Read our comprehensive analysis of the 2022 vintage in France, including scores region by region. On the whole, 2022 rates as a very good vintage and, in some regions, is even spectacular.
2022 vintage scores in Alsace
Dry whites: 16/20
Sweet whites: 17/20
Reds: 17/20
In Alsace, vintages can differ greatly from one year to the next. After an extremely wet 2021, 2022 was a very different story. Throughout the year, the region as a whole was marked by a rainfall deficit and high temperatures. From the winter months onwards, mild weather set in and there was little rain, causing a drought early in the season.
From budburst – which was a little late due to the water stress of the previous months – extraordinary conditions set in across the region, with a combination of strong heat and a lack of rainfall. Conditions were comparable to those seen in 2003, with a record-beating number of days with maximum temperatures above 30°C during summer 2022. This abnormal situation ended up blocking grape ripening, but some direly needed rain finally appeared just in time at the beginning of September, guaranteeing a slow and welcomed progression of ripening.
Adverse weather affected some parts of the region more severely, particularly southern Alsace where hailstorms caused damage. More generally, the extremely sunny and dry conditions of the vintage resulted in limited volumes. However, the good weather conditions during harvest (which began on 29 August for crémants and 5 September for still wines), meant that the grapes brought into the cellarwere very healthy, with good concentration in general, and satisfactory although not very high acidity.
The wines produced in this vintage are rich in flavour, which means they can be enjoyed without waiting too long. The Gewurztraminers and Muscats show good aromatic intensity and are often ample-bodied, while the Rieslings managed to retain nice freshness and therefore display interesting balance. As for the red wines, the Pinot Noir grapes reached excellent ripeness, often producing intensely fruity juices and ripe, well-structured tannins.
Finally, while only a very small proportion of late harvest and SGN (Sélection de grains nobles) wines were produced in 2021, the good conditions in the autumn of this vintage encouraged passerillage (raisining on the vine) and the development of botrytis. This made it possible to produce high-quality sweet wines from all the traditional grape varieties (Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat).
2022 vintage scores in Beaujolais
Red: 17/20
Although less stressful than in 2021, the weather in 2022 didn’t make things easy for Beaujolais winegrowers. The beginning of the year was marked by quite dry, sunny conditions but relatively cool temperatures. As a result, budburst was rather late compared with previous years. The situation changed, though, with the onset of warm weather in May, which ended up being the hottest month of May recorded in the region since 1959! Very little rain and a lot of sunshine completed the meteorological triptych, speeding up vine growth and rapidly triggering flowering. Although some rain eased the situation at the end of May, the heat, drought and sunshine only returned stronger in June.
These extreme conditions lasted throughout the summer, creating a major water deficit, which by the end of August was equivalent to almost two months of rainfall. From mid-August onwards, the return of the rain, sometimes in the form of violent storms, helped the grapes to finish ripening more smoothly.
Overall, yields were around 20% lower than the average of previous years, but the harvested grapes revealed a very fine concentration of colour, substance and aromas. Precise notes of black fruit and spices are one of the hallmarks of the vintage. In this very hot year, Gamay proved to be particularly resilient, maintaining beautiful balance without developing cooked notes. Depending on the winemaking process used, some wines are extremely rich, fruity and supple, while others reveal more serious structure, with powerful, velvety tannins resulting in mouth-filling yet smooth wines, capable of long ageing.
The white wines also reflect the profile of the vintage. They are often generous and are very aromatic, with notes reminiscent of tropical fruit. They will thus be best enjoyed young.
2022 vintage scores in Bordeaux
Left-Bank reds: 19/20
Right-Bank reds: 19/20
Dry whites: 17/20
Sweet whites: 18/20
Could 2022 be Bordeaux’s greatest vintage of the 21st century? While this is not an easy question to answer, one thing everyone will agree on is the outstanding standard of the red wines, which achieved a remarkable level of quality. The sweet wines, although a little more contrasting, are in some cases superb, too. The dry whites are perhaps slightly less superlative, but still offer fine quality.
So what made this such a good vintage? Autumn was dry and fairly cold, but the weather then warmed up and remained mild throughout the winter. The heavy rainfall in December gave way to sunny weather, which could have led to fears that the vines might bud too early. However, with the more mixed conditions in March, budburst occurred at the usual time, well after the frosts which thus had no major impact on the vines. Subsequently, warm, dry weather conditions set in and the months of May to September were marked by record sunshine hours, sometimes well above the thirty-year average. Heat and drought also marked this period. Average temperatures were regularly three degrees above the thirty-year average, with several heatwaves occurring throughout the summer. In the meantime, heavy rainfall in June built up a water reserve for the vines, which going forward had to contend with significant rainfall deficits.
