“2022 is a singular vintage that merits a place in every cellar.”

Martin Tickle, Fine Wine Buyer

If 2021 was a vintage of the past, then 2022 is the vintage of the future.

The product of a dry and sunny season, 2022 has produced wines that are amplified expressions of their terroirs. The peaks are incredibly high, and we tasted many châteaux that potentially made the best wines in their long and storied histories.

The critical aspect of the vintage 2022 is found at the end of 2021 when the vineyards were replenished by rainfall. 2022 was historically dry throughout the year, and the vintage was only possible with those water reserves. It also means that properties located on clay and limestone soils often performed well. 2022 is exceptional at the highest level because it followed 2021; had the vintage followed the drought of 2020, it would have produced a different quality.

Another factor is that the vintage was relatively dry from the start, which meant the vines had to adapt early in the year. In a vintage like 2018, you had a classic heatwave model where the year starts wet and concludes with heat and drought in the summer. The vines grew large canopies in the Spring that were less able to cope with the heat of the summer. In 2022 the vines were more reserved with their growth due to the drier Spring, resulting in smaller, hardier plants that were well adapted to the heat. 

Having successfully nurtured grapes and brought them into their cellars, a recurring theme amongst the top châteaux was the hands-off nature of their winemaking. Bordeaux has insisted for some years now that they infuse tannins rather than extract them. The quality of the raw materials in 2022 meant that winemakers could take more of a backseat, observing and adjusting, rather than dominating the vintage. For many, the proportion of press wine in the blend is historically high; the infusion of tannins meant that press wine could provide structure. We were pleasantly surprised with the quality and ageing potential of the second wines of top châteaux. In a vintage where the best wines were characterised by their filigree structure, the second wines often seemed more robust than the Grand Vin; these are not simple wines for quick consumption but something more serious and age-worthy.

2022 is a unique vintage, and we largely spared winemakers their most dreaded question, “What vintage can you compare this one with?” There are similarities to great vintages like 2005, 2010, and 2016 in terms of structure, but the freshness and style of the vintage sets it apart as something individual.

The dry whites are a wonderful surprise from properties in the Médoc and the heartland of Pessac-Léognan. 2021 was the most in-demand vintage for dry whites in modern times; the lack of sunshine that limited some red wines proved perfect for retaining acidity and verve in the white wines. Yet, 2022 shows that ripeness and freshness are not mutually exclusive; the best wines were picked at full maturity but also have tremendous energy. Freshness automatically conjures up images of greenness, but the 2022 whites are fully mature in the yellow fruit spectrum and brimming with tension. Sauternes and Barsac had to wait for botrytis to arrive late in the season, but it did so quickly and to healthy grapes. There are some delicious wines produced in tiny quantities.

2003 is another vintage of the past, and before our tastings, there was the perception that 2022 might follow a similar path. The wines could not be more different; the vines in 2003 were shocked by a sudden heatwave rather than the gradual increases in temperature in 2022. The improvements in vineyard management and winemaking in Bordeaux also play a huge part. Bordeaux leads the word in viticulture, which perhaps isn’t discussed as much as it should be due to their prioritisation of the châteaux over the vineyard. 2022 is a vintage that will charm with its precocious drinkability, but it is also one where the upper echelons of quality have been redefined. It is a singular vintage that merits a place in every cellar.