2022 Cotes de Bordeaux wine guide with buying tips
2022 Cotes de Bordeaux is slightly complicated. While some of the wines we tasted were light, and produced for early-drinking consumption, there were some 2022 Cotes de Bordeaux that were outstanding wines with true character that merit consideration. All of the following 2022 Cotes de Bordeaux wines were tasted in my office, in non blind conditions in early, 2025. For a detailed look at the 2022 Bordeaux, the wines, the growing season, and harvest 2022 Bordeaux Vintage Detailed Analysis
2022 Ad Francos – Bordeaux Côtes de Francs – Medium-bodied, soft, silky, and fresh, with ample, sweet, plummy red fruits with a hint of chalky salt and cocoa in the finish. You can drink this on release with loads of pleasure. Drink from 2025-2035. 90 Pts
2022 Alcee – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Defined by its floral bouquet, the wine also sports sweet, ripe, lush, black with red fruits, chocolate, and plums that leave an impression in the mid-palate. and in the finish. The is the first vintage produced from 100% Merlot. Drink from 2025-2038. 92 Pts
2022 Ampelia – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Medium-bodied, plummy, vibrant, and fresh, the wine lingers with its chocolate, espresso, and black cherry notes from start to finish. This will be delicious on releas and for at least a decade after that. Drink from 2025-2035. 90 Pts
2022 Beynat Cuvée Léonard – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Flowers, red berries, and a hint of toasty oak open the nose. The wine is medium-bodied, forward, and pleasant on the palate, with some dryness in the cocoa-tinted, cherry finish. Drink from 2025-2032. 88 Pts
2022 Brehat – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – The wine is more interesting on the nose, with its flowers, and red pit aromatics, than on the lighter-styled, bright, fresh, medium-bodied palate. Drink from 2025-2032. 89 Pts
2022 Cap de Faugeres – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Black cherries, chocolate-coated raspberries, and licorice notes are all over the place here. The palate is packed with sweet, ripe, dark, red pit fruits with a chocolaty edge, and a touch of salt that adds length, with complexity. The wine was blended with 85% Merlot, and15% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2025-2039. 92 Pts
2022 Claud-Bellevue – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Espresso-edged, chocolate-covered cherries, plums and licorice show with ease. Soft, supple, and creamy, the fruits, are ripe, polished, lively, and lingering. Ready to go on release, I like the freshness, along with the touch of cocoa that shows up at the end of the finish. Drink from 2025-2038. 92 Pts
2022 Clos Lunelles – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Inky in color with an attention-seeking perfume, packed with sea-salt, chocolate, black plums, flowers, espresso, and cherries. Lush, full, and rich, with layers of plush, polished, ripe fruits. The finish leaves you with the essence of minerals, and perfectly, ripe, sweet fruits. The finish lingers with those gorgeous fruits. The low pH provides that lift, and energy in the tense finish that is perfect for its wealth of fruit. The wine was made from blending 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2025-2040. 95 Pts
2022 Clos du Milieu – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Elegant, fresh, fruity-styled, medium-bodied wine offering ample cherries, with a chalky edge. This should get even better with a year or two of age. Drink from 2025-2037. 91 Pts
2022 Cote Montpezat – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Earthy, spicy, and loaded with cigar wrappers, along with the wine’s spicy fruits that show in the nose, On the palate, the wine is sweet, lively, and chewy with a long, black raspberry, chocolate, and plum-packed finish. Drink from 2025-2035. 91 Pts
2022 Croix Lartigue – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Floral in character, the wine has added a lot of depth, and roundness from its barrel aging. The chocolate-plum finish, with its licorice accents is going to be a pleasure to imbibe on release, and for over a decade after that. Drink from 2025-2037. 92 Pts
