Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022: Bring It On

BY NICOLAS GREINACHER | JUNE 13, 2024

After getting a good glimpse at the 2022 vintage while visiting Gigondas and Vacqueyras last summer and then all the Northern Rhône appellations in autumn, I was eager to see how Châteauneuf-du-Pape performed in 2022, a growing season marked by heat, drought and hail. The short answer is that 2022 is a very good vintage here, clearly surpassing 2021 for the reds but likely not at the same level as 2020. That said, a few wineries performed better in 2022 than in 2020. In 2022, harvests took place relatively early—two weeks earlier than in 2021 and one week ahead of 2020. As a result, many of the 2022s lean toward a red-fruit-driven, ripe and juicy profile instead of displaying overripe or jammy characteristics.

Tender young vine leaves in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

A key element that shaped the 2022 reds was relatively small berries with elevated skin-to-pulp ratios, which necessitated careful extractions in order to manage tannins. Still, 2022 ended up significantly more tannic than both 2021 and 2020. What sorts the wheat from the chaff is how ripe and well-integrated those tannins are. In 2022, that gap is wide; the tannins range from overly astringent to firm and grippy all the way to silky. As I mentioned in last year’s report, Châteauneuf-du-Pape New Releases: Welcome to the Pleasuredome, I don’t subscribe to the mantra that time is all that’s needed to tame obtrusive tannins, especially within the context of Grenache. Why take that bet when there are plenty of wines out there where winemakers got the job right?

Overall consistency for reds in 2022 is higher than in 2021. Moreover, there are plenty of excellent wines cruising in an affordable price range. Among wines that were not yet bottled at the time of my visit, the 2022 Château Rayas, Beaucastel’s Hommage à Jacques Perrin and the Deus Ex Machina from Clos Saint-Jean came out on top. All three wines are shaping up to be superstars. Looking at finished, bottled wines, the 2022 Clos des Papes, the La Réserve from Le Clos du Caillou and the Réserve from Domaine de la Vieille Julienne are deeply impressive. Isabel Ferrando joins this best-in-class group with two wines, the spectacular 2022 Colombis and the eccentric F601. No matter how scorching the sun, how parched the soils or how relentless the hails, these vignerons had one steadfast response to Mother Nature's whims: bring it on.

Similar to the reds, 2022 is a very good vintage for Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. The wines offer solid substance yet sufficient freshness to balance. That said, the 2021 whites come across as fresher and more agile. The few white 2023s I tasted during this trip showed well, too. Whenever time allowed, I asked winemakers to open older vintages. In the following report, readers will find tasting notes for acclaimed years like 2010 or 2007, but also difficult ones, such as 2002. Besides the wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, I included a few interesting wines from nearby appellations that I came across during the past few months.

After thoroughly exploring the 2022 growing season, this report focuses on two crucial topics: the management of old vines and the essentials of running a successful family winery. Mastering these two aspects is vital, especially in the context of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where failure to do so can spell doom for business. I also include my final verdict on the 2021 vintage, an initial glimpse into the upcoming 2023 and an update on the current market conditions for Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines.