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Now a few weeks into the critics’ visits to Bordeaux, we have some much-anticipated updates to our 2022 Bordeaux vintage report. Below these updates, you can find our original, unedited post from April 2023.
The unusual weather in Bordeaux leading up to the 2022 harvest created obstacles for some producers, but opportunities for many. The winter was cool and dry, followed by an early spring and intense heat waves in the summer months. As vineyards planned for and reacted to the conditions differently, we’re seeing quite a range of results among producers and in critics’ newly published reviews.
As The Wine Advocate states in their recent En Primeur review, this “explains not only the vintage’s potential greatness, but also its heterogeneity. Bordeaux has produced some monumental wines in 2022, but unlike many of the great vintages of the 20th century, the year was not a rising tide that raised all boats.” So while we’ve celebrated several recent vintages from the region for their overall quality and aging potential, the 2022 vintage requires more careful selection when choosing which bottles to buy. As they put it in their report, 2022 “it is not a year to buy blind.”
The good news is that many producers used the conditions of 2022 to their advantage, producing truly exceptional wines.
Because the 2022 vintage will produce some exceptional bottles, this is a great opportunity to buy En Primeur once you’ve made your selections. Below is a list of several wines to watch from The Wine Advocate.
Berliquet (shop all Chateau Berliquet vintages here)
Bourgneuf (shop all Bourgneuf vintages here)
Branaire-Ducru (shop all Branaire-Ducru vintages here)
Clos ManouÂ
Dame de Montrose (shop all Chateau Montrose vintages here)
Du Retout (shop all Chateau du Retout vintages here)
Domaine de l’A
Grand Village (shop all Chateau Grand Village vintages here)
Haut Marbuzet (shop all Chateau Haut Marbuzet vintages here)
Langoa Barton (shop all Langoa Barton vintages here)
Larrivet Haut-Brion (shop all Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion vintages here)
Mangot
Bordeaux has long been known as one of the most renowned wine regions in the world, producing some of the finest and most sought-after wines available. The Bordeaux 2022 vintage release is just around the corner, offering a new range of exceptional vintages to discover and enjoy. Although we’ll have much better insights into the 2022 Bordeaux in a few weeks as critics’ reviews are published, we are already hearing whispers of an exceptional production season from the region.
As critics and connoisseurs head to Bordeaux and get a first taste of the 2022 vintage, we’re giving you access to everything we know so far.
A wine’s vintage refers to the year the grapes were harvested, and Bordeaux vintages are released the year following the harvest. That means now, in the spring of 2023, we are getting early reports of the 2022 vintage harvested during last year’s growth.
Every year around the end of April, wine experts and critics head to Bordeaux to begin tasting the wines in the upcoming release and publishing their reviews. We’ll begin to see wine scores and reviews published in the coming weeks from well-known critics like James Sucking and Neal Martin (Vinous) who are currently in Bordeaux. Then, throughout the month of May, bottles from the release will become available to order as future arrivals.
It’s worth noting that the release dates can vary from one estate to another, so it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on your favorite estates’ release schedules.
Ordering Bordeaux 2022 wines now is the best way to secure wines you’re interested in at the best prices. We call this buying wines en primeur, meaning you can reserve and purchase your wine while it’s still aging in the barrel, before it’s even been bottled. You should expect delivery about two years following the Bordeaux release, but there’s no rush, as most bottles of Bordeaux from the 2022 vintage you’ll want to cellar for a few years before drinking.
Due to the Bordeaux region’s diverse terroirs and microclimates, each year’s vintage is unique, offering different flavors, aromas, and aging potential. However, the preliminary reports on the 2022 vintage suggest it could be one of the most exceptional vintages of the decade. The weather during the 2022 growing season was generally favorable, despite cooler days in the early spring and heatwaves later in the summer, leading to a healthy crop. Learn more about how the weather affected the Bordeaux 2022 vintage in Wine Searcher’s 2022 Bordeaux vintage report.
According to the Bordeaux Wine Council, the 2022 vintage’s quality is “excellent” and has “great aging potential.” Early reports suggest the red wines will be rich, powerful, and structured, with intense black fruit flavors and a firm tannic backbone. The white wines are also likely to be exceptional, with vibrant acidity, aromatic complexity, and remarkable freshness.
The critic’s reviews will tell us more, and we’ll continue to update you, but the top chateaus in Bordeaux are worth keeping an eye on as you wait for the 2022 vintage release. A few of our favorite producers from Bordeaux are Chateau Margaux, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Haut-Brion, and Chateau Pontet-Canet.
The Bordeaux Wine Council has also announced some changes to the pricing and marketing strategies of Bordeaux wine, aiming to make the wines more accessible to a broader audience. There are several wines with outstanding potential that you’ll be able to purchase for under $50 – for our best selections of wines at great price points, sign up for our email list.
The Bordeaux 2022 vintage release promises to be an exciting event for fine wine consumers. With exceptional quality and great aging potential, the 2022 vintage is likely to offer some of the most exceptional wines of the decade. Keep your eyes and ears open for the releases as they come, and don’t miss the chance to discover the latest offerings from the top Bordeaux estates.
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