▻ Bordeaux 2022 – a vintage of surprise

Let's Talk About

28 Apr

Written By Sarah Kemp

In conversation with Jane Anson

Episode Summary:-

The word heard most from Bordeaux’s wine producers this April during the En Primeur season was “surprise.” The 2022 Bordeaux vintage was one of the driest on record, with hardly any rain from mid-June until harvest, leaving producers worrying whether the wines would be unbalanced. Sarah Kemp talks to Jane Anson about the vintage, what she had expected and what she actually found. Jane had already tasted 400 wines by the time Sarah arrived, and during the week she and Sarah tasted another 300. Jane estimates that when her report comes out in early May on janeanson.com she will have reviews on 800-900 wines.

This episode was recorded in Jane’s house in Bordeaux at the end of the second week, an assessment of the vintage, its challenges, its successes and as well as failures. What Sarah and Jane agree on is that it is a vintage like no other. “We haven’t found it to be the vintage of the century,” Jane remarks. “Take everything you thought about 2021, everything we learnt on paper about 2021, and you turn it on its head for 2022.” This was a vintage of high tannins, and the one thing that was uniform across the vintage, even in different soil types, was deep colours. Many producers brought down the fermentation from 28-30 degrees C to 24-26 degrees C, Jane explains.

Jane was impressed with how the top châteaux had maintained their own signature and not been overwhelmed by the vintage conditions. She cautions that the second wines in general were not as successful, but both Sarah and Jane praise Petit Mouton as a huge success in 2022. In Sauternes, the dryness of the vintage has led to lots of sweetness in several of the wines – if you like your Sauternes with bright acidity, it will be more difficult to find, Jane explains. At Château Haut-Brion, Jean-Philippe Delmas remarked, “This is a vintage that has something for everyone,” which Sarah and Jane agreed with.

Sarah and Jane also discuss how the experience of many winemakers abroad had helped them in this hot, dry vintage and given them new perspectives. Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy had worked at Opus One in Napa, Philippe Bascaules of Château Margaux at Inglenook in Napa, Henri Lurton of Château Brane-Cantenac in Baja California. A comparison to the hot vintage of 2003 Jane and Sarah don’t think is helpful. In 2003 many producers had no idea how to cope with the heat, stripping leaves and picking too late.

Are the vines becoming more resilient? Since 2016, there have been a lot of hot summers, and Jane and Sarah discuss whether the vines are adapting. Jane is cautious, as she reminds Sarah that in 2021 there was quite a lot of rain, so there were reserves in the ground. While it is hopeful how many of the vines have reacted, the proof will be if there are more years of drought and the vines cope.

Terroir surprises? “Before I began tasting I was really ready to dismiss gravel this year because it was too difficult but we found a lot of gravel wines with length, freshness and subtlety, especially along the Medoc corridor,” Jane reports. “Limestone and clay did well, the Saint Emilion plateau and Fronsac,” however, Jane cautions, “I have found some clay wines that are so powerful that the tannins are pretty impassable…. It is not a vintage to buy blindly”.

Irrigation was allowed for the first time in certain communes, such as Pessac Léognan, Saint Emilion and Pomerol for vines over 3 years old if the property applied in advance. Château Haut Brion irrigated this year; some of its vines between 3 and 7 years old. Jane discusses how the properties were not set up to irrigate as they are in many countries, and in many cases it was a matter of tractors and buckets in July and August.

There are some beautiful wines in 2022 but it is not a uniform vintage. Jane will be releasing her notes and scores in early May, after which, she will be lying down on the sofa with a glass of water watching TV she says.

““Take everything you thought about 2021, everything we learnt on paper about 2021, and you turn it on its head for 2022.””

— Jane Anson

Running Order:-

0.00 – 7.44

“This is not a vintage to buy blindly”

– The weather conditions that led to the vintage.
– How 2022 compares to 2021.
– The role of tannin in 2022.
– Views on the top châteaux.
– Views on second wines and Sauternes.
– How experience in California and other warmer countries helped the Bordeaux producers.
– Why 2022 is not 2003.
– Are the vines adapting to the drought and heat?
7.45 – 21.58

“Châteaux had to wrestle with the tannins, look for the subtlety”

– How the different soils coped with the drought.
– The most successful terroirs.
– Irrigation is introduced to Bordeaux for the first time for vines over 3 years old.
– When Jane will release her tasting notes and scores.