Bordeaux 2022 en primeur: Vintage analysis and first thoughts

We’re getting used to hearing the word ‘extreme’ describe a vintage in Bordeaux, almost as much as ‘historic’ or ‘unique’. But none used so often, or as pertinently, as for 2022 where the region faced historically warm and dry conditions with four heatwaves and intense summer drought.

Not exactly encouraging, and on paper this might have read as a catastrophe. Certainly, many a sleepless night was had by winemakers throughout the growing season and even beyond the earlier-than-ever harvests. Nevertheless, a surprisingly large number of vineyards and their growers prevailed against the odds to create a wealth of exceptional wines in 2022.

Full Bordeaux 2022 report plus top-scoring wine tasting notes and scores coming soon

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It’s true that the so-called ‘best’ terroirs and esteemed producers seem to be able to consistently create excellent wines in the trickiest of circumstances. But, unlike 2021, which was cold, wet, full of frost, hail and rot, 2022 demanded a different kind of stamina and perseverance.

Indeed, every tiny detail, from soil management and cover-crop usage to specific harvest dates (and lengths) to extractions and vinification temperatures, affected the success and style of these wines. It is for this reason, and not solely terroir – though that played a significant part – that the vintage is far from homogeneous, although there are fantastic wines across the board offering something for everyone in 2022.

Key takeaways:

• Conditions were so hot and dry that irrigation was permitted for the first time in some regions.
• France experienced the second driest July on record, at the national level, since 1962, with an average of just 3mm of rainfall recorded in the six sub-regions of Bordeaux (against the average of 50mm for the period between 1981-2010 according to Meteo France).
• Four severe heatwaves occurred between June and August.
• Temperatures tipped 42°C (107.6°F) in June, the fourth highest since 1947.
• Two devastating wildfires – the worst since 1949 – destroyed almost 30,000ha of forests south of Bordeaux, in and around Landiras and La Teste-de-Buch, with flames and smoke seen in Bordeaux city.
• Clay ‘sunscreen’ was used by some estates to try and protect grapes from the sunshine.
• Neither a left or right bank vintage, with outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon in the Médoc and Graves as well as Merlot in St-Emilion and Pomerol.
• Styles vary considerably from fine and elegant, to opulent and hedonistic.
• There are exceptional red wines full of ripe fruit flavours and intense tannins, but despite some high pHs, have great levels of freshness with energy and definition. Excellent ageability and paradoxically brilliant immediacy in terms of drinkability for the more successful. The worst wines demonstrate the potential for excess with too much richness, a lack of acidity and dry tannins.
• Some estates, however, have undoubtedly produced their best wines to date. Those also with links to, and experience of, making wine in warmer regions around the world such as California, Argentina and Chile also managed extremely well.
• White wines are a mixed bag: some exotic and generous others lean and crisp.
• Sweet wines exceed expectations. Growers had to wait longer for botrytis to arrive, considerably extending harvests for estates that produce dry white, red and sweet, but are on the whole extremely rich and luscious with high levels of residual sugar.
• 2022 is hard to compare and may be considered a ‘benchmark’ or ‘reference’ vintage for the future if similar conditions continue to occur. Already in 2023 there are less water reserves than at this point last year suggesting another potentially difficult vintage ahead if conditions replicate.
• Yields are low and quality is undoubtedly above 2021, so release strategies in terms of quantity and price will be keenly watched and analysed. It is thought that many will wait until June to release after Vinexpo Singapore. So far, a few wines have come down on 2021 prices but many are expecting increases by as much as 20%.
• It’s worth considering each estate individually.

First and foremost, is it a vintage worth buying? Absolutely, without doubt. Has every property and wine delivered on a potential promise of greatness? This is unlikely in any given year, admittedly, but no, unfortunately not in 2022 – there are both serious highs and lows. But have some estates produced their best-ever bottles? Yes, they have.

