Walls: The best wines to buy from Gigondas in 2022

On the one hand, the fruit is soft, juicy, and unctuous; on the other, this has real structure and power. The two combine to create a harmonious and balanced style of Gigondas with elegance, and one that promises future complexity. The smart oak work is well judged and will integrate fully with time. A highly impressive wine. A blend of the five top cuvées of the estate, grown across marls, limestones and sands, with multiple exposures and multiple barrel types.

Smoky blackcurrant and sloe fruit aromas lead to a very concentrated and powerful but yielding palate, that’s not too hard. This has real depth and textural wealth. The alcohol is warming, the acidity is well balanced, and the tannins are noble and refined. There’s some bay leaf and black pepper in the background. A wine of great power, and serious potential complexity. The 20% new oak is well integrated.

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 and texture. There is huge power, a real upswell of berry coulis fruit. The alcohol warms the finish, but there is a lot to enjoy here – the payoff is great length, depth and burgeoning complexity. The oak work is well integrated, and works well with the style. A touch of peppery spice brings further complexity. Whole-bunch fermented, 20% new oak.

Aromatically elegant and precise. Intense but not heavy on the palate – a direct, focused style with ripe tannins and good acidity. Very well balanced. A Gigondas with aroma, freshness, intensity and vibrancy, not to mention serious ageing potential. It has a sandy, mineral finish. Old-vine Grenache planted on clay and sand near the foot of the village, aged in oak foudres for a year and a half

Fresh and vibrant aromas of dried herbs, woodland berries and forest air. Only medium-bodied for the style, with a lovely sense of brisk freshness and vibrancy. This has great acidity, with fine tannins and impressive length. As taut as a violin string and well balanced. A wine of great energy with a long life ahead of it. Made from very old vines, the wine sees no fining nor filtration.

There’s a herbal touch on the nose, like garrigue and hot sand. The tannins are fine, and there’s precise acidity, salinity and serious intensity. A wine that's all about structure and tension. Enjoy it for its electric energy now, but this will really come into its own with age. From pre-phylloxera vines approaching 100 years of age, grown on sand. A persistently excellent Gigondas cuvée that deserves to be more widely known.

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. This is followed by berry acidity, and quite firm tannins. There’s a lot going on here, juicy fruit and good length. It finishes on almond, black pepper and new leather. Whole-bunch fermented, 20% new oak.

Relatively pale in colour (pure Grenache), with a strongly herb-led aromatic profile – oregano and bay leaf. It’s medium-bodied, with more dried herbs on the palate and strong acidity. It’s quite a savoury style, a long, focused Gigondas with energy and tension. I like its freshness and energy. The oak is well integrated, and benefits both nose and palate. High elevation vineyards on limestone marl planted with old-vine Grenache, the grapes were 80% destemmed, and the wine was aged in demi-muids for 18 months.

This is full-bodied and mouthfilling, with robust tannins. There’s plenty of energy and concentration, and good acidity. All quite locked up for now, this will take a long time to show its best. It’s herbal, with a touch of liquorice. The tannins are ripe and elegant, and are likely to always dominate the wine, making for a very structured, strict style – but nonetheless with precision. From old vines, the wine sees a seven week maceration, and no fining nor filtration.

Discrete layers of red berry fruit and spice on the nose, alongside some savoury dill notes. It’s full-bodied but not massive, with softer tannins than many. Has a certain unctuosity, finishing with sappy acidity and herbs. There is lots of character here, and it promises future complexity. No excess alcohol or overbearing tannin, unlike some other 2022s. Aged for 18 months in Stockinger foudres and terracotta amphorae. The wine is unfined and unfiltered.

Quite pale in colour, with dried Provençal herbs on the nose. Bright and aromatic. Only medium-bodied, no huge concentration or ripeness. Good acidity, with slightly fibrous tannins. A very drinkable, lighter style of Gigondas with definition and energy. Aged for 18 months in Stockinger foudres and terracotta amphorae. The wine is unfined and unfiltered.

Fresh and defined red berry fruits on the nose, and enjoyable candied notes to the strawberry fruit (but not confected). Medium-bodied, fresh and well balanced. This has a good sense of drinkability, with a mass of soft tannin. Good concentration and a long finish. It tastes quite evolved and gives pleasure already, so might not be a candidate for long ageing. Whole-bunch fermented in concrete, then aged in casks, 20% new.

Paler in colour than some 2022s. A distinctly peppery, herbal nose, it’s very aromatic and alive with dried herb notes. Full-bodied and mouthfilling, with generous red fruit flavour, then quite noticeable acidity. Powerful and richer than many 2022s, with a warming finish. A juicy, spherical Grenache-led Gigondas. Old vines planted on sand, aged in old demi-muids for 18 months.

