2022 vintage already begun in Bordeaux

[AlexR]

The local newspaper, Sud-Ouest, reports that picking has started for grapes used to make Crémant de Bordeaux, as well as other dry white wines at estates such as Carbonnieux and Luchey-Halde.

This is the earliest start to a vintage on record.

There were three heat waves this summer and drought conditions have set in.
Pomerol, Saint Emilion, and Pessac-Léognan have received authorization to irrigate the vines.

However, it would be far too early to catalogue the 2022 vintage or assume it will be another 2003. There is still a good month to go for the red wines and anything can happen between now and then!

Best regards,
Alex R.

[Dionysus]

Smoke Taint much be a real fear this year. I know some appellations will be impacted more than others, but smoke can travel an awful long way from the source.
https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2022/08 ... e-bordeaux

Hard to be too excited about 2022, given the above and the massive heat waves.

[JimHow]

The pear tree that we’ve had at my other house has almost fully ripened pears, usually we have to wait til Labor Day. For about the fifth straight year I haven’t seen a mosquito or black fly in my yard, which is surrounded by woods, we used to get them a lot in June.

[AlexR]

Hey, it ain't over until the fat lady sings!

As usual, the media either get it wrong, or distort things .

There is, of course, such a thing as smoke taint, but there is also something called geography.
The smoke from the fires about an hour's drive from Bordeaux drifted as far as hundreds of miles from the source.
Yes, *But*, crucially, this did not go on for days and days.

The closest vineyards to one of the two fires were in the southern Graves and Sauternes regions.
These may be affected, but that remains to be seen.

I've seen this time and timea again: defining vintage character long before the grapes are picked.
It's not reasonable, nor is it fair.

Conor, you *may* be right in pooh-poohing the 2022 vintage. But then again, you may not.
Let's wait and see.

All the best,
Alex R.

[Musigny 151]

Certainly wait and see. With the three prolonged heat spells, I imagine the wines shut down, so we may have some oddities, but I am hoping a good deal has been learned and put into effect since 2003.

[Nicklasss]

It will be interesting to read the tasting reports, from serious fair critics, as me too I'm scare of a "2003 effect".

And also, to what prices those 2022 red Bordeaux will start at.

Basically, my strategy will be to buy only 12 bottles, from producers that will have kept alcohol level low, with good reports.

[JimHow]

Basically, my strategy will be to buy only 12 bottles, from producers that will have kept alcohol level low, with good reports.

Yeah, that's about right, Nicola, I'm just buying in smaller quantities.
In his final years Pappa Doc had his "three bottle" rule.
He would only buy three bottles of a particular wine.
I remember when he was so impressed with that 1982 Calon Segur I brought to that epic night with AKR, Pappa Doc, Gio, and me in Chinatown/Little Italy. The next day he bought three bottles from Zachy's. That was in the summer of 2003. Remember that, AKR?

[Musigny 151]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... urope.html

[Claudius2]

It will be interesting to read the tasting reports, from serious fair critics, as me too I'm scare of a "2003 effect".

And also, to what prices those 2022 red Bordeaux will start at.

Basically, my strategy will be to buy only 12 bottles, from producers that will have kept alcohol level low, with good reports.

Both 2001 and 2003 in South Australia were torrid and particularly in the Barossa, there was extensive vine shut down and stress. Many grapes were picked early due to stress and showed both hot characters and pickle like notes. After 2001, a tactic used was to maintain more foliage to shield the grape bunches from direct sunlight yet when it is 110F for several days, I’d say any realistic hope of balanced wines are lost.

Wine grapes were never really suited to extreme heat and down in Australia the big wine companies are buying up both land and vineyards in Tasmania which is considerably cooler than most mainland vineyard areas.

Further if the vines do shut down due to heat stress, growers have few options to fix anything. In the irrigated areas, the growers will use more water if they have allocations but that isn’t workable in drygrown vineyards. And adding more water itself is risky especially when the vines are stressed.

In both 2001 and 2003, the better estates either minimised production using only bunches that were in good condition, or - which was common - they left the grape bunches on the vines entirely. In 2003, the air smelled of partly fermented and partly rotted fruit. I saw in the Barossa rotting grapes everywhere and sad looking vignerons who had two of three disaster vintages.

[AKR]

Growers can also replant/graft varietals that ripen later to compensate.

[Musigny 151]

Alex,
Can you please keep us updated on the harvest.
Thanks

[AlexR]

This is a two-day-old report from English journalist Jane Anson, based in Bordeaux:


Rain and slightly fresher temperatures have returned to Bordeaux this week after six weeks with almost zero rainfall, and the driest July since 1959. The first white grapes are now coming in across Entre deux Mers, Pessac-Léognan and Graves, with Château Latour Martillac bringing in its first Sauvignon Blanc on Thursday August 18. This is a few days after neighbouring estates such as Château Carbonnieux began on Tuesday 16, and the day after the first white grapes for sparkling crémant came in on Wednesday 17 in Saint-Peys-de-Castets.

Dates for 2003 in Pessac-Léognan were August 18, and in 2017 August 16, making this the earliest on record.

Jacques Lurton, president of the Pessac-Léognan syndicate, told French press agency AFP that this ‘earliest ever harvest,’ was due to ‘the exceptional conditions of the year that have speeded up ripening. Right now the aromatics are high in Sauvignon Blanc, making it the perfect moment to start bringing them in’.

The first reds, according to the CIVB, are expected to begin across the region around September 12, although several winemaker are suggesting that date may be closer to September 1.

The first provisions for the harvest came from the Minister of Agriculture of August 9, and they are higher than last year’s vintage that was decimated by frost – across France estimations are for 42.6 to 45.6 millions d’hectolitres, between 13-21% higher than in 2021. The relatively good yields are because, despite the drought in the summer, both flowering and fruit set took place under excellent conditions.

In Bordeaux specifically, the estimations are for slightly under the 50 year average, mainly due to hail and frost that impacted 10,000ha early in the season, followed by the historic summer drought that led to irrigation being authorised – again a first – for three leading appellations of Pessac-Léognan, Pomerol and St Emilion – with Lalande-de-Pomerol also agreeing to the practise.

Irrigation was allowed until August 15, so is now forbidden through to harvest. Bordeaux is not well equipped for irrigation, with almost no drip or underground systems in place, posing logistical difficulties even for those that wanted to do so. Most winemakers have said that they did not take up the possibility except on young vines (which is always allowed, up to three years old) and on Merlot on particularly gravelly or sandy soils, with I understand around 15 winemakers taking it up in Pomerol, and around 10 winemakers in Pessac-Léognan, including Château Pique Caillou, which is located in one of the warmer sectors of the appellation and where irrigation was used only on 10% of the 25ha estate, with each vine plant – those aged from three to five years old – receiving around 5 litres of water. This may be understating the case, however, as in areas where irrigation was not expressly allowed, I understand there were some midnight visits to vineyards with tractors, buckets of water and hoses.

‘Estates now have to think about whether this is going to be a regular occurrence,’ said Martin Krajewski of Château Séraphine in Pomerol, where irrigation was used just on the youngest vines and on one 0.2ha plot of 10 year old Merlot on gravel soils, ‘and whether we will have to invest in infrastructure – not long after many of us have just spent money installing anti-frost protection’.

The rain of this week – up to 20mm so far in most areas – has helped replenish soils, and slightly increased the size of berries that are around 30% smaller than average for the first whites coming in, with potential alcohols of around 13.5%abv, and in most cases with no disease pressure.

AR