. The alcohol is...
2022
Domaine de CristiaChâteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de la Mordorée, La Dame Voyageuse, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, 2022
Big, juicy, bold and powerful. Really driving, chunky, mouthfilling fruit and tannin. It’s long, broad and expansive, a huge wine for those that enjoy massive...
2022
Domaine de la MordoréeChâteauneuf-du-Pape
