Best Pessac-Leognan & Graves 2022 wines tasted en primeur
Georgie Hindle presents an overview of the 2022 vintage across the Pessac-Leognan & Graves appellations revealing her highest-scoring wines.
Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022
Average yield:
- Average yield for both Pessac & Graves was 35.7hl/ha in 2022, -7.3% relative to the 10-year average of 38.5hl/ha.
- Pessac-Léognan 2022 yield was 35.7hl/ha. Slightly higher than the 2021 yield of 33.2hl/ha which was a decrease of 3% from 2020.
- Graves 2022 yield was 41.1hl/ha – much higher than the 2021 yield of 23.7hl/ha which was a decrease of 38% from 2020.
Rainfall during the vintage in mm and % relative to the 10 year average
- Pre-budburst (Nov-March) 445mm (-8.4%)
- Véraison to harvest (August-October) 57.7mm (-50.7%).
- Total: 764.4mm (-14.6%)
What you find from the 2022 wines
Frost, fire, drought and the least amount of rain compared to other major appellations affected Pessac and Graves to various degrees in 2022.
It also had the hottest summer daytime temperatures that adding to the lowest winter rainfall presented extremely dry and hot conditions, so much so that irrigation of individual plants was exceptionally permitted.
Given the early onset of hydric stress some vines adopted straight away and coped extremely well by creating deep root systems and pacing themselves for the long journey ahead. The June storm saw almost 100mm fall across the region though onto arid soils which caused much to run off and a crucial dose more in August as well as cool nights helping preserve some freshness.
Expect to find some beautiful wines albeit many showing the stress of the vintage and more plush characters than some of the cooler neighbours.
Nevertheless, there are some sublime wines including a clear candidate for wine of the vintage at Château Les Carmes Haut Brion as well as lots of excellent value picks too – more so in reds but where the whites are crisp and crunchy they’re brilliant. See the top dry whites from 2022 here.
See all 62 red Pessac-Leognan and Graves 2022 wines tasted en primeur
Top picks:
- Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion (98-100 points)
- Château Smith Haut Lafitte
- Château La Mission Haut-Brion
- Château Haut-Bailly
- Château Malartic-Lagravière
- Château Haut-Brion
- Château de Rouillac
- Domaine de Chevalier
- Château Pape Clément
- Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte
- Château Brown
- Château La Louvière
- Château Couhins-Lurton
- Château Larrivet Haut Brion
- Château Bouscaut
See the top-scoring Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022 en primeur wines
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Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, 2022
<p>Deep and brooding, this wine is beautifully floral with violets, irises, and peonies alongside ripe black cherries, liquorice, and dark chocolate. Concentrated yet bursting with...
2022
Château Les Carmes Haut-BrionPessac-Léognan
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Deep and evocative, this bursts with blackcurrants, milk chocolate and floral perfume. Instantly captivating, the palate is silky yet structured, with tannins seamlessly supporting vibrant...
2022
Château Smith Haut LafittePessac-Léognan
Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Wonderful aromatics on the nose - chocolate, tobacco, blackcurrants, figs and strawberries. Clean and crystalline, such a lovely texture to the wine - beautifully refined,...
2022
Château La Mission Haut-BrionPessac-Léognan
Château Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Wonderful scents of sweet red berries - wild strawberries with perfumed floral notes - smells expressive and appealing. Sumptuous and smooth, this leans into the...
2022
Château Haut-BaillyPessac-Léognan
Château Malartic-Lagravière, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Gorgeous fragrant red berry fruit on the nose, a touch of dried herbs and graphite. So super charming straight away, this is gorgeous. Creamy and...
2022
Château Malartic-LagravièrePessac-Léognan
Château Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, 1er Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Dark and brooding aromatics on the nose - blackcurrants, cherries and plums with mint and graphite accents too. Smooth and so juicy, glorious and joyful...
2022
Château Haut-BrionPessac-Léognan
Château de Rouillac, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Bright and shining, aromatically expressive with red and black fruits - cool and fresh. Lifted and so pure on the palate, lively red berry fruit...
2022
Château de RouillacPessac-Léognan
Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Dark, brooding, perfumed nose of liquorice, bitter chocolate and blackcurrants. Juicy and filling, with wonderful texture, depth and balance. Salty, mineral finish with crisp edges...
2022
Domaine de ChevalierPessac-Léognan
Château Pape Clément, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Cool blue fruit, salty stones and liquorice - smells fresh and scented. Ripe and concentrated, the chewy tannins are at the fore, straight away giving...
2022
Château Pape ClémentPessac-Léognan
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Beautiful nose, blackcurrant, vanilla, caramel, chocolate, tobacco, cherries, crushed stones, blue fruit and bramble fruits. Sleek and straight, nice acidity, but this is quite linear...
2022
Château Smith Haut LafittePessac-Léognan
Château Brown, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Coffee, black chocolate and liquorice tones on the nose. Spiced, deep and rich aromas, but not too hot. Lively and focused, bright red cherries and...
2022
Château BrownPessac-Léognan
Château La Louvière, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Redcurrants, cherries, vanilla, cola and chocolate on the nose. This is nicely concentrated with filling tannins but a streamlined frame - tons of energy and...
2022
Château La LouvièrePessac-Léognan
Château Couhins-Lurton, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Warm, sun-kissed fruit and toasted spices on the nose. Rich and concentrated fruit - clearly ripe but more red fruit with high acidity giving a...
2022
Château Couhins-LurtonPessac-Léognan
Château Larrivet Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Highly aromatic and fragrant nose full of dark berry fruits, dried flowers and chocolate. Well sculpted on the palate, tannins give the frame and strength...
2022
Château Larrivet Haut-BrionPessac-Léognan
Château Bouscaut, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Liquorice and cool blue fruit aromas on the nose. Fresh and fruity, a lovely crystalline texture in terms of fruit purity but with a soft...
2022
Château BouscautPessac-Léognan