Vineyard in the nothern Rhone Valley, Côte Rôtie, during Fall season. By sebchalaye @ Shutterstock.com
This is likely to be my final original posting of 2022, and I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. If you’re going to be celebrating the holidays with wine, Matt Walls, Decanter magazine’s expert on all things Rhône, lists his top wines of 2022. This post has quickly become my favorite of the year. I am a fan of Matt Walls, and own many of his books. I also own many of the wines he’s listed here. My focus today is on red Syrah from France’s Northern Rhone valley. Here’s what Walls wrote:
I remember watching the London fireworks on television last New Year’s Eve. They were spectacular to watch, but where there would usually be throngs of spectators, the streets remained incongruously empty. Social distancing was still in force. It reminded me of my year’s wine drinking up to that point: some dazzling bottles, but often enjoyed without company – or via a screen.
As 2022 began, the Covid-19 pandemic gradually relaxed its grip and many of us hurried back to everyday life. The usual whirlwind of events and tastings that had stalled two years earlier started up once again. And we were as keen to taste winemakers’ wares as they were to pour them. After two years of limitation and loss, many of us were living for the moment.
Matt’s top wines of 2022:
- M Chapoutier, De l’Orée, Hermitage, Rhône, France 2014 This immediately exhibits the spellbinding, rich complexity that characterises this Hermitage cuvée. A really special, luxurious aromatic display that includes mango and raw cream. It’s…
- Domaine de Beaurenard, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France 1990 The copper-orange colour in the glass confirms that this is an older white Châteauneuf even before you pick up the glass. The nose is beguiling…
- Domaine Yves Gangloff, La Barbarine, Côte-Rôtie, France 2019 To attempt to describe the aroma, star anise and sandalwood would be suitable descriptors – but this is so pure and harmonious that this really…
- Domaine Saint Gayan, Gigondas, Rhône 1989 Great straightness, smoothness and silkiness. Very dark, this is still focused and energetic. Rosemary-tinged berry fruit. Amazing tannic finesse, still exceptionally smooth and integrated after…
- Domaine Jamet, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France 2006 Rosewood, cedar, incense, menthol, olive brine… but rather than a series of separate aromas, the impression is one of aromatic harmony. Medium-bodied, fast moving and…
- Domaine de Gourt de Mautens, Rasteau, Rhône, France 2007 A wine I’ve been lucky enough to drink twice in 2020, this is a rare and impressive beast with huge surging power, still bristling with…
- Domaine Georges Vernay, Maison Rouge, Côte-Rôtie, France 1996 This has incredible smokiness, a combination of different smoke characters in fact: paprika, fireworks, smoked duck, smoky bacon. It’s light-bodied, very fine and fresh still…
- E Guigal, La Mouline, Côte-Rôtie, Rhône, France 2001 The nose is discreet but captivating on opening; it certainly speaks of Syrah and could only be Côte-Rôtie – it has that unmistakable finesse. Decidedly…
- Clos des Papes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France 2009 Vincent Avril at Clos des Papes owns around 32 hectares of vineyards across more than 20 plots, including one by the grounds of the famous…
- Domaine Bernard Faurie, Greffieux Bessards, Hermitage, France 2011
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