Wines of the Year 2022: the top reds

As with the whites, Italy’s reds shone at our 2022 Decanter Wines of the Year. With 16 of the 63 nominations, including five of the top eight reds, it also claimed the top gong.

But it was a battle of the classic regions, with our three expert judges discussing at length which of these 98-point scorers to promote to Red Wine of the Year.

Scroll down for the top reds from Decanter’s Wines of the Year 2022 tasting

‘We were amazed by the number of Italian wines of extremely high quality,’ observed Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW.

Italian-born Vincenzo Arnese was particularly happy at his motherland’s performance. ‘Especially some less well-known grapes and regions, like the Nerello Mascalese from Etna in Sicily and the Aglianico from Irpinia in Campania standing alongside some very reputable, classic regions like Bordeaux, Rioja, Barolo, Barbaresco and Bolgheri in Tuscany.’

‘The classic wines are classic because they are great,’ said Ballesteros Torres. ‘The high scores demonstrate that.’

He added: ‘We are so romantic in this world of wine today that we are always looking for the latest trend, the next big thing, that we often forget about these classic styles that are the standard bearers for the world of wine.’

Unique and unusual discoveries

While Amanda Barnes applauded the ‘complexity and elegance’ of the top-scoring Bolgheri, the ‘raciness, youthful expression and wild fruit intensity’ of the Barbaresco Riserva and the ‘seduction, vivacity and brightness’ of the Etna Rosso, her real interest was piqued elsewhere.

‘What I really enjoyed was some of the fresher, more unpretentious reds we had,’ she said. ‘And some really unique, surprising and unusual varieties from places that I never expected, like the Blaufränkish from Japan.’

Arnese agreed: ‘It’s great to see grapes performing so well outside their traditional homelands. And particularly that the producers are not trying to replicate what is already being made but to create something new, something different, and to adapt their style to the soil and environment where they are.’

The Pinot Meunier from Australia was a case in point, said Ballesteros Torres. ‘A funky, original wine with a postmodern voice. It was a very good wine and a great joy – one of my favourite discoveries.’

Personal favourites

South American specialist Barnes singled out the strong performance of the Argentinian Malbecs. ‘It was interesting to see that three of the four were youthful, crunchy and light on the oak, which shows that the more modern style we’re now seeing in Argentina is also being appreciated by wine lovers like Decanter’s experts.’

For Arnese, despite his Italian roots, one of his standout reds was the top-scoring Margaux. ‘It was elegant, poised and refined, with layers and layers of blue and black fruit. It was a wonderful surprise to see that a 2010 Bordeaux still shows so much youthfulness and can also still improve with time.’

Seeking adventure

As with the whites, our trio of experts were disappointed there was no red Burgundy, though appreciated that many wines may have sold out or were unable to be sourced because of low stock or shipping issues.

‘But the main thing I missed,’ said Ballesteros Torres, ‘were reds wines that were a bit more adventurous. Not necessarily natural wines, but wines with strong opinions – ideological wines.’

This point was echoed by Arnese. ‘Nominations under the offbeat category did tend to be more white wine, which is a little surprising. Maybe it is because there is more variation or experimentation from winemakers, or perhaps because of the availability?

While all the judges were confident next year’s Wines of the Year would provide even more examples ‘to challenge and excite’, they were united in their praise for the 63 top red wines of 2022, all of which offer great drinking pleasure for every palate and pocket.

Full list of all red wines

RED WINE OF THE YEAR – 99 points

Ornellaia, Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy 2012 (nominated by Ronan Sayburn MS; Classic)

98 points

Château Brane-Cantenac, Margaux 2CC, Bordeaux, France 2010 (Michael Denton; Classic)

Château Figeac, St-Emilion 1GCC, Bordeaux, France 2006 (Andrew Jefford; Classic)

López de Haro, Classica Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2004 (Laura Bianco; Classic)

Mastroberardino, Antonio Radici Taurasi Riserva, Irpinia, Campania, Italy 2008 (James Button; Classic)

Mauro Molino, Gallinotto, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy 2017 (Susan Hulme MW; Classic)

Produttori del Barbaresco, Montestefano Riserva, Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy 2016 (Michaela Morris; Classic)

Tenuta delle Terre Nere, Calderara Sottana Rosso, Etna, Sicily, Italy 2019 (Anthony Rose; Classic)

97 points

Domaine Alain Voge, Les Vieilles Fontaines Cornas, Cornas, Rhône, France 2019 (Matt Walls; Classic)

Dominus Estate, Dominus, Yountville, Napa Valley, California, USA 2018 (Georgina Hindle; Classic)

Pasqua, Famiglia Pasqua Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy 2017 (Michela Nassiz; Classic)

96 points

Castello del Terriccio, Lupicaia, Tuscany, Italy 2016 (Aldo Fiordelli; Classic)

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France 2018 (Yohan Castaing; Classic)

Littorai, One Acre Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, California, USA 2019 (Stacy Slinkard; Classic)

Wine by Farr, Tout Près Pinot Noir, Moorabool Valley, Geelong, Australia 2019 (Huon Hooke; Classic)

95 points

Bodega Noemia, J Alberto, Río Negro, Patagonia, Argentina 2019 (Alejandro Iglesias; Classic)

