freshness, unlike the 2003 vintage which suffered from extreme heat and above average night temperatures. In this respect 2022 is a great Bordeaux year of extraordinary singularity and may well become one of the legendary vintages of the 21st century. The hot dry sunny conditions from Spring onwards pushed along the growing season at a rapid rate, resulting in the earliest harvest ever recorded, with the first red wine grapes being gathered in late August. At Château Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion, the picking began on the 29th August and lasted until the 20th September. Château Lafite Rothschild, on the left bank, started harvesting on 31st August, while nearby Château Latour began on 6th September, but both finished on the 24th September. Château Lafite Rothschild reported ‘each of these plots, which we know by heart, reacted differently in the face of adversity. Mamizelle made sparks fly, while Caudeyrac got its fingers burnt.’ The high drama of the growing season created great anxieties, but the vineyards proved to be resilient and offered up the most surprising results. The fruit ripened perfectly, and the acidities were sufficient to provide freshness and mineral backbone. Although some Châteaux considered acidification (a common Australian practice) after high pH readings in pre-harvest samples, some extra natural acidities were released from the skins during fermentation, resulting in wines that completely exceeded expectations. Although the Bordeaux negociants and Château proprietors are prone to talking up the vintage, their descriptions of the 2022 being ‘a miracle’ or ‘magnificent’ year resonates. Although the many Châteaux across the sub-regions experienced slightly different circumstances, the overall season was the same, with an extraordinary number of sunshine hours during July (349) and August (348). This translated to 11 hours and 15 minutes of warm, full sunlight days and prodigious ripening conditions. Although daytime temperatures were much higher than average, nighttime temperatures were generally cool, which undoubtedly promoted the retention of acidities during the grape-ripening period. The rain in June (80mm in Saint-Émilion) replenished soil moistures and protected the root systems from hydric stress during the extreme summer heat and dry conditions. Although vignerons feared the worst and believed the vines might possibly shut down, there were few physical
2
The Vintage Journal – International Series
Powered by FlippingBook