Domaine Jean-Louis Chave's Hermitage Rouge 2022 comes from the earliest harvest in the estate's history. It's a wine built for the cellar, and it mirrors the tightly coiled structure and minerality of the legendary 1998 vintage. This is the Domaine's flagship red, a blend of Syrah from Chave's best granite parcels on the hill of Hermitage in France's Northern Rhône. Expect dark fruit and spice, with firm tannins that need years to soften. It's a highly regarded wine, rated 98 POINTS by both Jeb Dunnuck and Vinous.
In the glass it shows a savoury, brooding edge, with an intensity that hints at how much this wine has in reserve. It's tightly wound now, and needs time to show everything it has.
This wine would pair well with rich, slow-cooked red meat, though right now it's better suited to the cellar than the table.
Decanter singled this wine out as its Northern Rhône red wine of the vintage for 2022.
What it tastes like
The nose shows blackberry, cassis and dark plum fruit alongside smoke, crushed stone and a faint hint of incense, with sweet herbs and black pepper underneath. The palate is full-bodied and dense, the tannins firm and grippy, carrying through to a long, savoury finish with real granite minerality. It's a serious, structured wine.
Style at a glance
- Body: Full
- Sweetness: Dry
- Acidity: Medium-plus
- Tannin: Firm and grippy
- Oak: Matured in mostly older barrels, minimal new oak
Style: Structured, cellar-worthy Syrah.
Food to enjoy this with
- Slow-roasted lamb shoulder
- A well-aged rib of beef
- Venison with a rich jus
- Duck breast with dark cherries
- Hard, aged cheeses like Comté
- Dark chocolate with a little chilli heat, an unexpected match where the wine's spice and firm tannins hold their own against the heat
Who makes it
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave has been making wine on this hill since 1481, and the family is now 16 generations in, regarded as one of the benchmark names in the Northern Rhône.
The Hermitage Rouge is blended from 7 parcels across the hill, including the steep granite slopes of Les Bessards, along with L'Hermite, Péléat, Le Méal, Les Beaumes, Diognières and Vercandière. Some of the vines are over 85 years old, and Bessards is considered the backbone of the wine.
Each parcel is fermented separately, mostly destemmed, using a mix of stainless steel and old wooden open-top fermenters, before the finished wines are blended together. The Domaine has moved away from new oak over the years, and now uses barrels that are mostly 1 to 5 years old.
For the 2022 vintage, alcohol levels varied across the blend, from around 13% on the granite parcels to 15% on the warmer, clay-based sites, and the component wines were matured separately before blending.
About the vintage
The 2022 growing season in the Northern Rhône was one of the driest and hottest on record, with very little rain falling in the first few months and several serious heatwaves through summer, including the earliest ever recorded in France. Harvest began in the second half of August, around 3 weeks earlier than usual.
Despite the heat, Jacques Desvernois, co-president of the Hermitage appellation, described 2022 as a vintage of great balance, with moderate alcohol levels and surprisingly soft tannins, and enough acidity for the wines to age well.
Growers held back on canopy work through the season to protect the fruit from the sun, and the reds that came through show real freshness alongside their ripeness.
Critic scores and ratings
- 98 POINTS – Jeb Dunnuck – Jeb Dunnuck, February 2026
- 98 POINTS – Nicolas Greinacher – Vinous, January 2026
- 95 POINTS – Yohan Castaing – Wine Advocate, March 2025
When to drink it
This isn't one to rush. Jeb Dunnuck and Vinous both suggest drinking it from 2028 through to 2047, so it's the sort of wine you buy a case of and forget about for a decade.
Technical details
| Producer: |
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave |
| Wine: |
Hermitage Rouge |
| Vintage: |
2022 |
| Variety: |
100% Syrah |
| Region: |
Hermitage |
| Country: |
France |
| Alcohol: |
13-15% (varies by parcel) |
| Oak: |
Matured in mostly older barrels, minimal new oak |
| Fermentation: |
Destemmed fruit fermented by parcel in stainless steel and old wooden fermenters |
| Closure: |
Cork |
| Cellaring: |
2028-2047 |
Where to buy
The Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge 2022 is available online at thewineryonline.co.nz for delivery within New Zealand. You can also buy it at our Queenstown and Arrowtown wine stores, alongside a large range of New Zealand and international wine. Online and in both stores you can select a mixed case from a large range of wines.
Questions we are often asked
What grape is Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge 2022 made from?
It's 100% Syrah, grown across several parcels on the hill of Hermitage in France's Northern Rhône.
How long should I cellar this wine?
It's built to age. Critics suggest drinking it from 2028 through to at least 2047, so it rewards several years in the cellar before opening.
What food goes well with this wine?
Rich, full-flavoured dishes like a well-aged rib of beef, venison or hard cheeses suit its firm tannins and dark fruit.
Has this wine won any awards or high scores?
Yes, it was rated 98 POINTS by both Jeb Dunnuck and Vinous, 95 POINTS by Wine Advocate, and Decanter named it its Northern Rhône red wine of the vintage for 2022.
What makes Domaine Jean-Louis Chave's Hermitage different?
The Domaine has been making wine on this hill since 1481, and blends fruit from 7 parcels rather than bottling any single vineyard alone.
Where can I buy Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge 2022?
The Winery sells Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge 2022 online at thewineryonline.co.nz for delivery within New Zealand. You can also buy it in our Queenstown and Arrowtown wine stores.