Cantina Girlan, Gschleier Alte Reben Vernatsch, Alto Adige, Italy 2020 (Aldo Fiordelli; Offbeat)

Caravaglio, Palmento di Salina Rosso, Sicily, Italy 2021 (Elizabeth Gabay MW; Offbeat)

Domaine Gramenon, L’Emouvante Rouge, Côtes du Rhône, France 2019 (Matt Walls; Offbeat)

Errazuriz, Wild Ferment Pinot Noir, Aconcagua Valley, Chile 2021 (Alejandro Iglesias; Value)

Forage Supply Co, Caveman Carignan, Barossa Valley, South Australia 2021 (Amy Wislocki; Value)

Giuseppe Apicella, A’ Scippata Riserva, Amalfi Coast, Campania, Italy 2017 (Alessandra Piubello; Offbeat)

Istine, Levigne Chianti Classico Riserva, Tuscany, Italy 2016 (Barbara Philip MW; Classic)

Lake Breeze, Bernoota Shiraz-Cabernet, Langhorne Creek, South Australia 2019 (David Sly; Value)

Mac Forbes, The Blind Spot Pinot Meunier, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia 2021 (Tina Gellie; Value)

Marchesi di Barolo, Sarmassa, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy 2017 (Michela Nassiz; Classic)

Marqués de Riscal, XR Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2017 (Laura Bianco; Classic)

Piekenierskloof Wine Co, Grenache Noir, Piekenierskloof, Citrusdal Mountain, South Africa 2020 (Fiona McDonald; Value)

Pujanza, Norte, Rioja, Spain 2018 (Julie Sheppard; Classic)

Rutini, Single Vineyard Altamira Malbec, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina 2019 (Cesar Soler; Classic)

T-Oinos, Clos Stegasta Rare Mavrotragano, Tinos, Cyclades, Greece 2019 (Sylvia Wu; Offbeat)

94 points

Camel Farm Winery, Private Reserve Blaufränkisch, Hokkaido, Japan 2020 (Ch’ng Poh Tiong; Offbeat)

Catena Zapata, Argentino Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 2020 (Cesar Soler; Classic)

Château Cissac, Haut-Médoc CBS, Bordeaux, France 2019 (Markus Del Monego MW; Classic)

Domaine des Closiers, Les Coudraies, Saumur-Champigny, Loire, France 2020 (Yohan Castaing; Value)

Finca Sophenia, Altosur Malbec, Tupungato, Mendoza, Argentina 2021 (Ronan Sayburn MS; Value)

Flequi Berruti, Le Fleq, Andalucía, Spain 2021 (Paz Levinson; Offbeat)

Le Fraghe, Bardolino, Veneto, Italy 2021 (Michael Garner; Value)

Passopisciaro, Contrada G, Sicily, Italy 2018 (Ronan Sayburn MS; Offbeat)

Ponce, Depaula Monastrell, Manchuela, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain 2021 (Sarah Jane Evans MW; Value)

Thomas Farge, Vieilles Vignes St-Joseph, Rhône, France 2019 (Natalie Earl; Classic)

Van Loggerenberg, Graft, Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2021 (Malu Lambert; Classic)

Welgegund Heritage Wines, Old Vine Cinsault, Wellington, South Africa 2019 (Fiona McDonald; Offbeat)

93 points

Constant Crush Wine, Limited Addition Trousseau, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA 2021 (Charles Curtis MW; Offbeat)

Envínate, Albahra, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain 2021 (Natalie Earl; Value)

Faust Winery, The Pact, Coombsville, Napa Valley, California, USA 2019 (Jonathan Cristaldi; Classic)

Klet Brda, Single Vineyard Merlot, Brda, Slovenia 2018 (Caroline Gilby MW; Offbeat)

Stratus Vineyards, Cabernet Franc, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada 2015 (Andrew Jefford; Offbeat)

Taaibosch, Crescendo, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2019 (Fiona McDonald; Classic)

92 points

Burrowing Owl, Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada 2018 (Sonja van Praag; Classic)

Château MontPlaisir, Expressions Vinsobres, Rhône, France 2018 (Thierry Meyer; Value)

Domeniile Sahateni, Legend of Dracula Pinot Noir, Dealu Mare, Romania 2019 (Adriana Bravo; Value)

Emiliana, Adobe Carmenère, Colchagua, Chile 2020 (Monty Waldin; Value)

Luigi Voghera, Langhe Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Italy 2020 (Peter Liem; Value)

91 points

Alkina, Polygon 3 Grenache, Barossa Valley, South Australia 2019 (David Sly; Classic)

Stag’s Hollow, Dolcetto, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada 2018 (Tina Gellie; Offbeat)

Tikveš Winery, Kratosija, Tikveš, North Macedonia 2021 (Darrel Joseph; Value)

90 points

Jonquères D’Oriola, Château Corneilla Cavalcade, Côtes du Roussillon Village Les Aspres, France 2019 (Michael Denton; Value)

89 points

Chateau Changyu Moser XV, Purple Air Comes From The East, Ningxia, China 2016 (Sylvia Wu; Classic)

88 points

Hans Herzog, Blaufränkisch, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand 2019 (Cameron Douglas MS; Offbeat)

Wines of the Year 2022: the top reds

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