12/04/2023
Bordeaux Futures 2022: results (1)
2022 Bordeaux Primeurs: the sumptuous smoothness of 1959, the tannic power of 1961
Forget all about 2003 and 1982!
It's a bold title, and I stand by it!
For a few days now I have been trying to sum up my sensations in an orderly manner, to put into words what is going on in the glass. At first, I was beginning to doubt myself, but those same sensations keep coming back time and time again! I first noticed it when I tasted the first batches back in October, intrigued by what I had seen out in the vineyards, where the vines seemed to have held up so well. But I could never have imagined how incredible the results would be. This vintage surpasses all known points of reference. There is no obvious logical or scientific explanation for this level of quality, and many winemakers have been humble enough to hold up their hands and admit that they are stumped. How did the vines pull this off in such extreme weather conditions?
1/ It's a fact, and it's unprecedented: 80% of the wines I have tasted are the best the estates have ever made.
2/ At Cheval Blanc and Corbin, they have struggled: neither will produce a second wine. In fact, it's a problem across the board. Why make a second wine if it's equal in quality to the grand vin? And how do you choose the “weaker” batches when your assumptions about your finest plots have been confounded? In theory, you look for those tannins that are less ripe, “greener”, more rigid. But where are they?
3/ Never before has there been so much dark fruit in the nose, both on the right and left banks, even with the early harvest.
Imagine the deep colour and pure fruitiness of 2016, combined with a more structured mid-palate, record-breaking perceived sweetness, a certain unctuosity and a great tannic power which somehow never allows the tannins to dominate.
4/ It starts out silky-smooth, velvety, even creamy on the palate. After about 4 or 5 seconds something unprecedented happens: the wines suddenly reveal a hidden reserve of sweetness. They ascend to another dimension which powers all the way through to the finish. These wines are powerful, full-bodied, frankly unctuous, fruity, long-lasting and never sickly-sweet. This is equally true for the right bank and the left bank. With the ABV reaching 15% on the right bank and ranging from 13.5% to 14.2% on the left bank, I initially assumed that the sweetness was a result of high alcohol levels. But it's there on the left bank too. I now realise that it is an inherent characteristic of the vintage, entirely in keeping with the dark fruit sensations which come through on the nose.
5/ Another feature which appears consistently across the vintage is a rich, deep aftertaste, framed by extremely caressing, aromatic tannins which feel like they are wrapped in silk. Nobody pushed the extraction too far, and it appears that prudence was the best policy in approaching a harvest of such anachronistic quality. The tannins came all by themselves. The ITP (Index of Total Polyphenols) is very high, even at estates which did very little in the way of pumping over, or even stuck solely to infusion. That is a real indication of the ripeness of the fruit, the beneficial effects of the limited water supply, and the immense high-quality potential of the vintage.
6/ The most successful grape varieties.
Right bank: Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
After a summer marked by forest fires, soaring temperatures and droughts, some officious sorts were calling for the immediate planting of new grape varieties in Bordeaux. They now find themselves with egg on their faces! On the right bank, the Merlots from the best terroirs are magnificent. Cabernet Franc performed superbly, and features more prominently than usual in many blends.
Left bank: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot.
The floral aromas, aromatic freshness and complexity of Cabernet Sauvignon are accompanied by a marvellous pulpy sensation. And what a year for Petit Verdot! As is often the case, Merlot showed less pedigree on the left bank.
7/ The pH levels are low in the best terroirs on the right bank, perfectly counterbalancing the high alcohol levels. Cabernet Sauvignon on the left bank returned higher pH levels, giving the wines that unctuous texture on the palate, in spite of the lower alcohol levels.
Of course, in weaker areas with warmer, sandier soils, there was a real risk that the Merlot would lack acidity. PH levels are higher on the left bank (3.8), and it will be necessary to keep a close eye on the wines to spot any signs of defects. Nevertheless, the best estates have more equipment at their disposal than ever before, and the technical experts have never been so well-trained on how to avoid such problems.
8/Soils: a superb showing from clay, clay and gravel and limestone soils. There was more variability in the dry gravel terroirs on account of drought stunting development, with the exception of those estates which adopted unorthodox practices in the vineyard.