My ponderous line of questioning may seem unnecessarily contradictory, but so too were the vintage conditions versus the technical analysis versus eventual tastings.

Why? Let’s break it down:

• Some say it was because the vines were stressed from much earlier in the season rather than having drought thrust upon them after a wet spring, and therefore they paced and braced themselves for the onslaught. ‘If you go on a long hike with only a litre of water,’ said one winemaker, ‘you don’t drink it all in the first hour.’
• The time between heatwaves was said to have given the vines enough chance to recover, and particularly cool nights in August also helped counter the daytime sunshine.
• Some put it down to the 2021 vintage conditions, with certain correlations showing resilience in dry years following wet ones with the vines able to benefit from high water table reserves and a restful cold winter.
• Others put it purely down to terroir: clay, clay and limestone and gravels on clay are, by virtue, better able to retain water and will therefore adapt more successfully to hot and dry conditions. However, sandy vineyards next to water sources (in Pomerol near the river, for instance) can buck the trend.
• Organic and biodynamic vines more intune with nature have been praised for their capacity to withstand the lack of water, as have old-vines with naturally deep root systems.

It’s most likely a combination of those factors, but not solely. Human decisions played a substantial part in 2022.

We have to keep in mind, of course, that we’re still tasting extremely young wines. Some inevitably wear their best make-up for Primeurs assessments, but winemakers were just as surprised as tasters when the wines were finally racked into barrels at the end of last year, finding the best to have freshness, structure, tannic plenitude, racy acidity and, above all, disarmingly brilliant drinkability.

The most desirable seem to wear the sunshine and heat well, have supple textures, excellent definition, long finishes and a sheer brightness and energy that has produced some of the most compelling wines I’ve ever tasted at this early stage.

Comparisons

While at a loss as to accurately compare 2022 with any other vintage given the ‘never-experienced-before’ conditions, the odd reference was drawn to similarities of 1945, ’47 and ’49 – the hottest and sunniest vintage at the time since 1893 – as well as 1961 or the legendary 1982. Or, for those less accustomed to such vintages, a mixture between the best of 2018 (hedonism and opulence), 2019 (elegance, structure and depth) and 2020 (brightness and energy).

What the vintage wasn’t, however, was another 2003. There were few jammy fruit-bombs and an abundance of green leaves still visible on many vines well into October dispelling notions of too much stress. Not only have viticultural methods progressed extensively over the past 20 years (more care and respect for vine health, less green harvesting and de-leafing, more biodiversity in the vineyards, earlier harvesting, more detailed plot management) but also stylistic philosophies of less extraction and less tannic heft in favour of freshness and accessibility. Nights were also much cooler than in the suffocating summer of 2003.

2022 ultimately was a year where the numbers mattered and where the skill was making the right decisions at the right time.

In numbers

Water With hydric stress so keenly felt in 2022, it’s worth knowing how little rain estates actually experienced throughout the year. Some say the young vines, or vines solely on sand, suffered and growth was blocked, others say 4mm was enough to make a positive difference. It was the driest July since 1959 meaning, for the first time, estates in Pomerol were given special dispensation to irrigate, along with St-Emilion and Pessac-Léognan. Efforts were made with watering cans and even bottled water at one worried estate, although a general lack of adequate time, equipment and infrastructure rendered this almost inconsequential. One winery I spoke to has since invested, perhaps wisely, in an irrigation system for potential future use.

Percentage lost to hail Some estates in the ‘hail corridor’ of the northern Médoc endured crop losses in 2022 of up to 30%.

Percentage lost to frost Only a few vineyards seem to have suffered from late spring frosts, mainly in St-Emilion and Pessac, helped mostly by late pruning.

