Rhône Valley – Decanter

Walls: The next step for Jaboulet’s Hermitage La Chapelle

Matt Walls — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:00:14 +0000

Chapelle Sante-Christophe on Hermitage hill.

Caroline Frey, owner of Paul Jaboulet Aîné, has decided to uncouple La Chapelle (and its white counterpart, Le Chevalier de Sterimberg) from the Paul Jaboulet Aîné brand by creating a separate entity, Domaine de la Chapelle, which will be the new home for these two wines.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the 2022 Domaine de la Chapelle red and white wines

Tasting notes and scores for the 2022 Domaine de la Chapelle red and white wines:

Northern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

Southern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The north

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Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 11:33:22 +0000

Côte-Rôtie

Young Côte-Rôties are normally fairly easy to read, but that wasn’t the case with the 2022s. Many of them appeared very fruity, with soft structures, lacking energy and aromatic detail. There were some excellent exceptions however, often from those originating from old vines grown on schist and fermented with a proportion of whole bunch.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2022 wines

See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores

Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Northern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls’ top-scoring Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2022 wines:

The wines below all scored 95 points or above, and are listed Condrieu then Côte-Rôtie in score order.

Walls: Côte-Rôtie 2019 in bottle

Walls’ hidden gems: Domaine Garon, Côte-Rôtie

Regional profile: Condrieu plus 12 wines to seek out

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St-Joseph 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 09:31:47 +0000

AOC Saint Joseph

It felt like I was tasting two different vintages while working my way through more than 100 St-Josephs this year. Some of the reds were diminutive but fresh and well-balanced; others were soft, luxurious and liqueur-fruited.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring St-Joseph 2022 wines

See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores

Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Northern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls’ top-scoring St-Joseph 2022 wines:

The wines below all scored 92 points or above, and are listed white then red in score order.

Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The north

Walls: Discovering St-Joseph estate Martine & Christian Rouchier

St-Joseph 2021: report and top-scoring wines

The post St-Joseph 2022: Report and top-scoring wines appeared first on Decanter.

Cornas & St-Péray 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 15:15:06 +0000

Cornas

It was particularly dry in Cornas, with about 100mm of rain between April and harvest, according to Pierre Clape. It’s no surprise therefore that the ripening blockages are felt more keenly here than elsewhere in the north. ‘But the leaves stayed green, in contrast to 2003,’ says Clape.

Tannins can be difficult, rough and fibrous in places, but, both here and elsewhere, sensitive use of oak has helped to paper over the cracks and add some palate weight.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring Cornas & St-Péray 2022 wines

See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores

Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Northern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls’ top-scoring Cornas & St-Péray 2022 wines:

The wines below all scored 92 points or above, and are listed in order of St-Péray and Cornas in score order.

Walls: 10 exciting estates to know in Cornas

Cornas to drink now: Matt Walls’ top 20

Expert’s Choice: St-Péray

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Hermitage 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 12:23:54 +0000

It’s an unusual style of red Hermitage this year: smaller in structure and stature than a usual year. Again, as with other appellations, it’s primarily down to problems with ripening – Guillaume Sorrel said it didn’t rain at all on the hill of Hermitage in June, July or August, and Maxime Chapoutier remembers the mercury hitting 40 ̊C as early as June.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring Hermitage 2022 wines

See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores

Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Northern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls’ top-scoring Hermitage 2022 wines:

The wines below scored 92 points and above, and are listed white then red in score order.

Walls: Get to know the 20 lieux-dits of Hermitage

Walls: Tasting Hermitage 2001 20 years on

Getting to know white Hermitage

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Crozes-Hermitage 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 12:23:39 +0000

After the disastrous 2021 vintage, 2022 is certainly a step up, though stylistically it couldn’t be more varied.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring Crozes-Hermitage 2022 wines

See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores

Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Northern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls’ top-scoring Crozes-Hermitage 2022 wines:

The wines below all scored 90 points or above, and are listed white then red in score order.

Crozes-Hermitage 2021: report and top-scoring wines

Rhône producer to know: Domaine Laurent Habrard, Crozes-Hermitage

Northern Rhône whites: Panel tasting results

The post Crozes-Hermitage 2022: Report and top-scoring wines appeared first on Decanter.