9/Volume: highly variable, but with a few rare exceptions (Clos Manou, Corbin etc...), the volumes are not particularly generous this year! Some estates made lots of wine while others made very little, with yields ranging from 52 hL to 21 hL per hectare at the most renowned estates. A little bit of frost here and a little bit of hail there, topped off with a very dry growing season, kept yields down in spite of good bunch formation and flowering which went off without a hitch. In 2022 the average weight of the grapes was historically low: less than 1 g for Cabernet, around 1.15 g for Merlot. We have never seen so much solid matter in the vats, and so little juice. There will not be enough wine to go around this year, and some buyers will be sorely disappointed.
10/ Conclusion
As Bordeaux's most affordable wines find themselves in a state of acute crisis, and the highly-rated and bottle-tasted 2020 vintage is hardly setting the market alight, the cellars of the most serious estates – big names and outsiders alike – are now stocked with some absolute treasures. Those who grasp this opportunity will not be disappointed.
For those wines which receive regular praise in my reports, and others which are showing signs of steady improvement, my recommendation is simple: buy as much as you can, as soon as you can. For other estates, the key is to choose carefully. You may have your trusted go-to producers, but it never hurts to check!
100-point wines: until now, I have given 5 estates the highest score possible. Will the number of wines ranked 100/100 in 2016 (7 in total) be beaten? Stay tuned as I continue my tastings.
P.S. Subscribers can follow my daily updates and tasting notes on individual wines, LIVE on the website, starting this week. The texts are written in French. The scores are out of 20 and 100.
Jean-Marc Quarin
Independant wine critic
www.quarin.com
_______________________________________________________________________
© Copyright 2023.
This publication is the original work of Jean-Marc Quarin Sarl, 10 allée de Ginouilhac, Le Taillan-Médoc. France. - E-mail : jmquarin@quarin.com
The news media and subscribing wine distributors, importers and retailers may use portions of this material (such as tasting notes, ratings or quotes) provided that it is not distorted, the proper wine and vintage are stated, www.quarin.com is given credit for the material utiliz ed, and Jean-Marc Quarin (JMQ) is shown as the Copyright holder.
Forget all about 2003 and 1982!
It's a bold title, and I stand by it!
For a few days now I have been trying to sum up my sensations in an orderly manner, to put into words what is going on in the glass. At first, I was beginning to doubt myself, but those same sensations keep coming back time and time again! I first noticed it when I tasted the first batches back in October, intrigued by what I had seen out in the vineyards, where the vines seemed to have held up so well. But I could never have imagined how incredible the results would be. This vintage surpasses all known points of reference. There is no obvious logical or scientific explanation for this level of quality, and many winemakers have been humble enough to hold up their hands and admit that they are stumped. How did the vines pull this off in such extreme weather conditions?
1/ It's a fact, and it's unprecedented: 80% of the wines I have tasted are the best the estates have ever made.
2/ At Cheval Blanc and Corbin, they have struggled: neither will produce a second wine. In fact, it's a problem across the board. Why make a second wine if it's equal in quality to the grand vin? And how do you choose the “weaker” batches when your assumptions about your finest plots have been confounded? In theory, you look for those tannins that are less ripe, “greener”, more rigid. But where are they?
3/ Never before has there been so much dark fruit in the nose, both on the right and left banks, even with the early harvest.
Imagine the deep colour and pure fruitiness of 2016, combined with a more structured mid-palate, record-breaking perceived sweetness, a certain unctuosity and a great tannic power which somehow never allows the tannins to dominate.
4/ It starts out silky-smooth, velvety, even creamy on the palate. After about 4 or 5 seconds something unprecedented happens: the wines suddenly reveal a hidden reserve of sweetness. They ascend to another dimension which powers all the way through to the finish. These wines are powerful, full-bodied, frankly unctuous, fruity, long-lasting and never sickly-sweet. This is equally true for the right bank and the left bank. With the ABV reaching 15% on the right bank and ranging from 13.5% to 14.2% on the left bank, I initially assumed that the sweetness was a result of high alcohol levels. But it's there on the left bank too. I now realise that it is an inherent characteristic of the vintage, entirely in keeping with the dark fruit sensations which come through on the nose.
