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Astonishment was the first reaction of many Bordeaux producers when they realized the quality of the 2022 vintage. Two months of 100°F record temperatures and no rain had zapped their hopes, but the resulting bottles were decidedly not what they’d expected. The drought and heat should have cooked the grapes, but producers were shocked by the evident balance and greatness of the vintage. The 2022 Bordeaux reds are powerful and dense, with alcohol around 14% to 15%. They have an astonishing freshness that puts them firmly in the tradition of great Bordeaux. Pleasantly surprised, producers are scrambling for an explanation. Standout Areas “After the weather we had during the summer, I feared we would end up with hot, jammy wines. But that is clearly not the case,” says Thomas Duroux, director of Château Palmer in Margaux. And the excitement goes beyond Margaux: The whole of Bordeaux has produced some fine wines. The reds all have drinkability when young and a capacity for aging. Only the whites and sweet whites have disappointed, lacking acidity and freshness. Saint-Estèphe and Saint-Julien on the Left Bank and Saint-Emilion on the Right Bank are standout areas in 2022, particularly when it comes to Merlot. In recent warmer years, this workhorse grape across Bordeaux has been worrying, producing heavy wines that are high in alcohol. That's why in Saint-Emilion, new plantings of Cabernet Franc have supplanted Merlot. In the Médoc, it’s been Cabernet Sauvignon. You May Also Like: Our Top Bordeaux Picks, from Budget to Baller But the most recent vintage has turned this thinking on its head, producing exceptionally fresh Merlot. Incredibly successful blends include wines from Saint-Emilion, which are usually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, as well as those from neighboring Pomerol, which include an even higher proportion of Merlot. Why Did This Happen? No one knows, exactly. “The vines seem to have done the work all by themselves,” says Pierre-Olivier Clouet, director of Château Cheval Blanc in Saint-Emilion. He adds that some growers believe the vines adapted to the warm weather conditions all on their own. Before they knew the current vintage’s character, producers had worried it would look like 2003, another hot year that produced big, heavy wines. But 2022 has revealed itself to be a complete contrast. The 2022 vintage “was hotter and drier than any other season right from the start,” says Fabien Teitgen, director at Château Smith Haut Lafitte in Pessac-Léognan. “The vine got used to the heat, compared to 2003, when hot, dry weather suddenly arrived in the summer.” He reasons that this past fall and winter were also satisfactorily wet, meaning the vines were in a good state to survive a hot, dry summer. Where Can You Try The 2022 Bordeaux Vintage? These wines are currently in barrels in cellars across Bordeaux and winemakers are selling the wines en primeur, or as futures. Quantities of this top-quality vintage are small, given that the berries were small when harvested after the dry weather. As a result, many Bordeaux chateau owners have raised their prices. The norm is an average price increase of 20% compared to the less-than-overwhelming 2021 vintage. Some estates have been more reasonable, while others—in this reviewer’s opinion—are being greedy. Unfortunately, this means that many recent visitors to Bordeaux have tasted the new wines and gone home without buying. Ultimately, if you want to buy top Bordeaux at a lower price point, it’s much better to buy back vintages. The Bordeaux system is complex. Chateaus sell their wines through brokers, who then sell to Bordeaux wine merchants. These merchants then sell to importers, who sell to distributors, who sell to retailers. They then finally sell the wines to the everyday consumer. Everybody takes their cut along the way. The big takeaway? These wines may be good, but they are expensive. Prices will only go down if the market adjusts. If you’re not looking to shell out a fortune, wait until the vintage is bottled and released at the end of 2024. For now, relish the fact that Bordeaux can (again) pull rabbits out of hats. Some 2022 Bordeaux Bottles to Try Why You Should Trust Us All products featured here are independently selected by our team, which is comprised of experienced writers and wine tasters and overseen by editorial professionals at Wine Enthusiast headquarters. All ratings and reviews are performed blind in a controlled setting and reflect the parameters of our 100-point scale. Wine Enthusiast does not accept payment to conduct any product review, though we may earn a commission on purchases made through links on this site. Prices were accurate at the time of publication.

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