Northern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 12:23:21 +0000

Northern Rhône 2022 overall vintage rating: 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.

‘Most will drink young and into the medium term, but the more tannic, structured wines will take a long time to soften, then age for decades’

Top-scoring northern Rhône 2022 wines:

The wines below all scored 96 points or above, and are listed white then red in score order.

Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The north

Northern Rhône whites: Panel tasting results

Walls: top northern Rhône reds under £30

The post Northern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines appeared first on Decanter.

Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 09:16:52 +0000

Vinsobres.

Rasteau

Outside Châteauneuf, the best performing appellation was Rasteau. There were no problems with green tannins here, which Jérôme Bressy of Domaine Gourt de Mautens believes is thanks to the abundance of clay. The 2022 vintage has delivered wines with bright fruit, good concentration and balanced alcohol. They are often robustly tannic however, so pay close attention to drinking windows.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and score for top Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres 2022 wines

Matt Walls’ top-scoring Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres 2022 wines:

See below the top-scoring Rasteau, Cairanne and Vinsobres wines, listed by appellation and white then red in score order.

Walls: Rasteau 2020 in bottle

Behind Rasteau’s renaissance plus 10 ‘new look’ bottles to seek out

Regional profile: Cairanne

The post Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres 2022: Report and top-scoring wines appeared first on Decanter.

Lirac & Tavel 2022: report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 09:15:30 +0000

Tavel vineyards.

Lirac

On top of drought and intense heat in 2022, the west bank of the Rhône also had to deal with hail, which caused localised damage.

The reds in Lirac are very concentrated this year, sometimes overripe or sternly tannic. The whites and rosés based on Clairette tend to be the most vibrant.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and score for top Lirac & Tavel 2022 wines

See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores

Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Southern Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls’ top-scoring Lirac & Tavel 2022 wines:

See below all of the Tavel and Lirac wines from the 2022 en primeur report.

Walls: Tavel and its unexpected revolution

Guigal acquires Tavel rosé estate Château d’Aqueria

Walls: Tasting Château de Montfaucon – ‘Lirac’s finest wines’

The post Lirac & Tavel 2022: report and top-scoring wines appeared first on Decanter.

Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 10:53:05 +0000

The vineyards of Gigondas.

Gigondas

The picture is more mixed in Gigondas than in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with more instances of unripe tannin due to higher crop loads or picking too early.

The successful wines have impact, freshness and low alcohol, even if they aren’t always terribly deep or long in flavour. The best however are excellent, and I share the opinion of Louis Barruol of Château de Saint Cosme that these will age with interest.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and score for top Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise 2022 wines

Matt Walls’ top-scoring Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise 2022 wines:

The wines below all scored 92 points or above, and are listed in order of Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Beaumes de Venise, white then red in score order.

Gigondas to produce white wines

Walls: Celebrating 50 years of Gigondas

Walls: Vacqueyras 2015 vs 2016 – how are they drinking now?

The post Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise 2022: Report and top-scoring wines appeared first on Decanter.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 10:22:03 +0000

Antoine Daumen of Domaine de la Vieille Julienne was unsure about the season as it progressed. ‘We were cautious to begin with, we had low expectations,’ he says, ‘but the old vines were still very healthy at the end despite the dryness.’ He was pleased with the domaine’s wines in 2022 – they have silky tannins, moderate alcohol and good acidity.

Châteauneuf rode out the challenges of 2022 better than any other appellation this year, and unpleasantly green tannins are relatively rare.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022 wines

Matt Walls’ top-scoring Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022 wines:

The wines below all scored 95 points or above, and are listed white then red in score order.

Walls: 26 value Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines to try

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2019 & 2009: panel tasting results

Expert’s Choice: White Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The post Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022: Report and top-scoring wines appeared first on Decanter.

Southern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

Matt Walls — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 10:21:31 +0000

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’

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.

Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The south

Get to know Southern Rhône: Good, better, best

Southern Rhône white wines: how do they compare?

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

Matt Walls — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 08:00:38 +0000

Matt Walls tasting in the cellars at Domaine Richaud.

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

‘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

Top-scoring Rhône 2022 wines

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

Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The north

Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The south

Walls: Best Rhône wine lists in the UK

The post Rhône 2022 en primeur: Full vintage report and top-scoring wines appeared first on Decanter.

Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The south

Matt Walls — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 09:21:10 +0000

The southern Rhone.