Yields Lower than 2021 as a whole due to berry shrivelling and juice concentration within the grapes – many Cabernet berries weighed only 0.8g (in 2021 they were 1.3g to 1.38g and in 2020 1.06g to 0.99g). There were a few exceptions of estates with normal, even healthy, yields; Troplong Mondot for one at 50hl/ha.

pH Many of my tasting notes this year reference the pH level – a useful guideline in winemaking and a value on which a wine’s chemical and biological stability depends. It’s used, albeit less so, alongside total acidity (TA). Where the pH is a measurement of the strength of acid, TA tells us the concentration of acids present by weight and is measured in grams per litre. The general rule is that the higher the pH, the lower the acidity, and the lower the pH, the higher the acidity. pH is a measurement which becomes increasingly important in warm years. Generally, wines with a higher acidity / lower pH will taste more crisp and fresh on the palate. For white wines, pHs usually fall between 3.0 and 3.4, and between 3.3 and 3.6 for reds. Too much acidity and the wines can be too tart or sour, too little and they can feel heavy and tired. High pH wines also face increased risk of bacterial spoilage and growth of brettanomyces, consequently necessitating increased sulphur usage at bottling – something which many winemakers want to distance themselves from. For their 2022s, some estates registered wines at or around 3.6pH, though many with higher pHs still maintained a sense of freshness or feeling of acidity that didn’t entirely correspond to the numbers. Wines from limestone also show more acute minerality helping keep the raciness.

It’s worth noting that no estates openly admitted to acidification in 2022. That’s not to say it definitely didn’t happen, although many properties were discouraged from tampering with the must having benefitted from experience of previous hot vintages.

Alcohol High in general – the highest ever for Château Margaux, for instance, at 14.4%abv – and some topping 15%. But some reds were also as low as 12.5%, so there was no hard and fast rule.

Harvest dates The earliest on record for almost all estates, with summer holidays cut short in preparation for picking the whites in mid August and as early as the 30 August for reds. Despite starting sooner, some harvests took longer than usual, with pickers having the luxury of favourable weather conditions to wait for the perfect moment of ripeness, sometimes passing three or four times in the same plot. But not everyone got it right: some wines were clearly picked too early, others too late. Almost all red grapes were harvested before October started.

Number of vats Additional tank capacity is always useful to individually vinify separate parcels of grapes but especially in 2022 where several winemakers performed a pre-harvest selection for shrivelled and dried berries, vinifying them separately to avoid going into the main batches.

Vinification temperatures Many opted for lower temperatures in general, or a shorter period of high temperature, stopping before the alcohol increased too much. Extractions were more gentle, with less pumping over.

Percentage of press wine More commonly used on the left bank for Cabernet grapes, a higher amount than usual was generally included in the final blends in 2022, often helping top up a lighter initial extraction. Château Lafte is one of the highest at 17.5%. Though others, more so on the right bank, used none.

IPT (Total Polyphenol Index) There’s no doubting the tannin potential of 2022, with many wines offering high phenolics – at or above levels in 2010 – registering 80IPT and upwards on the scale. Generally Bordeaux reds are between 60-80, and anything reaching 90 or above is extremely tannic. The measure is quantitative not qualitative, however, so even those with high levels, if made sensitively, will be enjoyable. The best tannins are seamless and supportive and the worst dry and austere or just too massive and obstructive. High tannin levels, however, do benefit a wine’s ageability.

Number of wines Blending is never easy but winemakers faced qualitative and quantitative decisions in 2022 to discern how much first and second wines (if any) to produce. Some estates have been more strict, reducing the amount of the grand vin to the benefit of their second wines, (Petit Mouton is excellent), others have renounced their second wines entirely – there’s no Petit Cheval in 2022, for instance. Second wines should be carefully considered, as there are some clear standouts and others less so.

Weather

The annual ISVV report (Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences of Bordeaux University, Oenological Research Unit, compiled by Professor Laurence Geny, Elodie Guittard, Dr Valérie Lavigne and Professor Axel Marchal) that assesses the vintage conditions tells us that the 2022 winter was slightly drier than usual, with 200mm of rain compared to 400mm (in October and November it was down by 50mm on average, but conversely 55mm above average in December).