Darkly coloured. Concentrated and dark in aroma, with damson and black fruits. The oak adds a complex spicy note. Powerful and grippy, quite dominated by oak for now, but should be interesting with bottle age. It’s very tannic, so give it time. Planted on the clay, marl and limestone soils of Le Cône, this is massal selection Syrah that was all destemmed, then aged in demi-muids for 12 months, then tank for six months before bottling.

Blueberry and blackberry jam aromas, really vivid and brightly fruited. It’s full-bodied, ripe, concentrated and voluminous. The alcohol is a little warming on the finish. Dramatic stuff! From a south-facing, high-altitude limestone vineyard, where the grapes were hand-picked.

An interesting nose that has some balsamic notes, black fruit, red fruit and spice. It’s full-bodied, rich and ripe, with powerful tannins and warming alcohol. An impressive, punchy Gigondas. From old-vine Grenache planted at 500m altitude in a northeast-facing vineyard. The grapes were partly destemmed, and the wine was aged in old barrels.

With its plum and blackberry fruit, this is deeper, riper and richer than many this year. The piercing acidity feels a little high, but the tannins are fine. On the whole it feels really quite tense and nervous, but has some vibrancy and impact.

Fresh aromas of leaf tea and strawberry. This has a powerful palate that is full-bodied and concentrated. There’s a great surge of tannins, but they're adequately ripe. This has length and focus, but you really must wait for this to show its best, as it feels quite embryonic at this early stage. The grapes were all destemmed, then the wine was aged 85% in concrete tanks, 15% in 400L barrels.

A bright and raspberry-fruited example. Fine, relatively light in tannin with brisk redcurrant acidity. A juicy and refreshing style, with no great concentration. Eight different plots around Gigondas, biodynamically farmed, partly destemmed.

Some reduction on the nose means this is a bit stinky on opening. This departs with some air, leaving authentic strawberry fruit – so I’d advise you to decant it when young. Soft and juicy on the palate, this is welcoming and easy-going, with good acidity, and soft and chewy tannins. The alcohol is a touch warming, but overall this has charm and drinkability. Drinks well young, but could age with interest. Feels nourishing. From young vines that had no irrigation, and the wine saw no oak.

This certainly has elegance on the palate in terms of texture, despite the significant tannic payload. Good acidity brings balance, but this is all quite closed and introverted for now. It has depth and length; it's promising thanks to its balance and freshness, but needs time to show its best. The vines had no irrigation, and the wine saw no oak.

A fragrant, attractive, juicy style with a lovely sense of freshness and focus, leading to a long finish. There's a broad tannic base, but the tannin is ripe; paired with some protein-rich food, this will offer plenty of pleasure. Fermented in stainless steel and concrete, aged mostly in concrete with some oak barrels.

Beautifully fragrant cherry and strawberry aromas. Then soft, juicy and yielding but still structured. There’s good acidity on the long finish. It has plenty of stuffing for the long run, but offers a lot to those that like young, structured Gigondas too. Aged in tank, foudres and barrel for 18 months.

Attractive, lifted violet aromas. This has some fullness, breadth and generosity. Velvety fruit, with strong, tensile tannins running through it. A powerful, structured style of 2022 Gigondas that will take time to soften. Good acidity and energy. From very old vines.

Introverted and quite closed at present on the nose and palate, with a scaffold of tannin and acidity. It does have textural elegance and depth, so this should offer some interesting drinking in time – but you must wait. The grapes were all destemmed, and the wine saw no oak.

A very silky and approachable style, with velvety fruit and soft, fine tannins. This is a Gigondas to enjoy in its youth. Elegant red fruit aromas, combining raspberry, strawberry and redcurrant. The alcohol is gently warming. Reductive on opening, so I’d advise that you decant. From old-vine Grenache planted on clay and sand near the foot of the village, then the wine was aged in foudres.

There’s a reductive note on opening, which becomes meaty with air – decanting advised here. It’s fresh and taut on the palate, with a lot of tannin, so give this time. It has velvety red fruits, very classically Gigondas in terms of fruit character, and a long finish with a saline note. It’s very tannic, but should soften after a few years. The average age of the vines is 55 years. The Grenache was matured in old oak foudres; the Syrah in barriques and demi-muids.

Appealing fragrant raspberry aromas. This is soft, juicy and rounded on the palate, with good acidity and smooth albeit quite taut tannins. Good acidity and freshness give the wine good bite. From old vines, it sees no fining nor filtration.

Unusually fine tannins for the vintage, they last into a long, tapered finish. This is fresh and well balanced, a Gigondas of elegance and precision. It will drink well young. All destemmed, aged in stainless steel.

Enjoyable spicy top note to the wine. The alcohol is high but the wine does have freshness and a focused, intense style, with marked acidity. No herbicide or chemical products used in the vineyard.