Southern Rhône 2022 – vintage overview

Alistair Cooper MW tasting through Southern Rhône reds in preparation for this report

Overall, the vines handled the heat and drought of 2023 well in the southern Rhône, Ali reports after tasting through over 600 wines. (See him at work, above.) For all our coverage of this vintage, see our Rhône 2022 guide.

The story of the 2002 vintage in the southern Rhône is not markedly different to that of its northern counterpart (see Northern Rhône 2022 – vintage overview). In summary, it was a very hot and dry growing season with a precocious harvest that was somewhat saved by rains that fell on 15August. Quality-wise I would say it...