2022 Bordeaux Guide, with Analysis, Vintage Summary, in Bottle Tasting Notes, and Tips on All the Best Wines to Buy Now!
I adored the 2022 Bordeaux wines when I first tasted them in barrel in April 2023. Having recently finished tasting over 850 wines in bottle, my enthusiasm has not waned. Wines are about their style and character, which the 2022 Bordeaux offers in abundance. The 2022 Bordeaux is a vintage marked by a warm, sunny, and very dry summer.
Climate change cannot be ignored; its effects are pronounced. Today, growers have a deeper understanding of how to manage hotter, drier vintages, as well as the vineyards and cellars. It is important to note that not only are the growers and winemakers wiser, but so are the vines. Like all living things, grapevines have adapted to their new climate to survive. After tasting more than 850 2022 Bordeaux wines, it is clear that the vines have not only adapted, but they are thriving.
The results speak for themselves. The 2022 Bordeaux wines express ripe fruits, silky textures, freshness, balance, and harmony. As you can see from my wine tasting notes on the vintage, I love the 2022 Bordeaux wines, which showcases what is great about modern Bordeaux wines.
The following links provide detailed appellation reports with wine tasting notes for over 850 of the best wines of the 2022 Bordeaux vintage.
You can either use the search function for specific wines, or peruse the appellation reports in the links below for detailed analysis of the vintage, as well as wine tasting notes with ratings from each appellation for the 2022 Bordeaux vintage.
2022 Left Bank Appellation Wine Guides…
2022 Saint Estephe – 2022 Pauillac – 2022 Saint Julien – 2022 Margaux – 2022 Pessac Leognan, Graves – 2022 Haut Medoc, Listrac, Moulis – 2022 Medoc – 2022 AOC Bordeaux – 2022 Dry White and Sweet White Bordeaux
2022 Right Bank Appellation Wine Guides…
2022 St. Emilion Pt 1, Wines A-E – 2022 St. Emilion Pt 2 Wines F-L – 2022 St. Emilion Pt 3 Wines M-Z – 2022 Pomerol – 2022 Lalande de Pomerol – 2022 Cotes de Bordeaux – 2022 Fronsac – 2022 Bordeaux Superieur – 2022 St. Emilion Satellite Appellations
Tasting 2022 Bordeaux Wine… All of the 2022 Bordeaux wines in this report were tasted in non blind conditions in my office in early 2025. While many critics travel to Bordeaux to taste a new vintage, I find it not only easier to taste the wines locally, but the conditions are same for every wine. All of the wines are served at the same temperature, and tasted from the same glass, which places every wine on a level playing field. Additionally, the wines are tasted with and against their peers from the same appellation, and sorted by levels of density, so every wine is allowed an equal chance to perform.
Additionally, I had a lot of help in preparing this report. Without my talented team that assisted me with these tastings, I could never have done this big job. My heartfelt thanks to Annette Rau Solomon, Teresa Zales, and Jessica Marie Taylor.
An even bigger thank you is all the chateaux that graciously provided samples and all the consultants, negociants, and trade organizations that helped make this happen. Thank you, thank you, and THANK YOU!
A Troubling Trend in Bordeaux with Critics and Chateaux… Fortunately, at least to the best of my knowledge, only two estates refused to send samples based on scores they deemed not high enough. This has happened to other journalists as well. Picking and choosing who tastes, and writes about your wine is your right. But, it does not allow for a fair, and honest evaluation of your wines. If your wine is that good, it will find a market. Simply picking, and choosing who tastes your wine, depending on their scores is at best a temporary solution.
Are Wine Scores Too High Today? That depends. I taste, and write about wine so others can find, and buy the best wines for less. I awarded high scores in this report, and in other vintages because the wines excites me, and I want to share that enthusiasm with others. When a wine moves a taster, they should say so. There is no use in having a 100 Pt scale if you are not going to use it.
To Buy 2022 Bordeaux Wine, or not, That is the Question…
Today is a wine lover’s paradise. Never in the history of wine have there been so many fabulous vintages to choose from. Buyers have the opportunity to purchase great wines from various recent vintages: 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and with 2023 on the horizon as well. However, as I have mentioned many times in the past, each vintage offers its own unique style, character, pricing, and availability.
Some 2022 Bordeaux wines are expensive. But honestly, the majority of wines are competitively priced. Don’t let a few pricey outliers deter you from buying the wines you desire. In the years to come, a few dollars’ difference probably won’t matter. That said, American buyers face an uncertain future, as it’s possible that tariffs could become an issue. All of this needs to be taken into account.
