Burgundy's 2022 vintage delivered something vintners here haven’t seen since since 2017: cellars full of excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. I was in the region earlier this year, tasting more than 225 red and white Burgundies from barrel, tank and, in some cases, bottle, and the finished wines are now starting to arrive in the U.S. market.
“2022 is a great vintage, with good quantity,” enthused Édouard Labruyère, majority owner of Domaine Jacques Prieur. “In ’22, the main characteristic was the heat. It’s the hottest vintage in the history of DJP.”
Labruyère also noted that 2022 is DJP winemaker Nadine Gublin’s favorite vintage since 1990. “The tannins are delicate. There is freshness, fruitiness, finesse and elegance,” said Labruyère. “The solar aspect of 2018 and 2020 is not there in 2022.”
Bouchard Père & Fils winemaker Frédéric Weber concurred during my visit at the end of January: “2022 is a great vintage for quantity and quality—all the elements are there.”
For Laurent Delaunay, whose family owns the négociant Edouard Delaunay, there were three significant factors that made the vintage: First, there was a big storm at the end of June; second was the heat of the summer, slowing the physiological ripeness in the vines as the sugar accumulation continued and the acidity was preserved; and lastly, the resilience of the vines. It's a theme that's been echoed by many Burgundians during recent hot growing seasons.
The rain in June was important. According to Mounir Saouma, co-owner of Lucien Le Moine, June rains are a portent of quality, and 2022 had plenty of rain in June. Bouchard Père & Fils’ Weber cited nearly 8 inches at the end of June.
The ample rainfall followed a perfect flowering, and was also timely for the dry weather that followed in July.
Erwan Faiveley, co-owner of Domaine Faiveley (and Sonoma's Williams Selyem), also considers 2022 great. “It’s a classic, juicy vintage with quantity,” he said, though he noted that there was more rain in Gevrey-Chambertin than other parts of the Côte d’Or and Côte Chalonnaise, where Domaine Faiveley has considerable holdings in Mercurey.
The storm caused extensive flooding in cellars in Gevrey and, ultimately, a little dilution in the wines, according to Faiveley. The positive side was less drought stress in the vines of Gevrey and a more consistent ripening. Overall, he feels the wines of the Côte de Beaune may be better in quality than those of the Côte de Nuits.
At the beginning of August, the vines were exhibiting stress due to the lack of water. A number of vintners noted a slowing in the maturation of the vineyards, and in some cases blocked photosynthesis, however, rain mid-August refreshed them. Two weeks of dry, windy conditions preceded harvest.The good news is that the grapes were healthy. “The challenge of ’22 was to harvest at the right time, especially Chardonnay, to keep the acidity and balance,” noted Domaine de la Vougeraie general manager Sylvie Poillot. “If you waited too long, the grapes got too ripe, too heavy.”
Recent warmer, earlier harvests have necessitated winemaking changes as well, explains Fiona Traill-Stevenson, the viticulture and winemaking partner and co-owner with Michael Ragg of Mischief & Mayhem, a small domaine based in Aloxe-Corton. One of those significant changes has been incorporating methods to cool the fruit between picking and fermentation—chilling the fruit for 24 hours in the case of M&M. For Traill-Stevenson, cooling the grapes was the biggest challenge, and the fermentations were otherwise normal in 2022.
2022 Red Burgundy Wine Preview
The reds show terrific balance and harmony in 2022, with freshness, vibrant profiles and pure fruit. I tasted dozens of potentially outstanding (90–94 points on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale) and several potentially classic (95–100 points) young red Burgundies during my cellar visits, with very few showing overripeness or green tannins.
2022 White Burgundy Wine Preview
Though there are many potentially outstanding and classic-scoring white Burgundies, I found the whites a little less consistent than the reds. The exception was Chablis, where there was less rain, according to Albéric Bichot, president of Albert Bichot, which owns Domaine Long-Dépaquit in Chablis. I also visited Domaine Christian Moreau Père & Fils and William Fèvre, where I found balanced and lively, mineral-driven profiles from villages to grands crus.
The good quantity of grapes in 2022 (and again in 2023) will relieve pressure on the recent price increases, however, it may be another year before wine lovers see reductions, if any, for their favorite wines.
“2022 is a mix of old Burgundy and global warming,” exclaimed Saouma. “There were warm elements—the mild winter and hot summer—so there is ripeness, but also acidity and tannins that are ripe and sweet. 2022 is classic. It expresses both terroir and the hierarchy.”
Watch for my 2022 Burgundy reviews in upcoming issues of Insider Weekly and in the magazine's Buying Guide; my annual white Burgundy tasting report will appear in the Oct. 15, 2024, issue of Wine Spectator.