2022 DAiguilhe – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Flowers, black raspberries, plums, and cocoa create the perfume. On the palate, the wine is soft, mineral-driven, bright, and fresh. There is lift, and energy, with a salty edge to the bright, clean, red berries in the mid-palate, that carry through to the finish. The wine blends 90% Merlot with 10% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2025-2038. 93 Pts
2022 DAiguilhe Seigneurs d’Aiguilhe – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Bright, fresh, plums, cherries and flowers shine with ease in this soft-textured, refined, medium-bodied, vibrant-styled, fresh, red berry filled charmer that is perfect for early drinking pleasure. Drink from 2025-2030. 88 Pts
2022 De Laussac – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Cherries, with floral notes, define the core of this medium-bodied, sweet, fresh, open wine. The fruity finish is accompanied by a savory, olive edge. Drink from 2025-2035. 90 Pts
2022 Des Rèves – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Medium-bodied, fruity, forward. and open, the uncomplicated wine is a bit light in the firm, dark, red berry finish. Drink from 2025-2031. 87 Pts
2022 Fougas Maldoror – Côtes de Bourg – Mint, tobacco leaf, spice. and earthy red fruits are displayed in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is salty, chewy and fresh, with lift, and energy. Drink from 2025-2036. 90 Pts
2022 Haut Bertinerie – Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux – Licorice, tobacco leaves, flowers, and red fruits show in the nose. On the palate, the wine is soft, elegant, and fresh, with a nice sweetness and savory-edged cherries with a hint of olives in the finish. Drink from 2025-2035. 90 Pts
2022 Haut Ventenac L’Audacieux – Bordeaux Côtes de Francs – Supple, medium-bodied, fresh, and forward, the wine is light on the palate, but also charming, fresh, and sweet, with strawberries and cherries bringing up the rea in the finish. Drink from 2025-2031. 89 Pts
2022 Haut Ventenac L’Authentique – Bordeaux Côtes de Francs – Medium-bodied with a core of fresh, minty cherries on the nose, and on the light palate. This will be at its best in its youth. Drink from 2025-2032. 88 Pts
2022 Hourtou Ondulations – Côtes de Bourg – Medium-bodied, light, bright, sweet, and tart, herbal, red berry-oriented wine that will be best in its youth. Drink from 2025-2029. 86 Pts
2022 Joanin Becot – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Seductive on the palate with its layers of perfectly ripe, black plums, black cherries, licorice, and chocolate. The long, expansive finish seals the deal with its lift, energy, and hint of salt on the back end. The wine is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Some of the vines used here date back to 1870! Drink from 2025-2038. 93 Pts
2022 La Brande – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Packed with fresh, ripe, dark, juicy red fruits, and hints of cracked pepper, licorice, cocoa. and cherries, this is all about its supple, creamy, fruit-packed, mid-palate, and finish. You can enjoy this on the young side. Drink from 2025-2037. 90 Pts
2022 Laussac Cuvee Sacha – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Medium-bodied, almost light, with a noticeable amount of oak on the nose, and palate. The finish is round and plummy, the oak is fairly prominent. Drink from 2025-2034. 88 Pts
2022 Le Rey Argileuses Parcelles 1 et 3 – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Elegant soft, lush, and polished, with loads of ripe, sweet, and already delicious fruits on your palate with the perfect amount of lift, and length in the mid-palate, and in the finish. It is hard to find a better value from the Cotes de Bordeaux appellation. The wine blends 80% Merlot with 20% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2025-2035. 92 Pts
2022 Le Rey Les Rocheuses Parcelles 5 & 6 – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Licorice, flowers, and red with black fruits form the core of this wine. Medium-bodied, energetic, soft, and creamy, this is going to deliver loads of pleasure on release, yet is going to age for a decade or longer. Drink from 2025-2037. 93 Pts
2022 Le Secret du Manoir – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Supple, creamy, and packed with loads of sweet, ripe, chocolate-covered black cherries, the wine is soft, lush, and polished, with a charming, fruity character that is going to offer delicious drinking on release, and for at least a decade after that. Drink from 2025-2037. 91 Pts
