The 2022 Columbia Valley vintage report for Washington & Oregon: ‘Fresh, elegant and ageworthy’

2022 will be a memorable vintage for me, as my first in the role as Decanter’s (then) US Editor, I found myself on Red Mountain as the harvest crescendo was reaching its climax. It was October, yet the weather was warm, clear, and sunny.

I even picked up doughnuts for the vineyard crew at Kiona.

Growers and winemakers alike were thankful for that unusually warm autumn, as it was a cool, challenging vintage, the likes of which the region had not seen in a very long time.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Columbia Valley 2022 wines

Columbia Valley vintage ratings

2022 4/5

A long cool vintage, with the requisite heat to move ripeness along, if only just. The story of the 2022 vintage is the story of patience and perspective. Cool conditions early made many uneasy, but for those who appreciate elegance, this is a unique vintage for Washington. Cool conditions led to lower alcohols, higher acidity, and fantastic white wines. Ageability is here, and the tannins, which can be unwieldy at times, are far more approachable in the 2022 vintage. It is a vintage that will be touted for its refinement and balance but may take a few years to be fully appreciated.

2021 3/5

A vintage beset by record-shattering temperatures, 2021, in terms of wine quality, was a vintage for those pursuing balance. The heat dome in June, coupled with continued hot weather through harvest, made acidity and freshness harder to come by for many Columbia Valley producers. Winemakers in slightly cooler sites benefited, as did those who relied on proactive vineyard management. Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon showed that they could take the heat for the most part, and many up-and-coming producers made wines that stood out by picking earlier and benefiting from sites with strong mineral character.

2020 3/5

In this slightly warmer-than-average year, the COVID-19 pandemic forced wineries to develop strategies to continue making wine. The best show finesse and balance, with fine examples, particularly from the Red Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills AVAs. In September, wildfires raged to the south in Oregon, complicating ripening and affecting some vineyards with smoke taint. However, there wasn’t the same widespread damage here as in parts of Oregon and California.

‘This was the coolest and wettest spring I can remember,’ says Washington State grower, Dick Boushey. ‘We had a late bloom by two to three weeks. There was snow and frost between bud break and bloom. Then it was consistently warm. And finally, the most fabulous fall I have ever seen.’

‘2022 was the second coolest vintage in the state’s history, after 2011,’ says Matías Kúsulas, head of winemaking and viticulture at Washington’s Gård Vintners, situated in the Royal Slope appellation. ‘Everything was delayed, but we were lucky to benefit from a very long season after veraison. No heat spikes, and a growing season, with a very long, warm tail.’

In summary, the 2022 vintage was a throwback to the region’s early days, when acidity was more pronounced and alcohol levels were lower. It was a fantastic vintage for white wines. I’d argue it was the best I’ve encountered in the Columbia Valley.

It was not a ‘set it and forget’ year for the absentee winemaker, however, and those who spent plenty of time in their vine rows made the best, and in some cases, fantastically elegant wines.

See all 300+ of the 2022 Columbia Valley wines tasted from Washington and Oregon

A snowy start

The cool start to the spring season followed a very wet winter, which recharged soil moisture in the dry region of the Columbia Valley.

For the most part, bud break lagged a few weeks behind more recent ‘average’ vintages, though some early budding occurred. A snowstorm hit the Columbia Valley, with blizzard conditions between April 11 and April 14, landing between bud break and bloom, pushing things back even further.

The bizarre, blizzard-like storm left multiple inches of snow on the ground throughout Eastern Washington and Oregon, from 2 to 5 inches (5-12cm), and saw temperatures dip into the low 20°s(-6C).

There was some bud damage to early ripening varietals, but as the growing season went on, it resolved into one known for its higher yields. Driven largely by the extremely small crop that marked the previous, 2021 vintage.

Warm weather and a perfect October

A late-blooming summer finally arrived towards the end of June, as the wetter-than-normal conditions finally tapered off and warm, dry weather moved in. July and August both saw above-average heat.

However, ripeness lagged so far behind that those two warm months did not put much of a dent in the impact of the cool, wet early season.

