This year’s Bordeaux en primeur upended all expectations, leaving buyers of wine futures with incredible options. Here are our wine critic’s top 12 picks
(Bloomberg) — At 9 a.m. on Monday, April 17, I was swirling, sniffing, sipping and spitting a stunning barrel sample of first growth Chateau Mouton Rothschild. It was my first taste of Bordeaux’s 2022 vintage. Over the next two weeks in the region, I sampled impressive wines at dozens of chateaux and official press tastings. Most of them completely upended all my expectations — and everyone else’s.
After all, the 2022 growing season was a drama of non-stop extreme weather: April frosts, June rainstorms, record-breaking heat waves, severe drought and hail.
“We were thinking it might be a vintage of hot, heavy, overripe, unbalanced wines,” says Emmanuel Cruse of Chateau d’Issan. “Considering all the bad conditions, we are extremely lucky to have such an amazing, unique vintage.”
Read more: Record Temperatures, Wildfires Wreak Havoc on Europe’s Winemakers
Buyers from 71 countries and 5,300 journalists descended on the region for this year’s official en primeur week from April 24 to 27, with many others arriving before and after, according to the Union des Grands Crus, the organization of 132 top chateaux that sponsors group tastings for the trade and press. The purpose of the annual event is to showcase the latest vintage while wines are still aging in barrels and woo merchants around the world to buy the wines as futures.
The best 60 of the 400 or so I tasted are gorgeous, with stellar examples in every appellation and at all price points. That said, note my word “best.” Not every chateau got it right, and the wines aren’t as homogeneous as in 2016 or 2019. Meaning, you have to know which ones to pick. (See my list below.)
“We were surprised by the wines’ freshness” was the mantra repeated by just about every winemaker and chateau owner. The top wines have the richness, ripe fruit and concentration of a warm year but also the bright flavors and vivid floral aromas of a cool one. Combined with velvety textures and ripe tannins, and you have winners on your hands.
“2022 has the power of 2020, the elegance of 2019, the richness of 2018 — it’s like three different vintages in one bottle,” explains Guillaume Pouthier of Les Carmes Haut-Brion.
How did winemakers pull off such bright, fresh wines in a season all about heat and drought?
Every winemaker seemed to have a different explanation but agreed the tricky year was not as bad as 2003, in which the human cost far overshadowed industry concerns. In France alone, more than 14,000 people died from extreme heat that summer.
Christian Moueix, owner of many great properties in Pomerol and Saint Emilion, laid out important weather numbers: “There were 249 hours of sun in July and 248 in August — 11 hours and 15 minutes of sun every day for two months — more than Miami! But we had a good quantity of rain in June to face the summer.”
Though the amount varied from spot to spot, the timing of the rain was key to the vines’ resilience, giving them a good start ahead of the tumultuous weather. At Lafite Rothschild, I heard it meant the vines were more ready to adapt to the extreme drought of July and August.
Pierre-Olivier Clouet of Chateau Cheval Blanc gave a nod to the “intelligence” of the vines: “From the beginning in the spring, they didn’t have a lot of water, so they managed themselves, and grew slowly.”
Read more: American Gaylon Lawrence Buys Grand Cru Bordeaux Winery Château Lascombes
Others credit cool night temperatures for preserving the freshness and intensity of aromas despite daytime heat.
While some stress is good for vines, generally producing more intense and better wines, too much heat and drought will prompt leaves to yellow and drop off, and the vines to stop growing. In most places that didn’t happen, and the leaves looked green even when nearby trees suffered.
“We were more stressed than the vines,” says Guillaume Thienpont of Vieux Chateau Certan, another star in 2022.
And since 2003, the top winemakers have learned what to do and not do in hot, dry conditions. For example, planting cover crops between the vine rows, which you now see all over Bordeaux, trains roots to go deep to obtain water.
At Pichon Comtesse, one of the year’s great successes, Nicolas Glumineau says biodynamic farming techniques, which use special organic sprays and plants to boost soil health, also kept the soil temperature 7 to 10 degrees Celsius lower and helped vines survive.
Pontet-Canet and Les Carmes Haut-Brion coated grapes and vine leaves with white clay to reflect the sun’s heat and act like sunscreen.
Read more: Wine Harvest 2022: Brutal, Hot Summer Means Lower Yields, Hope for Good Quality
The grapes were small, so one worry was the resulting ratio of tannin in the skin and seeds compared with the amount of juice. Chateau Margaux’s Philippe Bascaules, who worked and still consults at Napa’s Inglenook, used the One Xray software program he’d helped develop for California conditions to analyze the tannin during fermentation. If the amount in the juice increased too much, he adjusted his extraction methods.
Soil composition mattered, too. “This is a vintage made below ground and not on the surface,” Aymeric de Gironde of Troplong Mondot insists. “The word of the year in Saint-Emilion is limestone. In our vineyards, it’s like a sponge, capturing rain in winter and releasing it in summer.”
Ultimately, this was a climate change-driven vintage. At Mouton, it was the earliest harvest since 1893. Some chateaux, such Troplong Mondot and Lafite Rothschild started picking red grapes at the end of August versus September, or as with historical harvests, October.
But Pierre-Olivier Clouet warns, “2022 was bad news for Bordeaux. Yes, this year heat and rain happened at the right times. With global warming,” he shrugged, “there’s no guarantee that will happen in the future.”