From flowering through to harvest, 2022 was one of the earliest vintages since 2010. The berries quickly stopped growing and veraison started early. Some light rainfall in August, though, prevented water stress, allowing the grapes to finish ripening perfectly in optimum conditions. The harvest began two to three weeks early, on 16 August for dry white wines and crémants, and lasted until the end of October for sweet wines.
The health of the grapes at harvest time was absolutely perfect thanks to ideal weather conditions. The long, good weather window meant winegrowers could choose exactly the right moment to harvest when the grapes had reached optimum ripeness. The Merlot, harvested in early September, and the Cabernet Sauvignon, harvested a few weeks later, developed impressive levels of sugar and anthocyanin concentration. Acidity levels, meanwhile, were among the lowest for a decade, raising fears of an imbalance in the wines. Fortunately, these rose with the alcoholic fermentation.
In sum, this vintage can only be described as magnificent (and especially astounding for the reds). Indeed, Bordeaux estates have learnt how to manage such difficult conditions from the experience of previous hot, dry vintages, using techniques like leaf thinning, tillage, agroforestry, and so on. On both the right and left banks, this vintage produced tremendously successful red wines with an immensely seductive character, smooth, unctuous, vibrant palates, rare intensity and superb aromatic complexity. The white grapes perhaps suffered more, but the wines from the most resilient terroirs are showing fine aromatic intensity. As far as sweet wines are concerned, botrytis had difficulty establishing itself in the dry conditions of September, leading some producers to pick early, and even then some grapes had raisined. However, producers who waited until mid-October were rewarded with fine noble rot and highly concentrated grapes that were low in acidity but particularly aromatic.
2022 vintage scores in Burgundy
Red: 18/20
Whites: 18/20
If we had to pick out one key feature of the 2022 vintage in Burgundy, it would be the return of a truly generous harvest. However, the high production volumes in no way lowered the quality of the vintage – quite the contrary in fact. The quality level is very good, despite the intense weather conditions.
The winter may have started out cold, but things quickly turned around in February, from which point mild weather set in. Temperatures were higher than normal until a cold snap in March, which slowed the vine’s growth. Fortunately, budburst wasn’t as early as might have been feared, so the few harsh frosts at the beginning of April caused only very limited damage, although sometimes severe. Thereafter, the vegetative cycle – and in particular, flowering, which began in mid-May – progressed smoothly in good weather, with less and less rainfall until May and high temperatures. In fact, May 2022 was the region’s hottest on record for 50 years! Large quantities of bunches very quickly emerged, as the vines naturally overproduced after the severe frosts suffered by many vineyards in 2021.
June was an exception, with heavy, and often stormy rainfall, sometimes accompanied by violent hail. However, this replenished the soil’s water reserves and prevented the vines from suffering excess water stress. Subsequently, the summer was very dry, very hot (only 1947 beats it in this respect), and sunny. A few thunderstorms in August brought a little water, allowing the grapes to finish ripening properly. The Pinot Noir showed very good levels of ripeness, while the Chardonnay, which was penalised by the heavy load of the bunches, was less advanced.
Harvest began very early, starting in mid-August for the crémant wines and a week later in the Côte de Beaune. It went on until the third week of September, particularly in the Côte de Nuits and Chablis.
In the end, the cellars were well-filled thanks to the highest yields for several years. The white wines have a rich, highly aromatic profile, with floral and ripe fruit notes, and are often gentle on the palate. In the Chablis region, the wines are full-bodied and rich, with a mouthwatering finish. In the Côte de Beaune, the wines are fleshy and delicious, with a complex aromatic profile. The Côte Chalonnaise produced fine ripeness, too, with supple, full-bodied wines offering a broad range of fruit. Finally, the Mâconnais also produced highly aromatic wines that are supple but not lacking in freshness. From Chablis to the Mâconnais, the wines are of excellent quality, complex and balanced, with good ageing potential.
From the north to the south of Burgundy, the red wines are a great success overall, with deep colour, dense fleshiness and intensely fruity aromas. The tannins are particularly silky, offering deep, velvety palates. Here again, the wines have retained very nice balance and show great ageing potential, even if they are already very pleasant to drink young. In the Grand Auxerrois and Côte Chalonnaise, the wines are very ripe and pleasantly fruity. In both the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, the wines have superb panache. With great aromatic depth and good body, they have what it takes to stand the test of time.