January 2022 presented occasional springlike conditions, with overall temperatures close to normal. February was the fourth year running to record milder than average temperatures.

Several cool nights in March gave an early, now ‘normal’ budbreak (later than in 2021) – a delay which helped reduce widespread damage from early April frosts, though with some localised impact.

April was the only month to register near-average temperatures slowing down vine growth, although from February onwards temperatures were consistently above the 30-year-average (by 1°C to 3°C).

Hot, summer-like conditions set in from May, with four heatwaves seeing temperatures tip 40°C, resulting in severe drought. Some areas had never before experienced essentially no rain from bud break to harvest.

Growth accelerated with signs of an early vintage before a quick and even flowering began in mid May. Localised hail storms, mainly in the Médoc, occurred at the end of May. June had a severe first heatwave, but was also the only month in 2022 to record above-average rainfall, with storms varying from one region to the next and the impact of the rain varying in intensity and benefit from one estate to the next.

Hot weather continued and intensified in July with a second heatwave, hydric stress slowing grape development and registering the early character of the vintage. Véraison, or colour change, depended on water and soil type. August was hot and dry with cool overnight temperatures and a few showers that had little impact on vegetative growth or the size of berries, which remained small.

Harvests began in September under ideal conditions allowing estates (which had capacity) to pick at optimum ripeness.

White grapes generally suffer in hot and dry vintages, with high temperatures resulting in low acidity and high sugar. Grapes on well-drained soils, and those that received rain in June, managed to keep freshness and aromatic complexity. Harvests were historically early.

Sweet wine producers were tested once again in 2022. Despite having a healthy crop in August, drought conditions prevented the development of botrytis cinerea (noble rot) forcing growers to wait for all-important rains and having to discard unsuitable shrivelled berries in the meantime. Rain fell at the end of September with a rapid onset of botrytis occurring in mid October. Wines are lavish and lush, the opposite of 2021, with richness and generally high levels of residual sugar.

The market

China is open. The end of zero-Covid restrictions in early 2023 has fuelled a rebound in fine-wine trading and a ‘re-catalysing of the Asian trade’, as Bordeaux Index put it. The US is back too, and buyers seem interested in Primeurs once again after a period of detachment. And representatives from far-flung destinations, including Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Brazil (as well as an enlarged cohort of the UK trade) made their way to the region this year, eager to assess the 2022 vintage for themselves and decide what to buy.

It seems everyone is interested and excited. And while we may still be facing political and economic uncertainties, a combination of exceptional quality, low stocks and general global inflation raising the price of labour, energy and materials, we could be looking at a 15% to 20% increase on 2021 prices. Some say there will still be favourable relative value, though the prices of the 2022 vintage will almost certainly be assessed against the 18-19-20 trilogy and the vaunted 2016s.

Each estate, however, has its own strategy and brand positioning to leverage prices. Some collectors may seek out the ‘must buys’ at any cost, while others may take a more cautious approach.

A foreshadowing?

Climate change and weather unpredictability is a very real threat. Of course, we can rejoice that the ‘Merlot is dead’ rhetoric has been quelled for another year, and that a wave of Tempranillo won’t suddenly take up residency across the region, but wine is a resource-heavy industry and very nature dependent. Already in 2023 we’re at a lower starting point in terms of water table densities than we were last year, prompting concerns that if we experience another 2022 growing season the vines won’t survive. At the same time, attention and nurture towards the soils has never been greater, fostering an increase in organic matter rich in mycelium that is better able to cope with such conditions.

Appellations

Given the heterogeneity of the vintage, there are highs and lows in every appellation with top estates delivering some statuesque wines. I have my snapshot favourites but at the pricier end the wines have mostly delivered.

Margaux was a particular highlight for me in terms of average great quality given its size and varying terroirs. Almost every time I tasted a wine from Margaux I loved it.