2022 Monbadon – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Espresso, flowers, spice, and red fruits define the perfume. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, sweet, fresh, and creamy, which is perfect for the backdrop of cherries in the finish. The wine blends 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot and is aged in 50% new, French oak barrels, and amphora. Drink from 2025-2037. 92 Pts
2022 Monbadon Indie de Monbadon – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Light, bright fresh, and spicy with a beautiful sense of purity to the sweet cherries on the mid-palate, and in the lifted finish. The wine blends 51% Cabernet Franc and 49% Merlot. The wine is aged in a combination of 500 liter barrels, vats, and amphora. Drink from 2025-2032. 90 Pts
2022 Mondesir-Gazin Bardon – Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux – Espresso, spice, blackberries, and floral aromatics kick the wine off. The palate is round, dark, and spicy, with a core of chewy, dark, peppery, blackberries that show a spicy, savory, tannic edge. The wine is one of the few Bordeaux produced using 100% Malbec. Drink from 2026-2035. 90 Pts
2022 Mondesir-Gazin Emu – Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux – Flowers, spice, licorice, red pit fruits, and greenery are on display in the nose, and on the bright, fruity, savory, chalky palate. There is a strong spearmint, and olive bite that comes in at the end of the finish. The wine is an interesting blend of 65% Malbec, and 35% Merlot. Drink from 2025-2032. 88 Pts
2022 Montlandrie – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Black raspberries, flowers, truffles, and cocoa produce the core of this wine. creamy and fresh, with supple, sweet, ripe fruits and a drizzle of chocolate in the mid-palate and in the long, fruity, finish. I like the touch of mint that finds its way into the backend of the finish. The wine blends 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2025-2038. 93 Pts
2022 Moulin Eyquem – Côtes de Bourg – Creamy, fruity, and minty-fresh, the wine delivers its core of ripe, sweet, plums, and cherries with their herbal edge and rounded finish with little effort. This is already quite charming to enjoy. Drink from 2025-2035. 91 Pts
2022 Moya – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Round, and fruity with loads of sweet, ripe, black cherries, chocolate, licorice, and plums, the wine finishes soft, fruity, and creamy with chocolate covered berries and licorice on the backend of this medium-bodied charmer. Drink from 2025-2037. 91 Pts
2022 Puybarbe – Côtes de Bourg – Creamy, chocolate-coated, plums, and black cherries with a shot of licorice create the core here. Medium-bodied, round, juicy, and fruity, this already-tasty, easy-going wine is offering its pleasures effortlessly. Drink from 2025-2035. 91 Pts
2022 Rochers de Joanin – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – On the herbal, black cherry, and floral side, the wine is bright, fresh, and chalky, with an orange zest note on top of the cherries that defines the finish. You can enjoy this on the young side. Drink from 2025-2032. 88 Pts
2022 Roquevielle – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Medium-bodied, forward, vibrant, wine with red fruits touched by herbs, and peppery spices in the finish. This will be best in its youth. Drink from 2025-2032. 89 Pts
2022 Roquevielle Excellence – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Soft, and creamy, the wines are fresh, juicy, sweet, and lifted, with just a touch of herbs in the minty, red berry finish. This is quite nice and should drink well on release. Drink from 2025-2037. 91 Pts
2022 Tutiac Héritage – Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux – Bright, fresh, red plums, with a touch of espresso, spearmint, and herbs is set for offering pleasure on release. Drink from 2025-2032. 87 Pts
2022 Tutiac Origines Six Chemins – Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux – Peppery currants, tobacco leaves, herbs, and red fruits is made in a crisp, high-toned style with a crunchy, green finish that will be ready to drink on release. This is one of the few Bordeaux wines produced using 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2025-2032. 85 Pts
Up next, we will publish our complete guide to the best Right Bank gems with a report on all of the top 2022 Fronsac Wines before we feature the best 2022 Lalande de Pomerol Wines before taking a deep dive into 2022 Pomerol.