2022 vintage scores in Champagne
Blancs de Noirs: 17/20
Blancs de Blancs: 17/20
Let us begin, as usual, by reminding you of the two particularities of Champagne that it is important to consider in order to put the assessment of the region’s latest vintage into perspective. The first is that the vast majority of bottles of Champagne consumed are not vintage Champagne, but the result of a blend of several vintages whose combination, according to their respective qualities, is supposed to provide an almost constant taste. Therefore, the qualities (or the lack thereof) of a single vintage do not determine how good the end product will be. The second factor is that a Champagne is a “processed” wine and there are only two real ways to judge the true quality of a vintage – either taste the year’s base wines a few months after fermentation, before they undergo secondary fermentation (but this only gives a partial picture), or wait until a vintage Champagne from the year has finished maturing, at least three years later.
As in other northern regions, the winter in Champagne was fairly mild and dry, although there were a few bouts of severe frost. There was therefore a sharp contrast between the sunny, almost spring-like weather seen until the end of March and the severe frost that returned at the beginning of April. Temperatures dropped very low (down to -8°C), which had a significant impact on some areas such as the Côte des Bar and the Vitry-le-François region.
From the time of budburst, which was around mid-April on average, to flowering, which lasted from 30 May to 7 June, the weather conditions were ideal, ensuring a perfect state of health in the vineyards. Up to this point, the weather had been very hot and dry, but a little beneficial rain fell in June, preventing the vines from suffering too much from the drought (only 43 mm of rain fell in July and August) and sometimes extreme heat that prevailed until mid-August. Summer 2022 was the third hottest on record in the region after 2003 and 2018, with a record 68 days of temperatures above 25°C. Another key factor in this vintage was the amount of sunshine, which also broke records.
In these conditions, there was very little disease, making it possible to obtain high yields, which was a blessing after the poor harvest seen in 2021. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier reached good levels of ripeness (with good aromatic depth), although acidity levels were lower than usual.
2022 vintage scores in Languedoc
Reds: 18/20
Whites: 17/20
If we had to sum up the major stages of this vintage, a mild winter, a warm spring and an extremely sunny summer are the things that probably come to mind first. In fact, there was virtually no winter in the region, with mild temperatures persisting into spring. A period of heatwaves then set in from mid-June, with little or no interruption until August. In fact, the summer of 2022 was one of the three hottest in the last 30 years! However, unlike 2021, when water constraints were particularly severe in the region, many areas benefited from satisfactory rainfall levels in 2022, be it around Narbonne, Carcassonne or Perpignan. Some areas, like Montpellier, suffered more. Generally speaking, though, the spring was particularly wet and favourable for the vines’ physiological development. In June, thunderstorms benefited those areas which had received less rainfall up until then. At the end of August, the state of health of the vineyards was excellent overall, with the exception of a handful of areas.
Further welcome rainfall appeared towards the end of August and beginning of September, boosting the ripening of the grapes. The end of the ripening period for the vines was marked by fine days and cool nights. This was a blessing for the black grape varieties, which were able to continue ripening and developing aromatically without seeing their acidity drop drastically. Balance was therefore preserved in the wines.
The first grapes to be harvested were the aromatic white varieties from the particularly sunny and early-ripening Biterrois plain, quickly followed by the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the earliest-ripening terroirs.
The late summer conditions produced reds that are often very well defined, with good balance and freshness and very elegant tannins. Some of them will become truly great wines. The Faugères appellation produced some of the great successes of this vintage, with concentrated Syrahs from small berries. Indeed, Syrah was one of the varieties that delivered the best results. The Carignans and Grenaches in this vintage are looking more fruit-forward, as in often the case. The Pinot Noirs, on the other hand, are rich and silky. Overall, the wines are often Mediterranean in style, with predominant ripe black berried fruit and garrigue aromas and sometimes a fine mineral note.
The white wines have deliciously fruity profiles. The Sauvignon Blancs offer their typical citrus aromas and are marked by particularly elegant tension and minerality in this vintage. The Chardonnays, despite having reached ripeness very early this year, express just as much complexity as depth, with honey and white fruit aromas and lemony notes. The whites are often beautifully full-bodied. Their fruitiness is pronounced, as with the Viogniers, which display notes of citrus, pineapple, and yellow and white fruit, like apricot and white peach. As for the rosés, the Syrahs, Grenaches and Merlots – which were harvested early – are fresh, deep and expressive, with aromas of red fruit and sometimes pleasant notes of grapefruit.
