2022 Willamette Valley / Oregon Vintage

Oregon went into 2022 off a warmer, drier-than-normal winter, which pushed Chardonnay and Pinot Noir buds out early and left them exposed. Cold temperatures, snow and frost arrived in the Willamette Valley starting April 11. The worst came in the pre-dawn hours of April 15, when numerous vineyards recorded overnight lows of minus 3 to 0 degrees C; in growing regions, overnight temperatures dipped to 27 to 28 degrees F during the advective frost event. Climatologist Greg Jones called it "February in April" and pointed out that a warm, dry March, early bud break, an early April frost and a cold, wet late April are each not uncommon, but all four in one season make a one in every 30 to 50 year event. The region's last major early frost event was in May 1985, and few Willamette Valley wineries own frost fans or overhead frost protection, which left the valley defenseless. Amalie Robert Estate described cold air that came like a blanket and did not flow down the slope, so upper and lower elevations fared the same and bud developmental stage, not elevation, determined the damage. After the frost, April turned cool and wet and that pattern held into May and early June, setting vine growth back 2 to 4 weeks. Spring then arrived in time for flowering and produced a very good fruit set. Then the heat turned on for the rest of the summer. Saturated soils produced a healthy canopy, and a large canopy brought high powdery mildew pressure that was managed with leaf pulling, hedging and spray programs. July and August were warm and dry. The 2022 summer was the third-hottest in the United States in 128 years of record, and Oregon was among the states with record-warm August nighttime temperatures. In early August, western Oregon vineyards were running roughly 6 days ahead to 6 days behind normal growing degree day accumulation, with a late-July heat blast boosting accumulation. A cut-off low brought light rain around September 20 and 21, then conditions stayed dry until about October 20 to 21. September finished nearly 3 degrees F warmer than average and October ran 4 to 6 degrees F above average, with mid-October days approaching 80 degrees F in parts of the valley. Hazelfern Cellars began harvest on September 29, about three weeks later than normal. Et Fille wrapped up on October 21. King Estate found that ripening accelerated quickly and the challenge became bringing in all that ripe fruit in a compressed window; it compressed its harvest to about two and a half weeks against a usual three and a half to four, which filled the winery to overflowing. On yield, secondary-bud fruit set made up for the burned primaries with fewer, heavier clusters and larger, plumper berries. Hazelfern's Pinot Noir yielded close to its seasonal average, Et Fille's yields were similar to a normal Oregon year with larger clusters, and King Estate's tonnage landed close to 2019 levels. Statewide, production hit a record 137,065 tons, up 19.5 percent over 2021, with value up 22 percent to a record $330 million.

• Warmer, drier winter drove early bud break and left buds exposed to a frost event that began April 11 and peaked April 15
• Overnight lows of minus 3 to 0 degrees C on April 15; Chardonnay in the northern valley was the most affected
• Primary bud loss ran 50 percent to 100 percent at hard-hit sites; least damage in the Eola-Amity Hills
• Cool, wet April through early June set vine growth back 2 to 4 weeks; spring then produced a very good fruit set
• Warm, dry July and August, with high powdery mildew pressure from a large canopy
• September nearly 3 degrees F above average and October 4 to 6 degrees F above, with warm, dry weather through about October 20
• Hazelfern began harvest September 29, about three weeks late, and King Estate compressed its harvest to about two and a half weeks; secondary-bud fruit set brought statewide production to a record 137,065 tons, up 19.5 percent over 2021

Chardonnay, an early-ripening variety, was the most affected, particularly in parts of the northern Willamette Valley such as the Dundee Hills and Yamhill-Carlton, where bud break was already further along. The Eola-Amity Hills saw the least damage and the Chehalem Mountains significant damage, with Chardonnay buds particularly hard hit. The northernmost appellations suffered most, but only at certain sites, and in most instances a few buds survived. Several vineyards in the most northerly appellations had up to 50 percent primary bud loss, and Hazelfern Cellars had frost damage to about 75 percent of its primary buds. Stirling Fox of Stirling Wine Grapes in Newberg put primary bud damage at 50 to 100 percent across many vineyards, with half of the secondary buds also burned at many of those sites, and projected the valley could lose about half its crop. Secondary buds then set fruit and carried the crop. Winemaker Ken Wright said the growers he is close to all over the world could not recall such an incredible recovery as the northern Willamette Valley saw that year: "It defied all prior recorded experience."

• Chardonnay was the most affected variety, especially in the Dundee Hills and Yamhill-Carlton
• Least damage in the Eola-Amity Hills, significant damage in the Chehalem Mountains
• Primary bud loss ran from up to 50 percent at several northern vineyards to 50 to 100 percent at many surveyed sites
• Secondary buds set fruit and carried the crop

Decanter's Clive Pursehouse found the 2022 Chardonnays imbued with great elegance and the Pinot Noirs showing an outstanding confidence across the valley's appellations, with the cool, prolonged growing season helping create wines of tremendous freshness balanced with ample concentration. The season got off to a shaky start but ended brilliantly, he wrote, offering a return to the region's classic conditions. Alex Sokol Blosser noted that although the clusters have fewer, plumper berries and so less skin contact, the wines are deeply pigmented and the acid, tannins and phenolics appear well balanced, signifying the potential for long-lived, complex wines. Hazelfern called its fruit quality epic, with ripe flavors and ideal acidity. Many winemakers described 2022 as a return to normal, or a classic Oregon vintage. Oregon Wine Board president Tom Danowski said the 2022 results highlight an extraordinary recovery from the April frost, alongside strengthening global demand in a sluggish business environment for wine.

• Fewer, plumper berries from secondary-bud fruit set meant less skin contact