I also thought wines from Haut-Medoc did really well, as did those from Moulis, Castillon and Fronsac.

St-Emilion impressed at the top end – so many great wines! And, when handled with delicacy, Pomerol did too.

First Growths

Ch Lafite Rothschild Incredibly restrained and almost ethereal, a refined and finessed wonder in 2022 with purity and poise. Simply brilliant. 13.7abv, 3.8pH, 64IPT, 17.5% press wine. Harvest 31 August to 24 September.

Ch Mouton Rothschild Power and freshness both expertly combined with density and such incredible drinkability. Sleek and supple; one of my favourites. 14%abv, 3.89pH, 76IPT. 16.4% press wine. Harvest 1-26 September.

Ch Margaux Deep and persistent with richness and brightness. Seductive and charming, generous but controlled with racy acidity. A clear standout. 14.6%abv, 3.6pH, 88IPT. 18% press wine. Harvest 8-27 September.

Ch Latour Focussed, pure, sleek and stylish, with excellent acidity and overall structure. 14.2%abv, 3.7pH, 75IPT, 7.6% press wine. Harvest 6-24 September.

Ch Haut-Brion Not out to charm but to impress and it does with excellent construction, intense and muscular tannins and a moreish sensation. 14.4%abv, 3.8pH, similar IPT to 2010. Harvest 29 August – 15 September.

Coup de coeur

Fast becoming my favourite French expression, literally translating as ‘a blow to the heart’ or ‘a heartstopping moment’. The following wines gave me exactly that:

Château Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse, St-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé

Château Canon, St-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé

Château Cheval Blanc, St-Emilion

Château Clos Fourtet, St-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé

Château Figeac, St-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé A

Château Larcis-Ducasse, St-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé

Château Laroque, St-Emilion Grand Cru Classé

Château Troplong Mondot, St-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan

Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Rouge, Pessac-Léognan Grand Cru Classé de Graves

Château Brane-Cantenac, Margaux 2ème Grand Cru Classé

Château Giscours, Margaux 3ème Grand Cru Classé

Château Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien 4ème Grand Cru Classé

Château Gruaud-Larose, St-Julien 2ème Grand Cru Classé

Château Léoville-Las Cases St-Julien 2ème Grand Cru Classé

Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac 2ème Grand Cru Classé

Château Montrose, St-Estèphe 2ème Grand Cru Classé

Château Phélan Ségur, St-Estèphe

Château La Conseillante, Pomerol

Château La Fleur-Pétrus, Pomerol

Château VCC, Pomerol

Clos du Clocher, Pomerol

Petrus, Pomerol

Other stand-outs

Château Léoville Barton, St-Julien 2ème Grand Cru Classé

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac 5ème Grand Cru Classé

Château Haut-Batailley, Pauillac

Château d’Issan, Margaux 3ème Grand Cru Classé

Château Monbrison, Margaux

Château Angludet, Margaux

Château Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux 2ème Grand Cru Classé

Clos Dubreuil, St-Emilion Grand Cru Classé

Château La Gaffelière, St-Emilion

Château Fonroque, St-Emilion Grand Cru

Château Croix de Labrie, St-Emilion Grand Cru Classé

Château Clinet, Pomerol

Château Hosanna, Pomerol

Château de Sales, Pomerol

Château La Grave, Pomerol

Value picks

Château Branas Grand Poujeaux, Moulis-en-Médoc

Château de Rouillac, red and white, Pessac-Léognan

Château La Garde, white, Pessac-Léognan

Château Arnauld, Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel

Château Lamothe Bergeron, Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois Supérieur

Château Larose-Trintaudon, Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois Supérieur

Château Liversan, Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois

Domaine de l’A, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

Château Rousselle, Fronsac

Château Les Trois Croix, Fronsac

More detailed appellation-by-appellation analysis from the Bordeaux 2022 vintage will be published next week, along with tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring wines.