More generally, the wines from the southern Languedoc are round and rich in character, while those from the north and west are fresher and fruitier.
2022 vintage scores in Jura and Savoie
Reds: 18/20
Whites: 17/20
After an extremely difficult 2021 for Jura winegrowers, with spring frost, heavy rainfall, hail, and so on, 2022 was an eagerly awaited vintage, which lived up to the hopes and expectations of the industry. Weather conditions in 2022 were much more favourable throughout the vine growth period, with no spring frosts and plenty of sunshine. As a result, disease pressure was low, limiting the number of treatments required on the vines. As in almost all the rest of France, the summer was scorching, but the harvest was saved by the rainfall at the end of August, which produced juicy berries of excellent quality. The clement pre-harvest weather allowed each grape variety to reach optimum ripeness. Harvest volumes were three times higher than the historically small harvest of 2021. Harvesting began on 20 August for the crémant wines and continued until mid-September for the Savagnins. In spite of the average acidity levels sometimes seen, the white wines are sunny and well-balanced (they will age well) and the reds have very good density that will make them great wines for laying down. Time will tell whether the Vins Jaunes of 2022 live up to the standards of the rest of the production.
In Savoie, after a cold December, the following weeks were punctuated by relatively mild spells. March, meanwhile, was a landmark month, with its historically hot and dry weather. More traditional conditions returned in April, but May surprised everyone with record-breaking heat. Overall in the region, spring 2022 was the fourth warmest on record since 1959! From May to August, the region saw extremely hot conditions, close to those recorded in 2003. This situation was accompanied by a lack of rainfall, particularly in May. Fortunately, rain appeared at the end of August, easing the worrying situation. The vine’s cycle was early right up to flowering, which explains some of the devastation caused by the hailstorms in June. These had an impact on volumes, which were lower than expected. In the end, despite some disparities, the white wines are often beautifully fruity and the reds rich and concentrated.
2022 vintage scores in Provence and Corsica
Red: 16-17/20
Whites: 16/20
In Provence, the very dry start to 2022 slowed the vegetative cycle of the vines with budbreak occurring later than usual, between the end of March and the end of April. This kept them safe from the devastating frosts that can occur at this time of year. The return of the rain in April turned things around, speeding up the growth of the vines. The good conditions led to good flowering and a strong fruit set, and although drought seemed to be setting in during May and early June, rain finally fell at the end of June. The summer months were hot, but the nights remained cool, allowing the grapes to develop harmoniously. Here again, rainfall in mid-August and September helped the grapes to reach optimum ripeness.
Rosé wines, which account for more than 90% of Provence’s production, aren’t scored here as there are few 2022s available now given that these wines are usually consumed in the months following their release. What’s more, their more technical production methods make it easier to achieve a standard quality than with white or red. The white wines of this vintage are interesting, with notes of white and tropical fruit, as well as citrus and herbs like mint. On the palate, the wines are full-bodied, but the balance is there, with great acidity stretching out their length. In the red wines, the fruitiness is dazzling, oscillating between up-front notes of red fruit, black fruit (blueberry), garrigue and spicy notes. On the palate, the wines are dense and well-structured. With powerfulness and velvety tannins, they show the signs of great wines with good ageing potential.
In Corsica, although the vines came out of dormancy rather late, the heat of the spring and summer ultimately produced a relatively early vintage, ten days ahead of the previous one. The most marking event of 2022 was the severe drought that affected the island from mid-May to mid-August, during which there was virtually no rainfall. Fortunately, the rain reappeared afterwards, first in the north and then across the rest of Corsica. Overall, the vineyards were spared any severe disease attacks, with diseases remaining relatively contained. Wild boar, however, caused a great deal of damage as thirst led them to devour many grapes.
Some of Corsica’s grape varieties responded better to these unusually hot conditions, such as Niellucciu, which is a drought-resistant grape. Sciacarellu fared less well, with smaller-than-usual berries and yields. Although ripeness and quality varied throughout the wine region, the wines are nonetheless harmonious, especially the rosés and whites. Acidity levels were generally not very high, with some varieties, like Vermentinu, worse affected in this respect than others. The red wines are supple, full-bodied and deeply coloured.
