THE GROWING SEASON
A hot and dry vintage saw half of the average rainfall over the growing season, which has led to early harvests and very small berries – particularly in Cabernet Sauvignon; reduced yields are likely to lead to lower availability for some properties, and some price increases are expected. Our vintage report is now available.
THE WINES
Long before the Davy’s team set foot in Bordeaux to taste barrel samples of the 2022s, we were hearing good things – very good things in fact. While it’s important to taste with an open mind and not get swept along with the hype, we were certainly intrigued about what we would find in our glasses. Could it really be that one of the hottest, driest vintages in recent memory – even in the context of a changing climate – had produced balanced, terroir expressive wines? In a word, yes.
At many of the tastings we attended, winemakers and vineyard managers were simply unable to explain quite how the wines had retained such remarkable freshness. Alcohol levels are certainly up on the very modest (by modern standards) numbers that we saw with last year’s releases, but many wines managed to come in at around 14% and even those that were nudging higher were generally not coming across as hot or overripe in the glass.
SUMMARY
‘No mildew, no frost, no hail… no pressure? Not quite. There was also virtually no rain, and LOTS of heat.’
Thomas Burke, Château Margaux
An exceptional year, the 2022 vintage has delivered some of the most exciting wines we’ve ever tasted in Bordeaux – however, as the Wine Advocate’s William Kelley warns ‘its heterogeneity means that it is not a year to buy blind’.
Tickets are still available to our En Primeur tasting on 24th May – click here for more information and to book yours If you’re new to En Primeur you’ll find detailed information in our article ‘What is En Primeur?’