2022 Rhône Valley Vintage

Winter and spring were particularly mild and very dry, with exceptional rainfall deficits. The Institut Rhodanien, the research institute for the valley's AOC wines, recorded only 300 mm of rain between 15 October 2021 and 1 September 2022, against 600 mm in a normal year. Drought set in from March and worsened through the season, and May was the hottest ever recorded at the Orange weather station. Bud break came 5 days later than the 2000 to 2021 median, but the hot spring and summer then accelerated the rest of the cycle: flowering was 2 days early, and veraison came 10 days early, around 24 July on average for Grenache at Orange, one day earlier than 2003 and the earliest observed. The summer brought 33 nights above 20 C, more than in 2003, and 37 days above 35 C. Over the vine cycle, 2022 was the hottest and driest vintage since 1950, just ahead of 2003. On the driest parcels moderate water stress showed from mid-June, and young vines seem to have suffered most. The first half of August stayed hot and dry, and by 10 August some Roussanne parcels had reached 15 degrees potential alcohol. Rain in mid-August and September, of variable intensity, let the vineyard recharge. Hail struck Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Beaumes-de-Venise and Vacqueyras at the end of August, though ICV consultant Tristan Perchoc judged that the vines held up well. On vines whose foliage had been hit by drought, sugars rose more through concentration, with dehydration after the mid-September mistral episodes, than through good sugar loading. Maturity ran around twenty days earlier than 2021 in many sectors, and harvest spread from mid-August to early October. By 16 September, 90 percent of grapes had been picked in the north of the Cotes-du-Rhone, even earlier than 2020, while in the south the Grenache was still to come in. Perchoc estimated yields in unirrigated vineyards at 20 to 25 percent below the ten-year average, and 30 to 40 percent down in unwatered vineyards that were also hailed.

• Mild, very dry winter and spring; 300 mm of rain from 15 October 2021 to 1 September 2022 against a normal 600 mm
• Grenache veraison at Orange around 24 July, the earliest observed; 33 nights above 20 C and 37 days above 35 C
• Mid-August and September rain let the vines recharge; hail hit Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Beaumes-de-Venise and Vacqueyras at the end of August
• Harvest ran from mid-August to early October; unirrigated yields 20 to 25 percent below the ten-year average, by Perchoc's estimate

In the south, Inter Rhone says, drought through most of the cycle and then more or less intense rain in certain sectors sorely tested growers, and the harvest spread over several weeks. Denis Guthmuller, president of the Syndicat des Cotes du Rhone, said optimal ripeness had to be identified plot by plot and that, despite an early start, the harvest did not end until early October. The usual picking order was upended: many growers brought in Carignan and Mourvedre at the same time as Syrah, when they usually come two to three weeks later. Perchoc suggested that these often well-rooted, gobelet-trained vines, with better leaf area, probably limited water stress. Samuel Montgermont, co-president of AOC Ventoux, said maturity came later there and that vine health was excellent with no trace of disease. Elsewhere health was generally good, with some pockets of grape moth, botrytis on the most heavily cropped parcels and a little more aspergillus than in past years. In Costieres de Nimes, co-president Etienne Maffre put volumes within the five-year average, while in Gigondas the harvest surprisingly exceeded volume expectations.

• Harvest started early but ran to early October
• Carignan and Mourvedre often picked alongside Syrah, which they usually follow by two to three weeks
• Costieres de Nimes: volumes within the five-year average; whites picked before the August rain
• Gigondas: the harvest surprisingly exceeded volume expectations

In the north the growth cycle also accelerated, but only moderately, with no disease pressure, and the output, number and shape of the bunches pointed to a good harvest. As in the south, the ultra-dry, hot summer was hard on the vines, and the August rains brought a welcome respite. For Condrieu, co-president Pierre-Jean Villa called 2022 "a precocious vintage with a fairly low but balanced acidity" and said "potential degrees have not soared." Jacques Desvernois, co-president of Hermitage, described moderately low alcohol levels and surprisingly soft tannins, with very dense, generous whites. For Saint-Joseph, Joel Durand said Syrah reacted very well, with good phenolic ripeness pointing to fine tannins, and Pierre-Louis Clape for Cornas found "surprisingly fine and coated tannins, despite a significant water deficit".

• Growth cycle accelerated, but moderately, with no disease pressure
• Condrieu: fairly low but balanced acidity, in Pierre-Jean Villa's words
• Hermitage: moderately low alcohol and surprisingly soft tannins, in Jacques Desvernois's words
• Cornas and Saint-Joseph: fine tannins, in the words of Pierre-Louis Clape and Joel Durand

Inter Rhone's report called 2022 one of the best vintages of the last five years, particularly excellent for red wines with magnificent color and structure, and a rich vintage that already shows good ageing and cellaring potential. Summer heat raised fears of higher alcohol levels, and overlapping ripeness between varieties allowed some blending to start right at fermentation, opening up interesting blends. In the cellar, anthocyanin levels were very good, similar to 2017 by Perchoc's account, and acidification was often needed, with very low malic acid levels. In the south, Gigondas co-president Louis Barruol noted good tannic structure and a good juice to skin ratio, while Maffre in Costieres de Nimes described small Syrah berries, lighter Grenache wines and fruity, low-alcohol roses. In the Diois, Fabien Lombard of Clairette de Die said the August and September rain allowed good ripeness on Clairette.

• Inter Rhone: one of the best vintages of the last five years, particularly excellent for reds
• Very good anthocyanin levels, similar to 2017 in Perchoc's account
• Acidification often needed, with very low malic acid
• Heat raised fears of high alcohol; Condrieu and Hermitage co-presidents saw potential degrees that had not soared and moderately low alcohol