2022 vintage scores in Roussillon
Red: 16/20
Whites: 15/20
In the Roussillon region, the weather was challengingly erratic throughout the growing season of the 2022 vintage. There was substantial rainfall in November 2021 and March 2022, however, there were also long, intense periods of drought, coupled with very hot weather. Between April and September, temperatures were 1.5°C to 3°C higher than the average of previous years. Meanwhile, the rainfall deficit that began in April became more pronounced from May to August.
At the start of the growing cycle, the vines were able to rely on water reserves accumulated in spring, and budburst was thus slightly later than usual. However, the drastic change in weather conditions reversed this trend, accelerating vegetative growth – so much so that flowering, which takes place on average around 22 May, was nine days earlier than in the last 20 years. This earliness continued thereafter, with the grapes ripening rapidly and the berries becoming highly concentrated. Harvesting began extremely early (on 4 August!) but was then spread out over a long period due to differences in ripeness across the vineyards.
In the end, yields were average and regional production slightly up on the previous two years (although these were small years). The grapes were harvested in very good health, generally showing high sugar levels and low acidity. The white wines are deliciously rich, with very nice fruity and floral aromas and notable liveliness on the palate. The red wines have very varied profiles, but one thing they have in common is their fine definition of fruit (or ripe fruit in some cases), good body and freshness.
2022 vintage scores in the Loire Valley
Red: 18/20
Whites: 17/20
Sweet white wines: 17/20
Winter got off to a relatively mild start in the Loire Valley, then March and April brought a classic amount of sunshine with just the right amount of water. The vegetative cycle of the vines therefore started relatively early but was not yet too far advanced when several waves of frost struck the vineyards in early April. The Centre-Loire and Muscadet regions were particularly badly hit, with some vineyards losing between 20% and 30% of their crop.
Weather conditions then changed, with heat and drought setting in. From mid-May onwards, unusually high temperatures, close to 30°C, were observed in many vineyards, including those in the Centre-Loire region. Very fortunately, rain, some of which heavy, arrived in June and did the vineyards a great deal of good. The summer was particularly dry and hot, and was accompanied by the inevitable hailstorms, which were sometimes violent, particularly in Touraine, where some areas, such as Bourgueil, were badly hit. Overall, ripeness varied throughout the Loire depending on the soils, grape varieties and age of the vines. Harvesting started as early as 10 August, even though a large proportion of the vineyards were harvested later after benefiting from some very welcome rain mid-August.
These late summer conditions made all the difference for the quality of the vintage, particularly for the reds, which were able to reach very good levels of ripeness while remaining remarkably well-balanced. Generally speaking, the wines have a fleshy profile, with plenty of depth and intense red fruit notes. The long ripening period up to September helped produce very velvety tannins. To sum up, the vintage produced ripe and silky wines with character, but which retain lovely freshness. Chinon is undoubtedly one of the great success stories of the vintage.
The white wines of 2022, whether sparkling or still, generally have lower acidity and are relatively full-bodied and creamy on the palate. They do, however, still show precision. They often exude notes of ripe fruit, and sometimes tropical or even candied fruit. The atypical conditions of this vintage enabled Melon de Bourgogne to reach very high levels of ripeness and aromatic complexity. The Muscadets should therefore go down in history as one of the region’s great success stories this vintage.
Lastly, the end-of-season conditions produced some excellent sweet Chenins.
2022 vintage scores in the northern Rhone Valley
Red: 18/20
Whites: 16/20
The 2022 vintage in the northern Rhone Valley began with cold temperatures at the start of the year, with a shortage of rain occurring very early on in the first quarter. After the mild temperatures in March, there was a drop in temperature (although frosts remained limited) and some rain, which kicked-off the vines’ growth cycle nicely. As was the case in much of the rest of France, May 2022 was a particularly hot month in the Rhone, with temperatures already in excess of 30°C. A drought set in, and at this stage the rainfall recorded was the third lowest since 1959, after 1976 and 2003!
Flowering went smoothly and the bunches that emerged suggested that yields were likely to be high. But that was before taking into account the particularly hot and dry conditions in June, July and August, when temperatures regularly exceeded 35°C and even 38°C, coupled with a hot, southerly wind that accentuated the effects of the drought. These weather extremes gave rise to fears of a hot, unbalanced vintage, with full-bodied, high alcohol wines. However, some welcome rain fell in mid-August, which eased things for the grapes and extended the ripening period, meaning that the berries could achieve good physiological and phenolic balance. The harvest started early, at the end of August.
