Vid denna tiden på året är det spännande då primörveckan 2023 är över - en vecka då världens ledande vinkritiker och vinhandlare har ägnat all sin energi till att provat, studerat och analyserat årgång 2022 i Bordeaux. Vi sitter som på nålar & inväntar med stor nyfikenhet de samlade intrycken.
Enligt förhandsrapporterna såg det enkelt och lite oroande ut. Man talade om en otroligt speciell årgång och en ny referens med en av de mer extrema växtsäsongerna någonsin. Ett år med extrem hetta, flera dagar med temperaturer upp emot 40 grader, torka och extremt väder. Inte helt olik 2003 - årgången som markerar den första heta årgången inte enbart i Bordeaux moderna historia utan för hela Frankrike som helhet.
James Suckling kallade årgång 2022 för en ”New Benchmark”. William Kelley på Robert Parkers The Wine Advocate sa att årgången producerat ”some of the most exciting red Bordeaux produced in the last two decades”.
Nedan kommer en summering av Jeb Dunnucks intryck;
First and foremost, 2022 is an incredible, singular vintage for Bordeaux. It may not be as consistent as 2019 or 2020 style-wise, but there are brilliant wines from throughout the region, and the peaks of 2022 are certain to be legendary wines.
With a vintage like 2022, it’s essential to understand that style and quality are separate. The extreme growing season resulted in wildly divergent styles between the regions and the terroirs, yet taking a step back, quality is still incredibly high. In addition, the combination of richness and opulence paired with considerable structure give the 2022s a singular profile, even if there are dramatically different styles in the vintage.
At a very high level, 2022 doesn’t dramatically favor any appellation, and there are incredible wines from both Banks. However, Pomerol (and to a lesser extent, the Graves region) are the most erratic, and Saint-Emilion and the Médoc genuinely shine.
THE WINES
Looking at the wines, there is clearly a common theme of ripeness and power, yet they hold onto a sense of freshness as well as complexity. As stated above, there is an incredible diversity in the style of the final wines regarding their density, structure, and overall balance due to differences in yields, terroir, and winemaking. But make no mistake, the top wines are rich, powerful wines that bring beautiful fruit as well as substantial, velvety tannins.
‘While this is a vintage that needs to be taken on a château-by-château basis, at a very high level, the style of the 2022s can be thought of as a mix of 2020 and 2018, or a mix of 2005 and 2010, with a little of 2009 thrown in here and there. The 2022s are ripe, concentrated, sumptuous wines that have a real “wow” factor.‘
SHOULD YOU BUY 2022 EN PRIMEUR?
As I’ve written, there are four reasons to buy a vintage En Primeur;
1) If it is a great vintage;
2) If the wines are expected to increase in price;
3) If quantities are limited;
4) If you are buying wines in formats other than 750-millimeter bottles.
Looking at 2022, this is clearly a great vintage. Moreover, yields are down 15-20% on average, so two of the four reasons are easily met. Prices have yet to be released, but I suspect we’ll see anywhere from a 15-25% increase over the 2021 prices. Given that there are still 2018s and 2019s on the market, with the incredible 2020s just now hitting retailer shelves, trying to decide how much of your wine budget to reserve for the 2022s can be difficult. If prices are released at levels where there won’t be an increase in price until they’re bottled and on retailer shelves, there is no reason readers should pony up their hard-earned money at this stage. Reviewing barrels samples is difficult, and barrel reviews should always be taken with a grain of salt. These are not finished wines, and anyone trying to tell you definitively how these wines will taste on release is kidding themselves – and you.
If you prefer a more classic, restrained style, you are probably better off focusing on the 2019s and 2020s. However, if you like the more opulent, sumptuous vintages from Bordeaux, the 2022s have a certain je ne sais quoi quality that’s hard to describe and will be hard to replicate. This unique, singular, incredible vintage merits serious attention.
