Bordeaux 2022: The 100-point wines
There's something humbling about tasting a wine that stops you in your tracks. It could be a wine that feels like it's defied the odds to reach a state of 'perfection' or a wine that rises above the rest so much that it deserves the top accolade.
The 2022 vintage presented vines and winemakers with untold challenges of heat and drought, but having re-tasted the Bordeaux 2022s now in bottle, several wines stood out for their beauty, precision, structure and pure deliciousness.
In case you need a re-cap of the vintage conditions and weather related difficulties in 2022, you can find them in my En Primeur vintage analysis and first thoughts article and more recently a summary of my findings and thoughts now that the wines have been aged and bottled.
But I thought it was worth highlighting six wines, all of which surpassed the expectations of the vintage and delivered elegance, structure, purity, balance – and ultimately delighted in their own way.
Bordeaux 2022: Wines from a superb vintage revisited in bottle
They’re wines where excellent viticultural efforts were joined by precise sorting, well-judged vinifications with soft extractions, and ageing with optimal oxygen and wood exchange.
The wines are not all similar in style – it would be boring if they were – but each wine manages to convey the vintage’s power and concentration while still maintaining not only a sense of place, which I think is extremely important, but also excellent drinkability.
That’s not to say these wines won’t change from here on out – they will mature and evolve, as all fine wines do – but as young wines they are incredibly impressive.
Of the six 2022s that I’ve upgraded to 100 now they are in bottle, I gave four of them 98 points during En Primeur (my highest score that campaign) and two 97 points.
There are three wines from the Left Bank and three from the Right Bank, showing that both Cabernet and Merlot performed well when handled correctly in 2022.
There are also a number of exceptional wines now in bottle that I’ve upgraded to 99 points: Lafleur, Léoville-Las Cases, Montrose, Mouton Rothschild, Petrus, Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Troplong Mondot.
Below I’ve listed my six 100-point wines from 2022, explaining why they’re great, or why I love them, as well as my official tasting notes.
Château Angélus
En Primeur score: 97 points
A fabulous Angélus which really expresses the best parts of the vintage, with incredible freshness, energy and precision.
It’s a culmination of all the work the estate has been doing over the past few years, not only with organic viticulture but also with cool macerations and fermentations and ageing, especially using foudre.
Tasting note: A vintage of precision and aromatic purity, this is one of the finest Angélus wines ever made. A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the nose is heady and complex, filled with dark chocolate, cherries, blackcurrants, violets and rose.
On the palate, it’s silky, scintillating and fresh, with a crystalline clarity and balance that feels almost effortless. Chalky yet creamy tannins add depth, while flashes of heat and liquorice spice on the finish bring structure and length.
Juicy, deep and incredibly moreish, this dances across the palate with finesse and vibrancy. A wine of energy, persistence, and sheer sophistication. 100% new oak (50% Cabernet Franc in foudre). 3.7 pH. 75 IPT.
Château Figeac
En Primeur score: 98 points
The vintage that saw Figeac upgraded to St-Emilion Grand Cru Classé A, this is a stunning wine from winemaker Frédéric Faye that showcases the warm vintage but with a quintessentially classic style.
The team conducted the harvest in several stages, picking grapes block by block and used its state of the art winery to great effect to deliver a fabulous 2022.
Tasting note: This wowed during Primeurs and has maintained its promise now in bottle. Gloriously alive with a beautifully expressive nose – dark fruit, liquorice and floral scents.
The energy on the palate is incredible: this pulses with life, given the high acidity and juicy red berry fruit, but it also has a touch of creaminess alongside softly fleshy tannins that give weight and structure.
There’s power and concentration, almost hidden beneath the cooling freshness and charming texture. Effortless winemaking on show, taking the best of the vintage’s ripeness and delivering a seriously sophisticated, endlessly moreish expression. I love it! A perfect wine.
