An outstanding 2022 vintage in the Rhône means that terrific wines abound up and down the long valley, as our latest Tasting Highlights shows. In the Northern Rhône, where reds are based on the Syrah grape, vignerons were very happy to turn the page on the challenging and cool 2021 vintage, which resulted in many lean, sometimes underripe reds. The 2022s couldn’t be more different, offering a ripe, juicy take on the region’s signature profile of dark fruit–flecked smoked bacon notes anchored by graphite-edged minerality.
Outside of the north’s regal appellations like Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie or Cornas, there's a wealth of more affordable options, Crozes-Hermitage chief among them. Here, many familiar names make super tasty wines with a lot of stylistic range: For a juicy, fruit-forward style, opt for the excellent Les Vins de Vienne bottling (among the first releases available from the very good 2023 vintage). Delas offers another similarly polished, seductive version but with a bit more savory character.
This lineup also includes Ogier's Châteauneuf-du-Pape l'Ame 2022, a ripe red with raspberry, licorice and graphite notes. Read on to get our score and full tasting note for this fantastic Rhône red and eight others.
Tasting Highlights' wine reviews are fresh out of the tasting room, offering a sneak peek of our editors' most recent ratings—including scores and full tasting notes—to WineSpectator.com members.
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