A week in the life of a Rhône correspondent during en primeur…

Monday 2 October

Gigondas village. Credit: Matt Walls

I start the week with a particularly challenging tasting: 120 samples of 2022 Gigondas, tasted blind. It’s challenging not just because of the number of wines (though high), but their tannic intensity this year. Picking them apart requires sustained concentration. Some are very good this year, others really not: a refrain of the vintage.

Dinner at Les Florets near Gigondas with some friends from the London wine trade who happen to be in town. The restaurant has a great wine list: I order a Domaine des Tours Grande Réserve Côtes-du-Rhône 2014. On paper it might not look exciting: a generic appellation in a weak vintage. But this is Emmanuel Reynaud’s Vacqueyras, declassified in 2014 just because of its pale colour. It’s fabulous – one of my wines of the year so far.

Tuesday 3 October

Frédéri Férigoule at Le Sang des Cailloux. Credit: Matt Walls

An early start today at the Vacqueyras growers’ association to taste a similar number of samples from this appellation. It tastes like a different vintage here compared to Gigondas: juicier and more accessible. Considering the heatwave and drought conditions I didn’t expect such balanced wines.

In the afternoon, I meet with Frédéri Férigoule of Le Sang des Cailloux. His reds are lovely, but he had to discard his white cuvée Un Sang Blanc in 2022 because of the difficulties he faced during vinification. It’s a big loss, as his 2020 and 2021 are among the best white wines of the southern Rhône. If you’re a fan too, snap up these back vintages while you wait for the 2023.

Wednesday 4 October

Serge and Brigitte Mouriesse of Mouriesse Vinum. Credit: Matt Walls

I begin three days of tasting Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the mistral whistling through the courtyard outside. A new discovery for me is Mouriesse Vinum, a tiny estate established by Serge and Brigitte Mouriesse. Serge was a consultant winemaker for many years and gradually amassed some small parcels of Grenache on sand. It’s a deliciously old-fashioned Châteauneuf. Dinner at La Mère Germaine in the village is seriously good – a must-visit if you’re in the region.

Thursday 5 October

The 1957 from Château de Beaucastel. Credit: Matt Walls

Tasting more Châteauneuf today, followed by a visit to Vieux Télégraphe, which had planned to pick its whites on 16 August in 2022. Two days before, however, a band of hail tore through its vineyards on the La Crau plateau. ‘There were no more leaves, no more grapes, nothing – a catastrophe,’ winemaker Nicolas Brunier said, when he visited the vines afterwards. It’s the first time in Vieux Télégraphe’s long history that it’s made no red or white Vieux Télégraphe. Fortunately, the other wines in its Rhône portfolio are on good form.

Later on, I take a look around Château de Beaucastel’s impressive new cellar, which is taking shape now and should be finished by summer 2024. César Perrin opened a 1957 Beaucastel; not a great vintage, but the wine is still in impressive shape. It will easily last 80 years – a reminder of Châteauneuf’s preternatural longevity.

Friday 6 October

Decanter’s Rhône correspondent, Matt Walls, at Château Rayas. Credit: Matt Walls

I finish the Châteauneuf samples in the morning, then visit Vincent Avril at Clos des Papes. After tasting his 2022s, he offered to open some older vintages. Perhaps perversely, I asked if we could taste his 2008 – the worst vintage of the past 20 years. It was beautifully drinkable and complex, confirming my belief in the peerless consistency of these wines.

Afterwards, Château Rayas. Tasting with Emmanuel Reynaud is always enlightening. Whites are rich and opulent this year, reds fresh and precise. He recommends opening bottes of red Rayas well in advance of drinking; certainly one or two days before, even three or four (just pulling the cork then leaving the wine to stand in a cool place, around 15 ̊C, and not decanting). He’s had good results with 10 days prior opening. I’m not sure I’m that brave!

Monday 9 October

Blind tasting at the Institut Rhodanien. Credit: Matt Walls

After a weekend spent in Avignon, I travel to the Institut Rhodanien to taste in the lecture theatre, an unglamorous but efficient setting to work through samples of the remaining six Rhône crus: Beaumes de Venise, Cairanne, Lirac, Rasteau, Tavel and Vinsobres.

