Best St-Julien 2022 wines tasted en primeur
Georgie Hindle presents an overview of the 2022 vintage across the St-Julien appellation revealing her highest-scoring wines.
St-Julien 2022
Average yield:
- Average yield 34.3hl/ha, -14.5% relative to the 10-year average of 40.1hl/ha.
- Yield in 2021 35.2hl/ha, an increase of 2% from 2020.
Rainfall during the vintage in mm and % relative to the 10 year average:
- Pre-budburst (Nov-March) 364mm (-25.0%)
- Véraison to harvest (August-October) 61.3mm (-47.7%).
- Total: 780.2mm (-12.2%)
What you find from the 2022 wines
A raft of brilliant wines from St-Julien benefitting from the moderating effects of the river and the appellation’s homogenous gravel on clay and limestone soils helping to produce wines with elegance, finesse, purity, clarity and striking vibrancy.
Both Cabernet and Merlot were able to ripen fully, coping with the intense heatwaves and drought. Harvests were lower on average with small, concentrated berries giving high tannic indexes and deep, vivid colours in the glass. Some truly exceptional – and age worthy – wines worth looking out for.
Château Leoville Las Cases is a candidate for my Médoc wine of the vintage. It has also found favour among a high number of other critics and has been highlighted as the wine to have the most potential perfect scores in En Primeur history!
See all 29 St-Julien 2022 en primeur wines tasted
Top picks:
- Château Léoville-Las Cases
- Château Branaire-Ducru
- Château Gruaud-Larose
- Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
- Château Léoville Poyferré
- Château Léoville Barton
- Château Beychevelle
- Château Langoa Barton
- Château Lagrange
- Château Saint-Pierre
- Château Talbot
See the top-scoring St-Julien 2022 en primeur wines
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Château Léoville Las Cases, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2022
<p>A luminous and utterly brilliant wine in 2022 that really sets itself apart. Hints of black bramble fruit, spicy peppercorns, violets, sweet cherries, crushed stones,...
2022
Château Léoville Las CasesSt-Julien
Château Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien, 4ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2022
One of the standouts of the vintage that impressed equally on three different occasions. Fragrant and expressive on the nose, lovely scents and dark fruits....
2022
Château Branaire-DucruSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Wonderfully evocative scents on the nose - perfumed and alluring dark berry fruit. Rich and juicy - fully concentrated fruit meets powdery tannins giving a...
2022
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Gruaud-Larose, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Compelling from the first sip, this has excellent balance on the palate delivering a wine with freshness and lift as well as depth and breadth....
2022
Château Gruaud-LaroseSt-Julien
Château Lagrange, St-Julien, 3ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Structured and so appealing on the palate, this has a rich texture but doesn't come across as too much. Filling but lifted giving freshness and...
2022
Château LagrangeSt-Julien
Château Léoville Barton, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Richly concentrated on the nose with evocative aromas of blackcurrant, tobacco, vanilla, chocolate, clove and violets. Punchy and alive, this has both strength and elegance...
2022
Château Léoville BartonSt-Julien
Château Léoville Poyferré, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2022
<p>Highly concentrated and deep on the palate, this extends vertically from the beginning with layers of fleshy blackcurrant, super juicy cherries and salty stones. I...
2022
Château Léoville PoyferréSt-Julien
Château Langoa Barton, St-Julien, 3ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2022
A rich nose full of chocolate, cherries, espresso and perfume. Smooth and supple, this is full of juicy berry fruit - crystalline and pure -...
2022
Château Langoa BartonSt-Julien
Château Talbot, St-Julien, 4ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Glossy and shiny, with lots of energy to the clean red berry fruit and slightly mineral-edged tannins. Easy to enjoy, this is smooth and round....
2022
Château TalbotSt-Julien
Château Beychevelle, St-Julien, 4ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Juicy and really appealing straight away on the palate, Fruit forward, this has energy and focus with emphasis on bright fruit and racy acidity. The...
2022
Château BeychevelleSt-Julien
Château Léoville Las Cases, Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Fragranced and scented, so appealing, rich, vibrant, alive on the nose, black and blue fruits with purple flowers. Juicy and alive in the mouth, straight...
2022
Château Léoville Las CasesSt-Julien
Château Saint-Pierre, St-Julien, 4ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Ripe and glossy, this has vibrant fruit with a heady spiced aspect alongside cool freshness. Lovely frame and structure, filling and wide but controlled with...
2022
Château Saint-PierreSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Le Croix Ducru, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2022
Richly concentrated, this has beautifully presented black fruits with a lovely chewy frame. Feels full and wide in the mouth with tannins that cover the...
2022
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien