2022 Washington State Vintage

The 2022 growing season in Washington was, in grower Dick Boushey's memorable words, defined by three extremes: the coldest spring, tremendous midsummer heat, and then the warmest October ever recorded. A cold, wet winter gave way to early bud break in late March and early April, only for a freak blizzard on April 11-13 to bring record snowfall, 40-mile-per-hour winds, and temperatures plunging into the mid-20s across eastern Washington. Warm summer temperatures did not arrive until mid-June, leaving the entire season two weeks or more behind recent years. Then a nearly unprecedented warm and sunny October delivered the extended hang time the delayed crop desperately needed, allowing full phenolic development at lower sugar levels.

• April 11-13 blizzard brought record snowfall and temperatures into the mid-20s across eastern Washington, the likes of which the region had seldom seen at that time of year
• Warmer temperatures arrived in mid-June, two weeks or more later than recent years, leading to a delayed harvest and very little fruit picked in September across the state
• October temperatures ran 5 or more degrees above average in the Columbia Valley, providing near-perfect finishing weather and extended hang time that allowed fruit to achieve phenolic ripeness at lower sugar levels
• Wildfire smoke, a major concern in 2020, was entirely absent in 2022, giving winemakers clean, uncompromised fruit throughout the harvest

Red Mountain emerged as one of the vintage's most compelling appellations, with its southwest-facing aspect and Washington's warmest vineyard temperatures providing consistent ripening even in a cool year. Grower Dick Boushey noted that the warm October allowed Red Mountain's characteristically powerful tannins to resolve fully, with flavors developing at lower sugars and good balance. The Walla Walla Valley, including fruit sourced from the rocky soils of The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, also produced wines of marked freshness and aromatic precision. Decanter described the 2022 Columbia Valley vintage as delivering wines of freshness and acidity not seen since at least 2011, with genuine aging potential.

• Red Mountain's warmth and southwest exposure provided reliable ripening; the extended autumn allowed tannins to resolve and flavors to develop fully before harvest
• Walla Walla Valley, including The Rocks District sub-AVA, produced fresh, mineral-driven wines, particularly in Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon
• White varieties excelled across the state: Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Gris all achieved exceptional freshness and natural acidity in the cool conditions
• The cooler growing season rewarded producers in warmer sub-appellations more consistently than those in marginal, cooler-climate sites within the broader Columbia Valley

The wines of 2022 represent a sharp departure from the heat-driven concentration of the record-hot 2021 vintage. Where 2021 produced small, concentrated berries with bold extraction, 2022's cool, extended season resulted in bigger berries and clusters with lower natural sugars, brighter acidity, and a more restrained, elegant style. Red wines show red and darker fruit alongside more nuanced herbal and floral tones, with softer tannins and a more balanced overall structure than in adjacent years. The Washington State Wine Commission noted that growers who thinned their crop appropriately delivered exceptional flavors, while Vinous observed that the more prominent wines show a fantastic mix of complexity, power, and structure when given time to develop.

• Red varieties display red cherry, cassis, and floral tones with more nuanced herbal character than in warmer vintages; tannins are softer and more integrated than in 2021
• Natural acidity is a signature of the vintage across all varieties, making 2022 wines particularly food-friendly and well-suited to medium-term cellaring
• White wines are a notable success story: the cool season preserved aromatic precision in Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Gris
• Vinous initially underestimated the vintage but revised upward after further tasting, calling the best 2022s genuinely complex and structured, especially from top producers

2022 is explicitly a producer-dependent vintage. Vinous noted that winemakers who sacrificed yields and took time to carefully manage canopies and vines were the clear winners, while those accustomed to warm-vintage winemaking had to rethink their approach to fermentation and barrel-aging. The Washington State Wine Commission reported that growers who managed crop thinning appropriately were rewarded with exceptional fruit quality at lower Brix and higher natural acidity. Buyers should focus on established producers with deep site knowledge in Red Mountain, Walla Walla Valley, and The Rocks District, including benchmark names such as Cayuse Vineyards, Leonetti Cellar, Gramercy Cellars, Quilceda Creek, and Col Solare, all known for their vineyard-focused approach.

• Producers who reduced yields and managed canopy carefully outperformed those who relied on warm-vintage ripeness to carry the wines; crop selection was paramount
• Red Mountain specialists and Walla Walla Valley producers with established vineyard relationships had the best tools to navigate the vintage's challenges
• Established producers in The Rocks District, whose volcanic cobblestone soils deliver pronounced minerality, were well-positioned in a year that rewarded site expression over sheer power
• Avoid lesser-known or newer producers lacking proven vineyard management in a year where winemaking skill and site knowledge made the decisive difference

The 2022 vintage presents a compelling combination of present accessibility and genuine aging potential. The extended hang time and warm October delivered phenolic maturity at lower sugar levels, creating wines with fine-grained tannins and bright natural acidity that will reward both near-term drinking and patient cellaring. Vinous, which initially underestimated the vintage, revised its view significantly upward when revisiting wines in 2025, finding that the most prominent 2022s had blossomed into wines of real complexity, power, and structure. The high natural acidity across the vintage is a positive indicator for long-term development.

• Top Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from Red Mountain and Walla Walla Valley are built for medium to long-term aging, with acidity and balanced tannins supporting 10 or more years of development
• Many 2022s are approachable relatively early given their softer tannins compared to the 2021 vintage, making them enjoyable in the near term as well
• White wines, including Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, are best enjoyed for their freshness in the near to medium term
• Vinous noted in 2025 that the vintage had outperformed early expectations, with prominent wines now displaying complexity and structure that had not been apparent in 2024 tastings

2022 stands in stark contrast to its immediate predecessors. The 2021 vintage was the hottest on record in Washington, with a late-June heat dome pushing temperatures to 118 degrees Fahrenheit across the Columbia Valley, producing small, concentrated berries with bold, powerful wines. The 2020 vintage was complicated by widespread wildfire smoke taint. Against that backdrop, 2022 offered something genuinely different: a long, cool growing season the region had not experienced since at least 2011, producing wines of elegance, freshness, and restraint. Decanter labeled the 2022 vintage as fresh, elegant, and ageworthy, a characterization that neatly captures the vintage's positioning in Washington's recent history.

• vs. 2021: The 2022 season was dramatically cooler and longer, yielding wines with lower alcohol, more natural acidity, and a more restrained profile compared to the concentrated, bold 2021s
• vs. 2020: Unlike 2020, which was compromised by widespread wildfire smoke across the Columbia Valley, 2022 delivered clean, unaffected fruit throughout the harvest
• The cool, extended 2022 season was comparable in character to 2011, which produced elegant, lower-alcohol wines with notable aging potential
• The overall larger crop of 240,000 tons versus 2021's reduced yield is a direct consequence of the cooler, wetter spring that encouraged bigger berries and clusters