Having tasted so far some 250 bottles of Bordeaux 2022 from bottle to this point, I recall what I had written after tasting the wines from barrel in a piece published in Club Oenologique, which was that a long, hot summer “…miraculously produced some surprisingly fresh reds that should stand the test of time.”
Although many from bottle tasted late last year and in January this year confirm that assessment, a notable number do not. In the last phase of tasting these wines, at an event in Miami earlier this month organized by Total Wine for the UGCB of Bordeaux, many American buyers came away impressed, and the good news is that you can find a range of excellent and affordable wines like Château Dalem in Fronsac and Château Laroque in Saint Emilion, on one hand, to expensive wines like Château Montrose, Château Cos d’Estournel, and the amazing Château Mouton Rothschild (candidate for wine of the vintage). But I have a less overall optimistic feeling for 2022 as tasted from bottle. I know, I know, everyone seems to be “oohing” and “aahhing” about this vintage, but critical accuracy counts for more than enthusiasm.
Rethinking 2023
Now, I still have not tasted several important wines (Cheval Blanc, Petrus, Ducru Beaucaillou, or Vieux Château Certan among some others) that I had tasted from barrel, but I have tasted enough wines to feel that young readers who prize elegance in baby Bordeaux should think again about 2023 as a more classical alternative to the wines from 2022. Indeed, after tasting in Bordeaux this past December, I felt fatigued more than I expected at the end of each day, because a good number of the 2022s pack alcoholic punch commensurate with the high levels they contain. Sure, they are “balanced,” but we are talking about a high alcohol balance. The lower alcohol 2023 wines are balanced as well, but with a cooler, more elegant expression. Indeed, several winemakers I spoke to profess a personal preference to 2023 as a fresher – more typically Bordeaux – style.
Praise for 2022
While some 2022s from barrel are overrated when compared to how they show after bottling, this isn’t true for wines from cooler soils and climates, including superlative examples from clay and limestone in Saint-Émilion and from cooler northern Médoc appellations including Saint Julien, Pauillac and Saint Estèphe. Such wines vary from excellent to showstopping. Margaux was not as uniformly successful, nor was the Graves region, including Pessac-Léognan. As for the dry whites, it depends on the extent to which vintners and winemakers preserved freshness: some succeeded, often by picking earlier. Others, less so. Sauternes and Barsac late harvest “sweet” whites proved a mixed bag, but with some standouts.
In a future post here, I will propose a revised assessment of top 2023s from barrel, as many notes already had been published by Decanter Magazine but not top wines that I also tasted, including Petrus, Cheval Blanc, Latour and other premium brands.
As for the 2022s, I will be posting comprehensive notes on my website, Wine Chronicles, but here, for Wine Review Online readers, I offer a sampling of some wines, many reflecting a positive price/quality ratio for Bordeaux (which has become – as we all know – quite expensive):
Right Bank Reds
Château Puygueraud (Côte de Francs): Excellent red and black berry, with a sense of freshness that encourages further drinking. It really is that good! I love the juicy mid-palate but also a certain wet stone minerality from this blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, clocking in at 14.5% alcohol having aged in about one-third new oak. Harvested from 7-29 September, the estate stressed early picking in 2022. 94
Château Montlandrie (Castillon): Engaging aromas of wet stone, bright fruit and juicy plum reveal a rather serious wine that has nuance, subtle breadth, and focus. I like the foreboding tannins here: the type of tannin that will reward cellaring. This blends 55% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, all picked from 10-30 September and aged in 55% new oak. A superb Castillon. 95
Château Dalem (Fronsac): A great job here with the aid of the talented wine consultant Eric Boissenot to reveal true elegance in its aromatic profile. Wet stone comes to the fore, as does brambly fruit. This blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, at 14.5% alcohol, was aged in 50% new oak for 18 months and is nicely integrated and balanced. True kudos for the palate tension that transcends the hot, dry vintage profile. An excellent Fronsac! 93+
Château Tour Saint Christophe (Saint-Émilion): Soft chocolate notes, ripe fruit, with a fine linear aspect are all evident in this wine, not far from the style of the superb Château Laroque. This blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, clocking in at 15% alcohol (with a low pH of 3.45 and having aged in 25% new oak) includes smooth, enveloping tannins, without being heavy. Ripe fruit and chocolate. Excellent quality-to-price ratio or “QPR.” 94
Château Berliquet (Saint-Émilion): A lovely wine exuding suggestions of spring flower, plum, and juicy blackberry – and a cooler profile than the vintage would suggest. It clocks in at 14.5% alcohol with a low pH of 3.55, having aged 16 months in 44% new oak, and blends 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc. It was picked quite early: starting end August to 14 September. Long finish, with class and freshness, and a great QPR. 94+
