2022 vintage

Although the year was marked by heat and excessive drought, the vines resisted incredibly well to the weather conditions on both sides of the Rhône Valley Vineyards. The first tastings of the 2022 wines bode well for a very promising vintage.

In general, the 2022 vintage is a source of enthusiasm for Rhone professionals. While the climatic conditions have been extremely worrying at times, especially in spring and summer, everyone agrees that the quality of the wines promises to be very satisfactory in white, rosé and red. With beautiful grape material to work with on all varieties, both in the North and the South, wines are already showing lovely colours, pleasant aromatics, and good balance.

As a reminder, maturity of the vines was early by around twenty days compared to 2021 in many sectors. Winter and spring were particularly mild and very dry, as evidenced by the exceptional rainfall deficits recorded.
The abundant sunshine and elevated temperatures over summer gave rise to fears of a potential increase in alcohol levels, but mid-August and September rains, despite their variable intensity, had a beneficial effect, allowing the vineyard to recharge its batteries and the grapes to continue their very encouraging curve of maturity.

In the southern part of the Rhône Valley Vineyards, the spreading of the 2022 harvest over several weeks shows how much the confidence of winegrowers has been sorely tested, first by drought during most of the vegetative cycle, then by more or less intense rainfall, in certain sectors.

According to Denis GUTHMULLER, President of the Syndicat des Côtes du Rhône, “It was necessary to identify, plot by plot, the optimal maturity levels and, despite an early start, the harvest did not end until early October. (…) The vintage looks promising thanks to an important effort of selection. The winegrowers knew how to make the right choices in order to guarantee very good quality."

“Reaching maturity took a long time, with sometimes atypical progress, but the health condition of the vines was excellent with no trace of disease in the vineyards. In Ventoux AOC, maturity came later, certainly due to the influence of the mountain. The last rainfall in September gave the vine the boost it needed to bring the grapes to optimal phenolic maturity.” underlines Samuel Montgermont, Co-President of the AOC Ventoux.

Frédéric LAVAU, Co-President of AOC Rasteau testifies: “2022: a promising vintage in the making. The Syrah fermentations were gentle, as were the tannin extractions carried out at the start of the harvest; tannins will have to mature and mellow with time and ageing. The Cinsaults will bring out at tasting an explosion of fruit thanks to the finesse of the tannins, especially within the blends that Rhone wines are famous for."

In Gigondas, where everyone is impatiently waiting for the next vintage, when the white wines of the cru can be produced and shared, the 2022 harvest surprisingly exceeded volume expectations. Louis BARRUOL, Co-President of the appellation, adds: “When tasting the first wines, we notice a good tannic structure and a good juice/skin ratio which gives deep concentration to the wine. It is a beautiful vintage, even very beautiful."

This vintage seems to shine a special light on the work and know-how of winegrowers.

Thus, in the Gard: “We must praise the resilience of the men and women of Tavel who once again knew how to adapt admirably. They offered us a vintage of great aromatic quality and beautiful balance, marked by a surprising freshness and showing our Cru’s typical colour intensity. The finesse and lush texture of the 2022 vintage are evocative of wonderful gastronomic pairing experiences in the future.” says Thomas GIUBBI, Co-President of AOC Tavel.

Etienne MAFFRE, Co-President of AOC Costières de Nîmes, also recognizes how complex the 2022 vintage has been for winemakers and specifies: "The volumes are within the five-year average, the vintage will be a qualitative one. For the reds, the beautiful small Syrah berries announce good balance in the wines; wines from Grenache will be lighter. Fruity and low in alcohol, the rosés are very elegant. The whites, harvested before the August rainfall, have a nice fleshy character and charming citrus notes."

To conclude on the Southern part of the region, Joël BOUSCARLE, Co-President of AOC Luberon, declares: “Our fears related to the extreme drought were dissipated when we saw the quality of the grapes. Our white wines offer very intense aromas, and the rosés benefit from a favourable acidic structure. With their good balance, the reds will keep well. 2022 is unquestionably a very fine vintage, even an excellent one”.
 

In the northern part of the Rhône Valley Vineyards, the growth cycle was also accelerated but this increase remained moderate, with no disease pressure. The outputs, the number and the shape of the bunches foreshadowed a good harvest. But as in the south, the ultra-dry and hot summer was hard on the vines. The August rains brought a welcome respite and allowed vine metabolism to continue in good conditions...
 
For AOC Condrieu, Co-President Pierre-Jean VILLA specifies: “2022 is a precocious vintage with a fairly low but balanced acidity and potential degrees have not soared. Floral and fruity, the wines are finishing their fermentation and are therefore expected to be lush and accessible.”

“It is a vintage with great balance in the wines, moderately low alcohol levels and surprisingly soft tannins. Acidity levels should be sufficient for future aging. The white wines are very dense and generous, with a beautiful aromatic complexity and an acidity allowing aging. 2022 is in line with great vintages for cellaring…”, comments Jacques DESVERNOIS, Co-President of AOC Hermitage.

On the other side of the Rhône river, Joël DURAND, Co-President of AOC Saint-Joseph, adds: “2022 demonstrates the phenomenal ability of the vine to adapt, in particular Syrah, which reacted very well. Good phenolic ripeness augurs fine tannins that will bring elegance to red wines. The whites benefit from a beautiful “ripeness/texture/richness” dynamic and turn out to be quite fleshy. The vintage promises to be of very high quality."

“With surprisingly fine and coated tannins, despite a significant water deficit, this vintage promises to be very exciting. The acidity levels are correct, and the ripeness has brought balance.” says Pierre-Louis CLAPE for AOC Cornas.

Sparkling wines are also doing well in this 2022 vintage. Fabien LOMBARD, President of AOC Clairette de Die and wines of the Diois, summarizes: "The rainfall in August and September proved really beneficial and allowed to reach good ripeness, especially on Clairette, a major grape variety for our wine production. 2022: a fine vintage!"