Best St-Estèphe 2022 in bottle

St-Estephe was battered by hail and drought in 2022 causing widespread damage in the ‘hail corridor’ running through the appellation as well as stressing the vines during the height of summer.

Scroll down for the top-rated St-Estèphe 2022 in bottle

Low yields as a result gave way to many highly concentrated, fully charged wines which are still a little more firm than in other areas of the region.

There’s plenty of power and grip on show and in the best cases lots of vibrant acidity and freshness too.

In general, once these wines settle, and any remaining oak is integrated, they will provide excellent drinkability as well as ageability.

Top picks

Château Montrose and Château Cos d’Estournel were my top picks, with both bottles upgraded by a point from their En Primeur score.

Montrose particularly is one of the most impressive wines of the vintage with a sumptuous and seductive palate full of heady fruit but with gorgeous lifted acidity as well as mineral terroir markers.

Its second wine Dame de Montrose is also a fabulous wine and one of the best second wines in 2022.

Cos equally shone, presenting the vintage conditions in the weight and texture of the wine but with such elegance and finesse.

Château Lafon-Rochet (the first full vintage with ex-Lafite winemaker Christophe Congé in charge) and Château Le Boscq are both fantastic.

As of 2022, the team at Vignobles Dourthe took ownership of the vines at Le Boscq instead of renting and began the first year of organic conversion due to be completed this year.

Château De Pez impressed showing the continued work happening at this estate as well as being the first wine produced in the new cellar.

It’s a top buy with a muscular structure alongside great energy and focus. The Cru Bourgeois estates of Lilian Ladouys and Le Crock are also well worth seeking out.

All St-Estèphe 2022 in bottle scores

COMING SOON

Tasting notes for all 800 Bordeaux 2022s

plus

BORDEAUX 2022 IN BOTTLE SCORE TABLE: Top-scoring wines with 93 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

Pauillac 2022 | Margaux 2022 | St-Julien 2022 | Pomerol 2022 | Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022 | St-Emilion 2022 | Cru Bourgeois 2022 | Dry and Sweet whites 2022 | Best value 2022

Top-rated St-Estèphe 2022 in bottle

Related articles

• Bordeaux 2022: Our en primeur verdict and top-scoring wines
• Wine investment: Market malaise hits Bordeaux prices
• Five Bordeaux vintages to drink now