My en primeur visit to the Rhône has clashed with harvest dates at Domaine Gourt de Mautens these past few years, but Jérôme Bressy kindly finds an hour to meet this evening. His wines remain under the radar, but there’s no doubt they’re among the best in the Rhône. A man with strong opinions and wines of immense character.

Tuesday 10 October

Châteauneuf-du-Pape tasted blind. Credit: Matt Walls

I wake up to fog, which cleared as I reached the Institut. It felt like a rather obvious metaphor – the questions I had over the 2022 vintage in the southern Rhône are now largely clarified. There are some extremely tannic wines in 2022, but also some elegant, juicy ones with moderate alcohol. Grenache has performed well, as has Mourvèdre.

Wednesday 11 October

Tasting at Domaine de la Chapelle. Credit: Matt Walls

A drive up to the northern Rhône today to mop up a few key producers that I missed the first time around. I visit Paul Jaboulet Aîné, who has created a new distinct estate, Domaine de la Chapelle. From the 2022 vintage, this will be the home of Hermitage La Chapelle red and white. Full article to follow on Decanter Premium.

Thursday 12 October

Vineyards of E Guigal. Credit: Matt Walls

The day starts with an early tasting at Domaine Jean-Louis Chave. It’s never too early to taste with Jean-Louis. The difference between the clay-based Hermitage terroirs and those grown on granite couldn’t be more marked this year. A strong case for blending.

I finish the day with a great honour: the first journalist to taste the inaugural vintage of E Guigal’s Côte-Rôtie La Reynarde – the new, fourth ‘La La’. It’s very good and will feature in my full 2022 vintage report, which will be published in a few weeks’ time.

I write this last entry at the end of a long day, sitting in the Paris Eurostar terminal, computer on my lap, eating a packet of Lay’s bacon flavour 3D Bugles (god-tier crisps) and half a battered baguette. Tomorrow I’ll start writing in earnest. That’s when the real work begins!

Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The north

Walls’ hidden gems: Domaine François Merlin & 12 wines tasted

Regional profile: Condrieu plus 12 wines to seek out

The post Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The south appeared first on Decanter.

Walls' hidden gems: Domaine François Merlin & 12 wines tasted

Matt Walls — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 09:03:32 +0000

François Merlin.

I cannot tell you just how tempting it is to describe François Merlin as a magician in the cellar. But this would be lazy. Not to mention inaccurate. There’s no trickery here – just decades of determination, raw talent and hard graft.

As Merlin approaches retirement, his domaine can now be considered among the top tier of northern Rhône producers. This is an extraordinary achievement, as he started out with nothing. In Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu, his might prove to be the last generation of winemakers to achieve this feat.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for 12 wines from Domaine François Merlin

See notes and scores for 12 wines from Domaine François Merlin

Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The north

Regional profile: Condrieu plus 12 wines to seek out

Walls: Best Rhône wine lists in the UK

The post Walls' hidden gems: Domaine François Merlin & 12 wines tasted appeared first on Decanter.

Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The north

Matt Walls — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 10:41:54 +0000

Rhône correspondent Matt Walls (right) with winemaker Pierre Gonon (left).

A week in the life of a Rhône correspondent during en primeur…

Sunday 17 September

Tain l’Hermitage train station. Credit: Matt Walls.

If I leave my house in the UK after breakfast, I can reach Tain l’Hermitage by train in time for dinner. It’s a journey I make several times a year, but my autumn visit when I taste the new vintage (in this case the 2022) is the most instructive – and the most gruelling. Tasting around 80 wines a day takes a lot of concentration and you finish the day exhausted. Is that the sound of tiny violins I hear as I pull into the station? I press on undeterred.

For a region so obsessed with rugby, it’s surprisingly difficult to find somewhere to watch this evening’s England game. I’m directed to a new bar on the edge of town that opened a few months ago, called Numéro 9. It does a good burger and the terrace has a panoramic view of the hill of Hermitage – a sight I never tire of.

After the match, my mind turns to the week ahead, five days of intensive tasting and visits. I’ve heard it was a hot and dry vintage, but reading some weather reports clarifies the situation – 2022 was the hottest and driest since 1950. Uh-oh. Will I find a repeat of the jammy 2003s, a year that suffered similar conditions? I sincerely hope not.

Monday 18 September

Tasting 2022s at Chapoutier. Credit: Matt Walls.