Comparing 2022 Bordeaux with Previous Vintages
In many ways, the 2022 Bordeaux wines can be compared to earlier solar vintages that showcase opulent characteristics and were enjoyable to drink early on. For instance, the years 1921, 1929, 1947, 1959, 1982, 1989, 1990, and 2009 stand out. However, this comparison does not imply that they experienced identical climatic conditions. Instead, I am referring to the style and character of the wines. Among those earlier vintages, the 2022 vintage is likely superior to all of them.
What makes a great Bordeaux Vintage?…Historically, right or wrong, vintages have been viewed through the lens of top wines, such as the First Growths, Super Seconds, and glamorous Right Bank vineyard. However, it’s not that simple. Legendary years must present something special, beginning with a unique character. They also need to be capable of aging and evolving into something extraordinary.
Consistency is essential. Therefore, not only must the most illustrious vineyards produce great wine, but lesser estates in more challenging terroirs also need to create outstanding wines. With the 2022 Bordeaux, that is clearly what occurred. In fact, numerous smaller producers and petit châteaux crafted some of the best wines in the history of their estates.
2022 Bordeaux, the Vintage and Harvest is the New Normal…
With the intense heat and dry conditions, the success of the 2022 Bordeaux stems from growers learning to cope with extreme weather patterns. However, the vines also deserve credit for their ability to adapt to water scarcity and high temperatures. While the heat, sunshine, and drought in 2022 were extreme, understanding the wines and the vintage requires recognizing that it’s not only about what happened but also when it happened, along with the knowledge vignerons have today about managing extreme vintages that influenced the wines.
Moreover, the willingness of the chateaux to undergo stringent selections, their ability to harvest, and vinify on a parcel-by-parcel basis, along with their deeper understanding of how to handle very hot, dry vintages, must be considered.
2022 Bordeaux adapting to hot, dry conditions…
Today, Bordeaux excels in these types of hot, dry years. It’s important to note the significant improvements in how Bordeaux manages alcoholic vintages. Frankly, there’s no comparison between 2022 and previous extreme hot years like 2003.
In 2022, it’s crucial to recognize that heat waves occurred in four short bursts, and the nights remained cool. When you look back at 2003, it was also a vintage of extremes, but that’s where the similarities between 2003 and 2022 end. 2003 was hot and extremely dry, but the temperatures never cooled down; it was hot every moment of the day. More importantly, the way vignerons managed 2003 is vastly different from how producers handle vineyards today.
In those days, growers aimed for maximum sunlight, ripeness, and concentration. In contrast, the objectives and practices of vignerons in 2022 were different. In the vineyards, many growers sought to protect their grapes without deleafing; they removed cover crops to retain moisture and employed larger canopies to shield the grapes from the sun.
2022 Bordeaux and Irrigation
2022 Bordeaux will be remembered for many things. One point that should be noted is that growers were allowed to irrigate. Irrigation was not widespread, and there were rules in place that made it not available to everyone. However, some vineyards in Pessac Légrave, St. Emilion, and Pomerol were permitted to irrigate on a limited basis. 2022 was also the first vintage in which wildfires struck Bordeaux; fortunately, the fires did not alter the crop or burn any vineyards. Still, it is important not to underestimate the impact of climate change on the uniqueness of character found in the wines.
In the cellars, less movement of the wine and fermentations conducted at much cooler temperatures than before, along with reduced agitation and fewer pump-overs, gave the wines a light touch that helped maintain balance and freshness in 2022 Bordeaux.
What was the growing season like for 2022 Bordeaux?…
Precocious, sunny, warm, and dry. Growers recognized fairly early that the vintage would be early due to the hot, dry conditions. 2022 Bordeaux is marked by a significant lack of water, experiencing almost 50% of the normal rainfall the region had grown accustomed to over the past decade. These conditions produced a high-quality, concentrated, low-yielding vintage with fabulous, distinctive characteristics.
However, there is more to the story than heat and drought, as you might expect. The 2022 vintage started off ordinarily. April was exactly average, which contributed to the vintage’s success, as vine growth did not accelerate in the spring. The berries were able to achieve phenolic maturity.
Climatic conditions changed rapidly in May when temperatures began to rise, bringing the first of four heatwaves with several record-setting warm days between May 8 and May 22, making this the hottest May on record since 1950. This resulted in even and rapid flowering. However, hail impacted several appellations, though the damage was relatively localized.