In hot vintages like this one, it is not surprising that the whites, as in Condrieu, are full-bodied and lacking a little in acidity. Nonetheless, they have charming aromatics with hints of spice. On the Syrah side, the grapes responded well, remaining fresh without excessive alcohol, at around 14% ABV. The wines are full-bodied, dense and complex in terms of aromas. The vineyards with fine granitic terroirs at a slight altitude suffered less than those on the lower slopes, particularly where young vines are concerned. With some patience, though, these wines should age well in the cellar. There is no doubt that this is a great vintage.
2022 vintage scores in the southern Rhone Valley
Red: 17/20
Whites: 16/20
The 2022 vintage was one of complicated conditions in the southern Rhone Valley. With the exception of December, which was normal, the lack of rain was striking, leading to drought from March until the end of the season in October. One key fact to note is that between budburst and the time of harvest, the 2022 vintage was the hottest and driest on record since 1950, beating even 2003!
The earliness of the vegetative cycle became more pronounced as the weeks went by. Flowering took place two days earlier than usual with very healthy vines and veraison occurred ten days earlier than average. In some cases, the earlier ripening grape varieties reached ripeness around 10 August and had to be harvested in extremely dry conditions. Fortunately, some very welcome rain fell around 15 August, swelling the berries a little and restarting the ripening of the grapes which the heat had somewhat blocked. Nevertheless, acidity levels were very low, with historically low malic acid concentrations.
On the whole, the health of the grapes was very good, but differences in ripeness were seen, making it necessary to spread the harvest over a relatively long period. Depending on the areas and how much water they received, the profiles of the wines truly differ. The rains in September enabled the grapes to reach optimum phenolic ripeness.
Overall, the red wines generally show a concentrated profile but do not suffer from the excess ripeness seen in previous sunny vintages such as 2003. The selection work carried out by the winemakers was determining. In terms of grape varieties, Grenache and Mourvèdre fared rather better than Syrah (whose ripeness was not always optimal) and Carignan. In appellations like Rasteau, Gigondas and Costières-de-Nîmes, the wines have beautiful colour, interesting balance and fine tannic structure. In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the rains in mid-August also helped to bring about good phenolic ripeness, although in some cases it fell as hail which had devastating effects.
The white wines of this vintage have a richer profile than those of 2021, without being overpowering, overly creamy or overripe. The grapes, which were sometimes harvested early, managed to retain a certain freshness despite generally low acidity levels.
2022 vintage scores in the South West
Red: 15-16/20
Whites: 16/20
In Cahors, one might have feared the worst for this 2022 vintage. At the beginning of April, frost hit the west of the appellation, and then 1,300 hectares were devastated by a hailstorm at the end of June. The region was hit again by hail in September. If this wasn’t enough, a severe drought set in across the wine region from late spring to summer. But despite all this, the quality of the 2022s went unscathed. Harvesting began on 6 September, but most of the Merlot was picked starting 12 September, followed by the Malbec.
The wines have very good body, with very nice balance, thanks particularly to their moderate alcohol. They display precise, complex fruity aromas with density and freshness of palate, making this a very good vintage.
For the Côtes de Gascogne, volumes fell very significantly compared to the average of recent decades (down 35% to 40%), making this the smallest harvest seen since 1991. Mild weather meant the vines were ahead of schedule throughout the spring. Consequently, budburst was very early, which was dramatic when the black frosts hit the vineyards. As if that wasn’t enough, violent hailstorms affected many areas in June and August. The severe summer drought really dug the knife in. And yet, in spite of all this, the quality of the vintage is excellent, thanks to perfect grape health and optimum ripeness. The white wines (70% of production) will delight wine lovers with their expressive character. They show the characteristic notes of citrus and tropical fruit and real freshness on the palate, making them extremely quaffable.
The Gaillac vineyards were spared by the hail (unlike in 2021), but 2022 was still a small vintage in terms of volume. The white wines here are more fruity than tangy. The red wines vary, but are generally pleasantly fruity, with some showing nice freshness. Finally, like most French winegrowing areas, Madiran and Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh were also impacted by the vagaries of the weather. The vineyards were hit hard by frost for the second year in a row, and hail, which in some cases considerably affected yields. The very dry summer of 2022 resulted in smaller grapes which produced little juice. Volumes are therefore limited for this vintage, but the wines are pleasantly fruity.