I’m woken up at 5am by a clap of thunder. It’s still raining when I get up. Normally I walk up to the Chapelle on Hermitage hill before a day’s tasting in Tain, but the lazy devil on my shoulder is rather smug – I have a satisfactory excuse to skip the morning’s exercise. I drive to the Maison des Vins, windscreen wipers on maximum, which will be my base for the next few days.

After lunch I visit Chapoutier to taste through its 2022s, including some very impressive Hermitage. Maxime Chapoutier says they saw 180mm of rain in certain parcels during the last 12 hours – that’s a quarter of a year’s rainfall. The term ‘climate chaos’ is no exaggeration.

I finish the day at Le Tournesol restaurant in Tournon. It’s run by a welcoming husband-and-wife team serving small plates of seasonal French cooking, and has an exceptional wine list with lots of hard-to-find gems. Worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Tuesday 19 September

Rain damage in Hermitage. Credit: Matt Walls.

I get up early to blue skies. The foot of the hill of Hermitage is cluttered with heaps of sandy soil washed down the slopes, broken échalas (the poles on which the vines are trained), bits of old vine…despite a small tree blocking the path I make my way to the summit. The Rhône River flows a muddy brown below.

Today I’m tasting Cornas and Hermitage. Expecting sweetly ripe fruit and high alcohol, what I find is the opposite – light, just-ripe wines, sometimes with green tannins. It’s confounding.

An afternoon visiting Pierre and Olivier Clape of Domaine Clape, then Franck Balthazar of his eponymous domaine, sheds some light on the vintage – it was so dry in 2022 that some vines shut down and stopped ripening. Things begin to make sense.

Wednesday 20 September

Blind tasting at the Maisons des Vins. Credit: Matt Walls.

I work through the whites today. Some appellations, such as St-Joseph, are more successful than others. It’s certainly not as fresh and tense in style as the cool 2021 – quite the opposite, rich and potent.

A visit to Domaine Gonon is always a highlight of my northern Rhône tastings. Jean Gonon is buoyant but weary after a tough season – he’s just finished harvesting the 2023s. ‘The most stressful moment is deciding when to pick,’ he says, and stresses the importance of having a good team at harvest.

We taste the 2019, 2020 and 2021 wines from bottle; a sample of 2022 from tank; then take a peek at his 2023s, still fermenting, frothy and sweet.

Thursday 21 September

A daunting line-up of red Crozes-Hermitage today – 76 in total. The hot, dry weather is reflected in the wines here: very ripe, powerful, with suede-like tannins. They are certainly more successful than the disastrous 2021s, but not all have good balance.

Afterwards I meet with Grégory Joannès, the new managing director of Paul Jaboulet Aîné. The company has been restructured, and a new property established. The jewel in the Jaboulet crown, Hermitage La Chapelle, has been scythed off, and will now be made in a new winery called Domaine de la Chapelle. Paul Jaboulet Aîné will continue to make its other domaine wines and negociant blends, with a tighter focus on the northern Rhône. I’ll get the full low-down in November.

Friday 22 September

Pierre Rostaing of Domaine Rostaing. Credit: Matt Walls.

A day of visits around Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu today, starting at 9am at Domaine JP Jamet. Wow, its Côte-Rôties are tannic! Certainly more structured than a typical year, but still detailed, fresh and expressive.

Pierre Rostaing’s are softer and more velvety in style. The weather in 2022 made for a relatively relaxed end to the season – there was no grass to cut and no disease pressure due to the drought. But ‘it was hard to watch the vines suffer,’ he says. Usually around 1% of his vines die naturally each year. It was 3%-4% in 2022. There will be a lot of replanting to do this winter.

A comprehensive tasting of Stéphane Ogier’s single-vineyard wines, some brilliant, finishes a long and enlightening week.

I expected wines akin to 2003 or 2019; what I found was a fascinating if curious mix of 2014, 2016 and 2018. Is it a good year? Yes; but not uniformly. It will be interesting to see how the southern Rhône compares. I’ll let you know.

Look out for Matt Walls’ southern Rhône diary next week.

Bordeaux 2022: The en primeur experience

Walls: 26 value Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines to try

Northern Rhône whites: Panel tasting results

The post Rhône 2022 en primeur diary: The north appeared first on Decanter.