5/ Another feature which appears consistently across the vintage is a rich, deep aftertaste, framed by extremely caressing, aromatic tannins which feel like they are wrapped in silk. Nobody pushed the extraction too far, and it appears that prudence was the best policy in approaching a harvest of such anachronistic quality. The tannins came all by themselves. The ITP (Index of Total Polyphenols) is very high, even at estates which did very little in the way of pumping over, or even stuck solely to infusion. That is a real indication of the ripeness of the fruit, the beneficial effects of the limited water supply, and the immense high-quality potential of the vintage.
6/ The most successful grape varieties.
Right bank: Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
After a summer marked by forest fires, soaring temperatures and droughts, some officious sorts were calling for the immediate planting of new grape varieties in Bordeaux. They now find themselves with egg on their faces! On the right bank, the Merlots from the best terroirs are magnificent. Cabernet Franc performed superbly, and features more prominently than usual in many blends.
Left bank: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot.
The floral aromas, aromatic freshness and complexity of Cabernet Sauvignon are accompanied by a marvellous pulpy sensation. And what a year for Petit Verdot! As is often the case, Merlot showed less pedigree on the left bank.
7/ The pH levels are low in the best terroirs on the right bank, perfectly counterbalancing the high alcohol levels. Cabernet Sauvignon on the left bank returned higher pH levels, giving the wines that unctuous texture on the palate, in spite of the lower alcohol levels.
Of course, in weaker areas with warmer, sandier soils, there was a real risk that the Merlot would lack acidity. PH levels are higher on the left bank (3.8), and it will be necessary to keep a close eye on the wines to spot any signs of defects. Nevertheless, the best estates have more equipment at their disposal than ever before, and the technical experts have never been so well-trained on how to avoid such problems.
8/Soils: a superb showing from clay, clay and gravel and limestone soils. There was more variability in the dry gravel terroirs on account of drought stunting development, with the exception of those estates which adopted unorthodox practices in the vineyard.
9/Volume: highly variable, but with a few rare exceptions (Clos Manou, Corbin etc...), the volumes are not particularly generous this year! Some estates made lots of wine while others made very little, with yields ranging from 52 hL to 21 hL per hectare at the most renowned estates. A little bit of frost here and a little bit of hail there, topped off with a very dry growing season, kept yields down in spite of good bunch formation and flowering which went off without a hitch. In 2022 the average weight of the grapes was historically low: less than 1 g for Cabernet, around 1.15 g for Merlot. We have never seen so much solid matter in the vats, and so little juice. There will not be enough wine to go around this year, and some buyers will be sorely disappointed.
10/ Conclusion
As Bordeaux's most affordable wines find themselves in a state of acute crisis, and the highly-rated and bottle-tasted 2020 vintage is hardly setting the market alight, the cellars of the most serious estates – big names and outsiders alike – are now stocked with some absolute treasures. Those who grasp this opportunity will not be disappointed.
For those wines which receive regular praise in my reports, and others which are showing signs of steady improvement, my recommendation is simple: buy as much as you can, as soon as you can. For other estates, the key is to choose carefully. You may have your trusted go-to producers, but it never hurts to check!
100-point wines: until now, I have given 5 estates the highest score possible. Will the number of wines ranked 100/100 in 2016 (7 in total) be beaten? Stay tuned as I continue my tastings.
P.S. Subscribers can follow my daily updates and tasting notes on individual wines, LIVE on the website, starting this week. The texts are written in French. The scores are out of 20 and 100.
Jean-Marc Quarin
Independant wine critic
www.quarin.com
_______________________________________________________________________
© Copyright 2023.
This publication is the original work of Jean-Marc Quarin Sarl, 10 allée de Ginouilhac, Le Taillan-Médoc. France. - E-mail : jmquarin@quarin.com
The news media and subscribing wine distributors, importers and retailers may use portions of this material (such as tasting notes, ratings or quotes) provided that it is not distorted, the proper wine and vintage are stated, www.quarin.com is given credit for the material utiliz ed, and Jean-Marc Quarin (JMQ) is shown as the Copyright holder.