June played a significant, if not pivotal, role, combining rain with intense heat and becoming the hottest June on record since 1947. Fortunately, there was also rain in June, which nourished the vines and mitigated the effects of the initial summer heat wave, with peak temperatures reaching 40ËšC (104ËšF).
It should be noted that the rains were not evenly distributed across every appellation or bank. For instance, in the Left Bank, some areas of the Médoc received as much as 135mm of rain while other appellations and vineyards remained quite dry. In fact, the lack of water during the summer created a unique climatic condition that we had not experienced before.
In the Right Bank, some areas of St. Emilion received around 70mm. This is where the water-retentive limestone and clay soils played a crucial role. Those June rains, combined with water reserves from the 2021 vintage, proved pivotal to the success of the vintage.
The rains and their distribution helped each appellation and vineyard cope with the impending summer drought. 2022 Bordeaux faced its second round of heatwaves in mid-July. Some vineyards experienced vine stress, depending on their moisture retention capability. The stress was visible in younger plants with yellowing leaves, while the older vines retained healthy green colors.
The intense heat and lack of water advanced growing conditions, establishing 2022 Bordeaux as an early vintage. July was hot, sunny, and very dry.
August continued with heat, sun, and drought. However, one of the saving graces of the 2022 Bordeaux vintage was that while daytime temperatures were quite high, the nights were cool, refreshing the grapes and helping to add essential acidity to the berries.
2022 Bordeaux at Harvest Time
The 2022 Bordeaux vintage was indeed early. The harvest of white Bordeaux grapes began in early to mid-August with Sauvignon Blanc, followed by the first Semillon harvest about a week later. Red wine grapes started to be harvested in early September, with most vineyards bringing in all their fruit by early October, benefiting from nearly perfect conditions of moderately warm, sunny, and dry weather.
The 2022 Bordeaux vintage is small due to low yields stemming from extreme climatic conditions that resulted in small berries producing very little juice. Vineyard yields varied as expected. Overall, 2022 Bordeaux produced roughly 4.6 million cases of wine, which is below normal and less than what growers would have preferred. However, other vintages have also seen reduced yields.
Vineyards with gravel soils yielded some of the smallest amounts, averaging 25-30% less fruit than usual, while growers with limestone and moisture-retentive clay terroir experienced only slightly below-normal yields. Not only did the tiny berries contribute to rich wines, but vineyards with old vines were even more intense, as their roots could reach deep into the soil. All these factors helped create 2022 Bordeaux wines with beautiful character and the potential to age and evolve for decades.
2022 Dry White Bordeaux Wine
Though it is the red wines that generate the most excitement with 2022 Bordeaux, some dry white Bordeaux wines are also noteworthy. That said, while I enjoyed the early-drinking, ripe, opulent, and aromatic qualities of the white wines, many lacked the acidity levels necessary for long-term aging for most of the selections. This was especially true for wines from traditional white wine regions like Pessac Leognan and Graves. Interestingly, the 2022 Bordeaux white wines from Medoc and some other AOC Bordeaux Blancs promise high-quality drinking.
2022 Sweet White Bordeaux
2022 Sauternes, at their best, are exciting and even thrilling sweet treats! The vintage allowed for the development of Botrytis, though this much-needed noble rot did not arrive until late in the growing season. The timing of the harvest was crucial, as vignerons who picked early produced bright, fresh, sweet wines without the complexities of Botrytis.
Those growers who waited for the magic to happen in the vineyard (mid-to-late October) were rewarded with outstanding wines that offered intensity, richness, concentration, length, and enough vibrancy to bring smiles to the faces of every sweet white wine lover.
What’s new in Bordeaux with the 2022 vintage?
The more things change, the more they stay the same. I appreciate some of the experimentation occurring in Bordeaux. While I rarely find Bordeaux made from single varietals wholly satisfying, they remain intellectually intriguing to taste. The shift to alternative vessels for aging shows promise, with more chateaux utilizing amphora, wine globes, foudres, large oak barrels, and eggs instead of traditional oak barrels.
I remain doubtful about wines produced with no sulfites, as I find most to be reductive rather than interesting. Low sulfites can yield cleaner wines; however, no sulfites often do not. The ongoing transition to organic and biodynamic farming is a positive trend. Healthy, ripe grapes grown in clean, living soils produce good wine.