Walls: 26 value Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines to try

Matt Walls — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 09:00:24 +0000

Why is it that Châteauneuf-du-Pape is so well known? Even non-drinkers can tell you it’s the name of a great wine. Its celebrity is built on centuries of impressive quality, but there are a number of other contributing factors: the papal seal of approval, a long history of exporting, and the fact that the name of the appellation tells its story.

The best wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape deserve this renown. But with an appellation spread over 3,200ha, inevitably there are some wines which simply aren’t that interesting, trading on a famous name rather than intrinsic quality.

Châteauneuf isn’t cheap: it’s almost impossible to buy a bottle for less than £20 today in UK retail. So if you’re on a budget, you need to step carefully. But it is still possible to find excellent wines under £40 per bottle – I even found a few under £30.

Scroll down for Matt Walls’ pick of 26 value Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines to try

Matt Walls’ pick of 26 value Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines to try:

Regional profile: Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2019 & 2009: panel tasting results

Vintage report: Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2021

Vintage report: Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020

The post Walls: 26 value Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines to try appeared first on Decanter.

Regional profile: Condrieu plus 12 wines to seek out

Matt Walls — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 07:00:12 +0000

Stéphane Montez of Domaine du Monteillet looks down on the bridge over the Rhône at Chavanay.

In the 1960s, Viognier nearly died out completely. Many Decanter readers would be horrified by this scenario, but certainly not all – it is, after all, one of the most divisive of grapes. Its birthplace is Condrieu, and the new president of the appellation, Pierre-Jean Villa, is under no illusions. ‘People either like it or they don’t.’ he says. ‘It’s not universally enjoyed like Chardonnay.’ But those that like it, love it. To him, ‘Condrieu is magic – but fragile’. In the face of climate change, he’s helping a new generation of winemakers adapt their winemaking to create a fresher style of wine.

Scroll down to see Matt Walls’ selection of 12 Condrieu wines to try

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The post Regional profile: Condrieu plus 12 wines to seek out appeared first on Decanter.

Walls: Best Rhône wine lists in the UK

Matt Walls — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 06:30:51 +0000

Authentique Epicerie & Bar, London.

There are dozens of UK restaurants with excellent lists showcasing the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. Finding one with a good Rhône offering isn’t so easy, but if you’re craving for Cornas or longing for Lirac, here are some options with excellent selections. I’ve grouped them into three levels: gold, silver and bronze.

I considered a number of criteria: quality of producers, value for money, range, vintages on offer, and availability of mature bottles and rarities. I was only judging the Rhône offering; restaurants in the bronze section might be placed in gold if their entire list were under scrutiny.

This isn’t an exhaustive directory, but hopefully it will help guide fellow Rhône lovers to wines that interest them.

All prices shown are drink-in prices.

Walls: Best restaurants in the Rhône for wine lovers

Best value UK restaurant wine lists

Travel inspiration: Decanter’s 50 best wine trips

The post Walls: Best Rhône wine lists in the UK appeared first on Decanter.

Walls: Rasteau 2020 in bottle

Matt Walls — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 07:00:42 +0000

Domaine des Escaravailles, Rasteau.

If you’re looking for punchy, muscular Grenache, look no further than Rasteau. It’s a wild terroir with an abiding heat haze that only rarely struggles to ripen its crop.

A series of scorching vintages in the southern Rhône however have occasionally pushed some wines from handsomely well-built to something you’d see on the cover of Iron Man magazine.

That’s no bad thing if you’re looking for wines that are shredded, jacked or swole. But if you’re looking for balanced, drinkable bottles that are versatile with food – not so much.

Thankfully the 2020 vintage manages to find a sweet spot between ripeness and freshness, intensity and approachability – making it one of the most appealing vintages here in recent times.

Rhône Valley – Decanter

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Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the 2022 Domaine de la Chapelle red and white wines

Tasting notes and scores for the 2022 Domaine de la Chapelle red and white wines:

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Northern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

Northern Rhône 2022 overall vintage rating: 4/5

‘Most will drink young and into the medium term, but the more tannic, structured wines will take a long time to soften, then age for decades’

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Southern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

Southern Rhône 2022 overall vintage rating: 4/5

‘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’

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Northern Rhône: 4 /5

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‘Never before has a vintage so confounded my expectations’

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

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