Most of the Columbia Valley’s harvest activity happens in September, but in 2022, very little fruit came in before October. In general, most winemakers needed every minute of the warm, dry October to bring everything home.

The month delivered, with perfect conditions, right up until 20 October. The early part of the month saw ten days of temperatures over 80°

These abnormal late seasons made for a perfect landing for the cool, unusual vintage. Finishing with above-average acidity and lower than typical brix. Elegance was out there for the winemakers who sought it.

Columbia Valley’s top 10 wines of 2022

(Full reviews are linked in the wine name.)

Cimento, Orselli Vineyard Syrah, The Rocks District 98 points

Gård, Grand Klasse Cabernet Sauvignon, Royal Slope 98 points

Martin Woods, The Rocks Syrah, The Rocks District 98 points

Avennia, Sestina, Columbia Valley 97 points

Betz Family, La Serenne Syrah, Yakima Valley 97 points

Devison, Phantom Lamb, Royal Slope 97 points

Gård, Grand Klasse Roussanne, Royal Slope 97 points

Jett, Skysill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley 97 points 

Reynvaan Family Vineyards, Stonessence, The Rocks District 97 points

Trothe, Sauvignon Blanc, Horse Heaven Hills 97 points

A Columbia Valley curveball

After all the drama, 2022 may be a vintage that further separates those who are meticulous about their vineyard sources from those who are not.

In a region that has one of the most predictable climate patterns in America’s various wine regions, 2022 threw winemakers and winegrowers a curveball.

‘2022 caught a lot of people out,’ says Alex Stewart, head winemaker at Matthews Estate. ‘We’re in a region that can be consistent to the point of boredom. The cool vintage surprise that was 2022 caused some winemakers who weren’t used to seeing this degree of vintage variation to freak out a little bit, and many people pulled the trigger too early.’

‘We were waiting on a freeze that never happened. Some people may have picked a little early, which can create a mid-palate void,’ says Matías Kúsulas.

In a region that is largely a desert climate, it can be common for winemakers not to spend much time in the vineyards. The reliable conditions create a ‘set it and forget it’ attitude.

But in a tricky year for the typically predictable Columbia Valley, attention made all the difference.

‘You had to have people in the rows,’ says David Wanek, proprietor of Cimento in The Rocks District, ‘and if you didn’t, you can have variability. 2022 was a challenging year in the vineyard, managing the canopy, dealing with heat spells and needing to drop fruit.

‘There were a lot of variables to try and get control of. Having a firm grasp of the farming really allowed us to do it the right way.’

Washington’s best white wine vintage yet?

Rhône varieties had a fantastic 2022 vintage, with Grenache, Syrah, Roussanne, and Viognier all shining.

The most compelling story for me is about the white wines that came from 2022. The acidities capture what is far too often missing from white wines from this region. A fresh and lively character that can balance the ripeness that this region easily achieves.

The vintage created extraordinary white wines for the Columbia Valley. The ability to retain acidity has created multi-dimensional wines from Sauvignon Blanc, to Chardonnay, to the Gård Roussanne, Grand Klasse, a runaway for the best white wine I’ve ever tasted from Washington.

‘We had nights at 45° in the summer,’ recalls Kúsulas. ‘It allows the grapes to retain their acids. The fruit had high levels of both malic and tartaric acids, which means you can produce more lactic acid, creating texture and a complex mouthfeel.’

‘2022 turned out to be a fantastic year for white wines in Washington, says Trothe winemaker, Ray McKee. ‘Thanks to a late and remarkably cool start to the growing season. A mild, mid-April frost trimmed the crop a little, particularly in our white varietals, setting the stage for concentration and nuance. That cool stretch lasted well into July, and it really shaped the vintage.’

Indeed, a cool, collectable vintage for lovers of fresher styles of wines, and for those new to these wines from Washington and Oregon, the top bottles below are a must-try, a brilliant introduction to the region in a cool year.

Columbia Valley 2022: 30 of the top wines tasted

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