Château La Conseillante
En Primeur score: 98 points
La Conseillante continues a great run of vintages under the helm of winemaker Marielle Cazeau. This stands out as a beacon of excellence with such juiciness and mass appeal.
Fast becoming one of the best and most consistent Pomerol estates, I love the 2022 for its ease and confidence but also a sense of lift and happiness you get from drinking it.
Tasting note: The best La Conseillante I’ve ever tasted. Intensely fragrant on the nose with blackcurrants, cherries, roses and violets. Juicy, bright and alive. The acidity is the star, lifting the expression from the start.
Unlike many Pomerols that lean dark and tense, this is relaxed and smooth, with silky tannins supporting summer berry fruit and a finish of cool blueberries, liquorice, crushed stones, slate and minty cola.
All the elements combine to captivate: joyful, vibrant and so drinkable, yet built to age. Effortless winemaking from Marielle Cazeau.
Château Lafite Rothschild
En Primeur score: 98 points
Lafite always seems to deliver a grand vin that defies expectations no matter the conditions. This is one of the few wines that, to me, really doesn’t scream 2022.
It’s bright and forward with lovely integration of tannins and a gentle aspect which is really captivating. Nothing is over the top, such is their minimal interventionist style.
Organic viticulture (a portion also farmed biodynamically), double sorting, gentle extractions and lightly-toasted barrels all contribute to this sensational wine.
Tasting note: Deep, dark and restrained, offering cool black fruit with hints of cocoa and sea spray minerality. Poised and perfumed, it glides across the palate with Lafite’s signature elegance.
Tannins gently frame the red fruit, achieving seamless balance. Subtle yet commanding, with layers of refinement, depth and completeness, and a minty, stony, crystalline purity. A masterpiece of understatement and precision. I love this wine!
94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. Organic. 18% press wine.
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
En Primeur score: 98 points
In warm or hot vintages, winemaker Guillaume Pouthier particularly excels using cover crops to manage hydric stress, whole-bunch fermentations to reduce alcohol, and reductive ageing to maintain energy and focus.
This is another exceptional example of his winemaking, which reinforces the Cabernet Franc-driven estate signature with such complexity and control. It’s a very modern wine with precision and focus.
Tasting note: 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 energy, it flows effortlessly.
Vibrant red fruits – strawberry, cherry, raspberry – sit atop a mineral backbone of saline, wet stones. Crisp yet powdery tannins and bright acidity give incredible tension.
Despite its depth, it feels almost weightless, so drinkable yet built to age. Pure, pristine and vibrant, with no trace of heat – just balance and finesse. A true expression of place. A sure-fire hit. 70% whole bunch fermented.
Two years ageing, 80% new oak, 10% big 20hl vats, 10% amphora. 3.55 pH.
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
En Primeur score: 97 points
In addition to its organic practices (certified in 2019) Smith Haut Lafitte uses a number of tools both in the vineyard and winery to craft wonderful wines, including cover crops and extended cool macerations as well as excellent use of oak.
I love the 2022 for delivering a bold style – almost the opposite of Lafite, if we were to compare them side by side – but which has the most wonderful texture and lovely terroir markers.
Tasting note: Deep and evocative on the nose, bursting with blackcurrants, milk chocolate and a touch of Black Forest gateau wrapped in a sweet, purple floral perfume. The palate is instantly captivating, both silky-smooth and luxuriously thick – like padded silk – cushioned yet structured.
Tannins seamlessly support a vibrant mix of red and black berries – redcurrant, cherry, blackcurrant – all interwoven with precision. Broad and powerful, yet it glides effortlessly, with Cabernet’s structure, Merlot’s generosity and a dash of spiced fruit.
Underlying minerality and flint-like nuance add complexity. A masterclass in power and precision, perfectly balanced and unmistakably Smith.
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 | St-Estèphe 2022 | Margaux 2022 | St-Julien 2022 | Pomerol 2022 | Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022 | St-Emilion 2022 | Cru Bourgeois 2022 | Dry and Sweet whites 2022
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