Château Canon (Saint-Émilion): A tour de force for 2022, this blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc was aged in 30% new oak for 18 months. Tasted in Zurich with the UGCB in November, at the negociant Joanne in Bordeaux in December, and again this month in Miami, with consistent notes. It is somewhat higher-toned than neighbor (and fellow Premier Grand Cru Classé) Beausejour Bécot, but exudes more distinctly – and gorgeous – floral notes that leap from the glass, along with wet stone, reflecting refined class. The palate has juiciness but also so much precision and linearity, leading to a very long finish. And that linearity is matched by subtle palate intensity: a fascinating wine that will age well in the cellar, as the warmth of the vintage makes it ready to go, even now. And yes, 14.5% alcohol is not a surprising number in recent years. Even if there is a hint of the heady aspect of the vintage, the low 3.5 pH balances the alcohol nicely. Compared to most other wines I tried, I noted (in Zurich): “peerless balance that blows most other wines tasted here … out of the water.” 98
Château Troplong Mondot (Saint-Émilion): As ever, under the steady hand of Aymeric de Gironde and his team, this wine – at just under 15% alcohol – tastes more balanced than other peers with less alcohol, which is not as noticeable, given the pH at a low 3.45. While lacking the vivid wet stone refinement of Château Canon, I love this wine’s ripe, dark juicy fruit, licorice, and especially pleasing dark chocolate notes with floral freshness on the long finish. Consultant Thomas Duclos works his magic for the freshness, too, for this blend of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon (high for Saint-Émilion) and the rest Cabernet Franc. It aged in 55% new oak as well as over 20% in large 2,000 liter oak casks. 97
Château Cheval Blanc (Saint-Émilion): Tasted at the negociant Joanne, this is an utterly sexy wine, blending spice, ripe fruit, florality, and toast. The mid-palate depth and juiciness seduces, leading to a long finish. But – for the price – I would take Canon any day over Cheval in 2022. This blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon was aged 16 months in 100% new oak and clocks in at a rather low (for the vintage) 13.5% alcohol. 98
Left Bank Reds
Château Léoville Barton (Saint-Julien): Very stately wine, pristine, seashell freshness, smooth tannins but with character. Refined and powerful, with no headiness from this blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11.5% Merlot and 5.5% Cabernet Franc clocking in at 14.1% alcohol and aged in 60% new oak. It recalls the exceptional quality of the 2003 – as compared to many other wines that have not aged as well – but better, more refined, and with a cleaner cigar box-like finish. 97
Château Léoville Poyferré (Saint-Julien): Tasted twice: in Zurich, in November, and in Miami this month. Lovely polish for the aromatics; pencil lead, sweet fruit and pleasing tanginess! While not as stately as the neighboring Château Léoville Barton, which, in this vintage, I prefer by a hair, the Poyferré is utterly delicious and exemplifies the delectable appeal of this estate, with plenty of mid-palate sap and depth. That comes from a fine integration of 80% new oak, absorbing a high tannic index of 93 (!) but you do not feel it so much. The blend is 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Clocks in at 14.4% alcohol. 96+
Château Grand Puy Lacoste (Pauillac): This blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot, having aged 17 months in 75% new oak, exudes excellent freshness, and comes across powerful but also suave (as opposed to, say, Lynch Bages, which is all about power). Yes, you get tannic edge, but there are also suggestions of refined lead pencil, cassis and juicy black fruit, and smooth tannins with a long finish. An excellent wine. Tasted twice with similar results. 96
Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac Léognan): For the price, the best red of all among Pessac-Léognan wines I assessed from bottle. This blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, clocking in at 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.64, exudes bright cherry and cassis aspects, black fruit notes, and a brisk coolness delivered by smooth tannins, without being too hankered by headiness. How appropriate this success seems in the anniversary vintage marking 40 years under the Bernard family, featuring an attractive label of a single horse. The palate also offers a note recalling licorice, with an impressively long finish. Aged in 35% new oak. 96
Château de Pez (Saint-Estèphe): Chiseled tannins, among the freshest in Saint-Estèphe. A hailstorm meant less Cabernet Sauvignon than usual (the blend being 59% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot), but an excellent job was done with this by the estate, which is led by the same team from the great Château Pichon Lalande (Comtesse). It clocks in at 14.5% alcohol. 94
And for Good Measure, a Fine Sticky:
Château la Tour Blanche (Sauternes): Lovely balance here, even better than Château Climens in Barsac. There is plenty of botrytis spice and orange marmalade with a suggestion of crème brulé. Precision and richness show in this blend of 85% Sémillon, 10% Sauvignon Blanc and the rest Muscadelle, clocking in at 14% alcohol with 150 grams of residual sugar—all nicely integrated and offering true pleasure. 96