Bordeaux wine futures: Should you buy now?
To recap how the futures game works, you put your money down now while the wine is still aging in barrels and, in about two years, you get your bottled wines.
Collectors used to presume prices would always be higher later, but in recent years some wines have been cheaper when they arrive in bottle. The real reason to buy now is to lock in your favorite wines and pick the format (magnums, half bottles, etc).
Read more: Large Format Wine Buying Guide: Terms, Prices, Sales, Bottles To Know
Prices have begun to roll out, and they’re not unreasonable, from unchanged to 25% higher than last year. Shaun Bishop, CEO of retailer JJ Buckley, points out that “the 2019 vintage faced tariffs, the 2020 vintage was released during Covid, 2021 is a lesser quality vintage, and the dollar is now in a pretty strong position at [about] $1.10 to the euro, too.”
One huge caveat: Buy only from a merchant with a top track record for delivering the wines, like Millesima USA, JJ Buckley, Zachys, Sotheby’s or K&L Wine Merchants in the US, or Farr Vintners or Bordeaux Index in the UK. There have been cases of merchants not delivering on futures (recently Premier Cru, and lawsuits against Sherry-Lehmann). You may not get your money back either.
What 2022 Bordeaux futures to buy
As usual, all the first growths, as well as Right Bank stars Petrus, Lafleur, Le Pin and Ausone, are among the best wines of the vintage. Mouton Rothschild stands out for its power, lush density and polished velvety texture, while Margaux is the definition of seamless harmony, with aromas of lilies and violet-y flavors.
Below I’ve highlighted other wines that especially wowed me, including five that offer value. Prices are for single 750ml bottles unless otherwise noted.
For complete notes on my top 100, look for my Bordeaux report on elinmccoy.com after June 20.
12 TOP BORDEAUX WINES
Cheval Blanc ($670)My top wine of the vintage, this deep, plush, layered red is charged with vibrant energy, and its sumptuous velvety texture makes you feel almost like drinking it right now.
Vieux Chateau Certan (Not yet priced)Seamless and pure, with aromas that recall peonies, wild herbs and wet limestone, VCC is a sensual and structured Pomerol, with bright fruit and spicy notes.
Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (Not yet priced)A polished, ultra-refined Left Bank classic, it’s even better than the superb 2016, with aromas of violets, licorice and rose petals and complex deep fruit and truffle flavors.
Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse (Not yet priced)In 2021, 30-year-old Josephine Duffau-Lagarrosse was able to keep her Saint-Emilion family estate with investment from 30-year-old Prisca Courtin-Clarins of the cosmetic company. This vintage is compelling, vivid and seductive, with a rippling texture like raw silk unrolling.
Leoville Las Cases (Not yet priced)This beautiful red from Saint-Julien is a confident mix of power, density and precision, as well as a very long finish. It’s a “don’t touch me for 20 years” wine.
Figeac (Not yet priced)In 2022, Figeac was promoted to the top classification in Saint-Emilion and the team went all out to make a great wine. Filled with energy and lift, it’s also creamy and rich, with smoke and flower aromas.
La Conseillante (Not yet priced)A gorgeous, vibrant, almost juicy wine, with lilac scents and spicy blueberry and cassis flavor notes, it’s one of the best ever from this estate in Pomerol.
Domaine de Chevalier (Not yet priced)This vintage will carry a special galloping horse label to celebrate Olivier Bernard’s 40th year running the domaine. The wine tops recent vintages with its racy, cool fruit, licorice and rose petal aromas and enough structure to age well.
Brane-Cantenac (Not yet priced)This red manages to be both charming and serious at the same time. It’s polished and smooth, with bright cranberry and cassis flavors with tang and spice in the finish.
Troplong Mondot (Not yet priced)Full-bodied and a bit exotic, this combines the taste of dark berries with a chalky minerality. It’s multidimensional, concentrated, intense and vivid.
Les Carmes Haut-Brion (Not yet priced)Very pure, deep, complex, mineral-tinged flavors, suave tannins and herb and floral aromas add up to one of the best wines this estate has made.
L’Eglise Clinet (Not yet priced)Fine cigar aromas, deep sweet-fruit flavors with a mineral element, rounded tannins and a savory finish — what’s not to like?
FIVE VALUE BORDEAUX WINES
Siran ($33)The wines from this Margaux chateau get better and better. This vintage is glossy, balanced, silky and charming, with ripe blackberry juiciness.
Bellefont-Belcier ($45)This estate, with a new owner since 2018, is in the throes of a major revival. Cassis-and-raspberry-scented, it also boasts fine rounded tannins and serious structure.
Batailley (£372 for 12 bottles)This classic Pauillac is generally good value, and this year it’s more sophisticated, with refined tannins, a long finish and a special label to honor Queen Elizabeth II.
Tronquoy (£236 for 12 bottles)Very smooth, rich, powerful and spicy, it’s all about cassis aromas and complex black fruit flavors. The label used to be Tronquoy-Lalande.
Langoa-Barton ($50)A classic St. Julien that punches way above its price, with mint, cassis and smoky plum aromas and deep, tangy, cherry-and-spice flavor notes. There’s plenty of tannin for aging, too.
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