The 2022 Bordeaux en-primeur campaign is now underway!  We are eagerly anticipating the release of notable Chateaux in the coming days. We invite you to register your interest for what promises to be a low-allocation vintage.

2022 FIRST IMPRESSIONS – MERLOT IS NOT DEAD

 

2022 was a hot vintage but surprisingly tastes like a fresh one. The wines from the right bank have performed really well with a lot of consistency, while there are some great wines and some missed opportunities on the left bank.  White wines are very good, but not as great as 2021.  They have a bigger body, and they are rounder, but a little bit less fresh than 2021. Perfect for white Burgundy lovers.

The vintage was the second warmest after 2003, with the heat starting to gradually build up from May.  It kept increasing and lasted until late September.  Many winemakers told us that the vines displayed remarkable resilience that can be explained by several factors: the vines didn’t suffer like last year (2021 was a cool vintage), June rain helped to fill the water reserves in the ground and the heat increased gradually.  In 2003, the temperature jumped up from one day to another, blocking the vines and burning the berries. Thanks to past experience, the great winemakers produced wines with great aging potential that will be easy to drink young as well.

In conclusion, we believe that the 2022 vintage was characterized by extreme and contrasting climatic conditions. However, the vines have once again shown remarkable resilience and, when handled carefully, have produced magnificent results.

 

Key Points

 

1. The quality of the Merlot on both the left and right banks was exceptional.
2. This was a warm vintage but the great winemakers succeeded in making well-balanced wines with great freshness. We must highlight that many lesser Chateaux acidified the wines and this could be felt when tasting the wines. We are not recommending them.
3. Yields are low, so there will not be wine for everyone. As an example, the berry weight in Chateau Margaux was the lowest recorded (35% below).
4. The white wines are excellent. Domaine de Chevalier and Haut Brion are the overall winners for us.
5. The red wines are best described by these words: freshness, great balance, medium alcohol (13-14%), with similar acidity but much greater depth than 2021. Delicious!
6. Right Bank: Consistency. Left Bank: Some hit and misses.
7. The quality and drinkability of the “Second Vin” is spectacular.
8. These wines will age a very long time, because of their acidity and density.

 

Register your Interest

 

We expect the prices to be around the 2020 vintage, but this is just based on what we heard through the “grape vine”. The quantity produced was on par or smaller than in 2021.

If you want any wines, please let us know quickly. Once the allocations are sent, we expect to sell out fast.