Michaela Morris: my top wines of 2022

By the time I finally set foot in Barolo, it had been a full year and a half since my previous visit. To get reacquainted, I took a deep dive into two of the denomination’s townships, exploring the MGAs up close. From Castiglione Falletto, Brovio’s Villero Barolo from the sure-to-be legendary 2016 vintage was transcendent. As for Serralunga d’Alba, Oddero’s Barolo Riserva 2013 from Vignarionda epitomises why I consider this site to be one of the world’s greatest vineyards.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Michaela’s top 1o wines of 2022

It is difficult to choose just 10 wines that soared above all others in 2022. As the year progressed, the events, tastings and parties multiplied as we emerged from two years of isolation. There was no lack of great wine.

I was thrilled to return in person for Chianti Classico’s annual Collection tasting. It showcased a profusion of 2019s from all categories reaffirming my fondness for this finessed, aromatically complex and transparent vintage. I could have included a handful of annata but narrowed it down to just one Gran Selezione – Riecine’s first ever from the estate’s Gittori vineyard – as well as a Riserva from up-and-coming boutique producer, Maurizio Alongi.

It is easy to praise excellent vintages, but unearthing gems in challenging years provides even greater satisfaction. Full disclosure, I tried the 2017 Brunello at the end of 2021, but my report and the wines were not released until the beginning of 2022. Le Chiuse topped my list. It is a tribute to all the producers who made heroic efforts to coax out the best of this difficult year.

Continuing with Brunello, Fuligni makes it onto my list again this year. At a vertical tasting of eight of the producer’s Riserva, the 1983 was still remarkably vibrant. However, it was the 2006 that gave me cellar-envy (meaning, unfortunately, I don’t have a bottle in mine).

Besides frequent stops in Tuscany and Piedmont, I spent a leisurely month in Sicily. There, the lure of Mount Etna was powerful. I even made it 2,750 metres up the volcano – as close as possible to the smouldering summit. Equally captivated by Nerello Mascalese and Carricante, I have selected one of each. The red is a familiar name – Terre Nere. Owner Marc de Grazia helped put Etna wines on the map. His 2020 Prephylloxera bottling is spellbinding. Conversely, the white is the very first release from a brand-new producer – Maugeri. After being impressed by it several times during a four-day event, I returned to Etna just to visit the property. This is a winery to watch.

2022 was a hectic travel year of pre-pandemic proportions. Nevertheless, I still managed to taste widely through the wines of British Columbia, where I am based. My report on the region’s Syrah fuelled my conviction that this grape has exciting potential in our extreme climate. And Le Vieux Pin’s Cuvée Violette was worthy of its top honours.

It was also a good year for older bottles. Besides significant milestones, simply being able to gather again encouraged digging deep into the cellar. One of the most exhilarating tastings was a six-decade vertical of Bertani’s Amarone Classico. It was particularly poignant as the lineup included my birth year – one of the most dreadful vintages in the second half of last century. While this wine didn’t make my top 10, it was actually more than just a pleasant surprise… no, the vintage that stole the show was 1964. It was simply timeless.

Michaela’s top wines of 2022

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