2022 Burgundy Vintage

2022 was an intense year weather-wise, with frost, heatwaves and drought. Frost struck on four nights in April, and vineyard crews lit fires across the region to protect barely visible buds. Not every producer came through unscathed, but most of the crop survived, and a slightly later budburst protected the buds and saved production volumes. Spring-like weather followed, and flowering came in mid-May, about two weeks earlier than normal. An exceptionally warm and dry spring and early summer led to rapid grape development. Thunderstorms from June 21 to 25 delivered much needed water, though hail caused damage in some areas. The summer brought four heatwaves and a widespread shortage of water, and a lack of rain from late June to mid-August slowed the grapes in their development. Picking started early: on August 16 for Cremant de Bourgogne, and four days later for the first still-wine Chardonnay in the Cote de Beaune. The last grapes came in from the Cote de Nuits, the Hautes Cotes and Chablis in the third week of September, a harvest of almost a full month. The vines drew on their own resources and those of the terroir, and yields were generous at nearly 1.75 million hectolitres, after the small crops of 2021.

• Frost on four nights in April; a slightly later budburst protected the buds, and most of the crop survived
• Flowering in mid-May, about two weeks earlier than normal
• June 21 to 25 thunderstorms brought needed water and some hail; four summer heatwaves and a lack of rain from late June to mid-August
• Harvest from August 16 (Cremant) to the third week of September; nearly 1.75 million hectolitres

The BIVB's November 2023 report calls 2022 a very fine vintage, with wines that are seductive when young and will also age beautifully, and finds a great deal of subtlety on the nose and palate despite the very hot conditions. For whites, the report describes a return to rich wines in Chablis and the Grand Auxerrois, with lemon, bergamot and white and yellow fruit and a refreshing finish, and particularly aromatic Cote de Beaune whites with citrus, ripe fruit and a tender, fleshy palate. Maconnais whites have an exemplary richness and a beautiful freshness, and Cote Chalonnaise whites carry peach, apricot and pineapple. For reds, the report describes Cote de Nuits wines of lively colour, with blackberry, blueberry and blackcurrant alongside peony and violet, silky tannins and real ageing potential, and calls the Cote de Beaune a return to a sunnier vintage, with dense, full-bodied reds that stay supple. At harvest, Robb Report found both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay highly aromatic, with good balance between acidity and alcohol, and expected an excellent vintage for aging.

• Chablis and Grand Auxerrois whites: rich, with lemon, bergamot and a mouthwatering finish; enjoyable young, with ageing potential
• Cote de Beaune whites: aromatic, with citrus and ripe fruit and a tender, fleshy palate
• Cote de Nuits reds: lively colour, dark berries with peony and violet, silky tannins, ample and fresh
• Grand Auxerrois reds: real colour intensity and silky tannins; the BIVB calls it a great vintage for this northern vineyard of Burgundy

Two producers spoke to Robb Report at harvest. Jacques Devauges, estate manager of Domaine des Lambrays in Morey-Saint-Denis, did not begin picking until September 1, despite the early start elsewhere. He had expected to pick around August 25 and was surprised the grapes were not ready, telling Robb Report that "we may reconsider planning harvest at 100 days after flowering." He described the quality as "excellent" and his volume as "10 percent higher than average." In the Maconnais, Maxime Dutron of Chateau Vitallis began picking on August 22 and said the harvest went very well; he said clay on the Pouilly-Fuisse Premier Cru hillside kept the premier crus from suffering too much from the dryness.

• Domaine des Lambrays began picking on September 1; volume was 10 percent above average
• Chateau Vitallis began picking on August 22; clay soils helped its Pouilly-Fuisse premier crus through the dry summer