Vintages

2022 Napa Valley Vintage

A record Labor Day heat wave pushed south St. Helena to 114 degrees, then mid-September rain stopped harvest cold, splitting 2022 into what winemakers called a tale of two harvests.

2022 began with a mild winter that recharged soil moisture and a warm, dry spring that gave even bud break and flowering. Bud break started in March in Carneros and across some mountain appellations, shoot growth was strong into May on average crop yields, and veraison kicked off in early July. August delivered warm days and cool nights that growers called perfect for ripening. Then came a five-day triple-digit heat wave in early September, with the Napa Valley Register recording 114 degrees in south St. Helena on the Monday of Labor Day week. Rain of 0.6 to 1.2 inches followed, halting harvest and prompting growers to open canopies against mold and botrytis. Mild weather in early October let the remaining fruit finish, and most wineries had concluded harvest by late October.

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Growing season

The year opened gently. A mild winter provided enough rainfall to recharge soil moisture, and a warm, dry spring allowed even bud break and flowering with no significant frost events during that phase. Bud break started in March in Carneros and throughout some mountain appellations. Leading into May, vines showed strong shoot growth on what looked like average crop yields, and early July kicked off veraison and the countdown to harvest. August was close to ideal, with warm days and cool nights that growers described as perfect for ripening. White-wine harvest opened in early August, followed quickly by the reds, with an unusually short gap between the two that year. Then September turned the season on its head. A five-day heat wave in the triple digits shifted farming and harvest plans across the valley, as Macy Stubstad of Lawrence Wine Estates described it. The Napa Valley Register recorded a record-setting 114 degrees in south St. Helena on the Monday of Labor Day week. International Wine Report describes a summer marked by a series of heat waves with temperatures frequently exceeding 90 to 100 degrees and excessive spikes in early September, some days surpassing 115 degrees, and frames the event as a heat dome lasting about ten days above 100 degrees. Growers worked the canopies to protect the crop, shading clusters, using trellis systems that split or flopped the canopy over the vines, and running irrigation against sunburn and dehydration. When the Register filed its Labor Day-week report, white-grape and rose picks were largely complete valley-wide and red-grape harvest was just beginning to ramp up across Calistoga, Diamond Mountain, Oakville, the Stags Leap District and Coombsville, right as the heat arrived. Rain followed the spike, 0.6 to 1.2 inches of it. Growers used the moment to open canopies for airflow, alleviate mold and botrytis risk and bring in clean fruit. By the Napa Valley Vintners and Napa Valley Grapegrowers release of October 27, most wineries and growers had concluded harvest.

A mild winter recharged soil moisture, and a warm, dry spring gave even bud break and flowering with no significant frost during that phase
Bud break started in March in Carneros and some mountain appellations; veraison kicked off in early July
August delivered warm days and cool nights that growers called perfect for ripening
A five-day triple-digit heat wave hit in September, with 114 degrees recorded in south St. Helena on the Monday of Labor Day week
Canopy shading, split or flopped trellis systems and irrigation were used against sunburn and dehydration
Rain of 0.6 to 1.2 inches followed the heat spike, and growers opened canopies for airflow against mold and botrytis
Harvest opened in early August for whites and had concluded for most wineries by October 27

Key Facts

A mild winter provided sufficient rainfall to recharge soil moisture, and a warm, dry spring allowed even bud break and flowering
Bud break started in March 2022 in Carneros and throughout some mountain appellations, with strong shoot growth and average crop yields leading into May
Early July 2022 kicked off veraison and the countdown to harvest
August brought warm days and cool nights, described as perfect for ripening
September brought a five-day triple-digit heat wave that shifted farming and harvest plans valley-wide, with the Napa Valley Register recording 114 degrees in south St. Helena on the Monday of Labor Day week
Growers protected fruit from sunburn and dehydration with canopy shading, trellis systems that split or flopped canopy over the vines, and irrigation
Napa Valley received 0.6 to 1.2 inches of rain after the September heat spike, which caused a sudden halt to harvest and prompted growers to open canopies for airflow against mold and botrytis
White-wine harvest opened in early August with an unusually short gap before the reds, and most wineries and growers had concluded harvest by October 27, 2022

A tale of two harvests

Winemaker Elizabeth Vianna of Chimney Rock Winery gave the vintage its name, calling 2022 a tale of two harvests. The first was intense and fast-paced, running from August to mid-September as the heat pushed everything forward at once. The mid-September rain then brought a sudden halt. What resumed afterward was a different season. Mild weather in early October let the fruit still hanging reach what Vianna called perfect ripeness. Matt Ward of Pride Mountain Vineyards said the rain event plumped up the fruit still on the vines. The frenzied tempo of the first phase continued until the rains arrived and the weather cooled in October, and winemakers came out of it calling 2022 one of the more unique vintages in recent history.

Elizabeth Vianna of Chimney Rock called 2022 a tale of two harvests
Phase one ran intense and fast-paced from August to mid-September under heat pressure
Mid-September rain brought a sudden halt to picking
Mild early-October weather let the remaining fruit reach what Vianna called perfect ripeness
Matt Ward of Pride Mountain Vineyards said the rain plumped up fruit still hanging

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How the wines read

Napa Valley Vintners and Napa Valley Grapegrowers sources describe the 2022 whites as having perfect acidity and freshness with remarkable flavors and textures, and the reds as excellently structured with deep red colors, luxurious tannins and fruit-forward aromatics. International Wine Report offers a more mixed read on the tannins, noting that some 2022 wines show tannins not that different from the 2014 and 2017 vintages, while others have slightly blocky or aggressive tannins that need more time to soften. It also expects 2022 to be overshadowed by the vintage-of-a-lifetime reputation attached to 2021 and 2023 on either side of it.

Napa Valley Vintners and Napa Valley Grapegrowers describe the 2022 whites as showing perfect acidity and freshness
The same sources describe the reds as excellently structured with deep color, luxurious tannins and fruit-forward aromatics
International Wine Report finds some 2022 tannins comparable to 2014 and 2017, and others slightly blocky or aggressive and needing time
International Wine Report expects 2022 to be overshadowed by the reputations of 2021 and 2023

Food Pairings

Grass-fed beef ribeye with roasted garlic and thyme, where the wine's tannin structure cuts richly through fat while savory herbs echo the wine's herbal notesBraised short ribs with a red wine reduction, where structured tannins amplify the umami of slow-cooked, caramelized meatGrilled lamb chops with charred eggplant, where the smokiness and earthiness of the dish mirror the richer, opulent style of later-picked 2022 bottlesAged hard cheeses such as aged Manchego or Parmigiano-Reggiano, whose salty, crystalline texture integrates with the wine's tannic gripRoasted duck breast with a black cherry reduction, complementing the dark fruit character found across both early and late harvest styles

Exam Study NotesWSET / CMS

2022 opened with a mild winter that recharged soil moisture and a warm, dry spring; bud break started in March in Carneros and some mountain appellations, and veraison kicked off in early July.
August gave warm days and cool nights called perfect for ripening, and white-wine harvest opened in early August with an unusually short gap before the reds.
A five-day triple-digit heat wave hit in September, with a record 114 degrees recorded in south St. Helena on the Monday of Labor Day week, forcing canopy shading, modified trellising and irrigation.
Rain of 0.6 to 1.2 inches followed the heat spike, halting harvest and prompting growers to open canopies against mold and botrytis before mild early-October weather finished the fruit.
Elizabeth Vianna of Chimney Rock called 2022 a tale of two harvests, and most wineries and growers had concluded picking by October 27, 2022.

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