After a dry winter, a rainy spring resulted in complications in the vineyard, but the Rhône didn’t suffer with mildew as badly as some other French regions, such as Bordeaux. The end of August saw a heatwave, which left a strong stamp on the resulting wines.
This is the most extensive report yet by Decanter on this increasingly popular region, incorporating for the first time not just all the southern Rhône and northern Rhône crus, but also wines from ACs Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages and satellite Rhône appellations such as Ventoux and Luberon.
From over 1,250 wines tasted, a selection of the most notable 400 wines of the vintage will be available for reference, across a range of styles, colours and price points. It will spotlight the most exciting wines to choose from, and help readers avoid the less successful ones.
The report includes an editorial overview of the vintage, detailing the key climatic episodes and how they influenced the style of the wines.
It will also feature an in-depth analysis of the southern Rhône and the northern Rhône, drilling down to sub-regions and individual crus. Due to localised storms during the growing season, some appellations fared much better than others, particularly in the north.
There will also be lists of the best value wines and key producers to look out for in each individual cru, and the red and white wines of the vintage will be unveiled.
The first edition of the report – Southern Rhône 2023: The connoisseur’s guide – is available to read on Decanter Premium now, with the second instalment published in December. An abridged version will be published in the February 2025 edition of Decanter Magazine.
