The Cellar Collection: Bordeaux Futures lets you buy top wines from the world’s most revered wine region before they’re even bottled. It’s part investment, part treasure hunt, and all about the anticipation.
Order today! Quantities of these new formats are limited. “The 2022s are some of the most memorable young wines I have ever tasted in Bordeaux.” Antonio Galloni.
Paul Farrell, Senior Category Manager, European Wines, shares his impressions of Bordeaux’s 2022 vintage.
“Over the course of the en primeur tastings, I had the opportunity to speak with château principals, vignerons and négociants from across Bordeaux, and one word kept reappearing with astonishing consistency in connection with the 2022 vintage: surprising.
The 2022 growing season was hot and dry, indeed as hot and dry as any vintage on record, drawing comparisons to the historic 2003 vintage, albeit without the extreme heat spikes that exceeded 40°C. But it seems nobody told the wines. The surprise that everyone has been enjoying is that the wines of 2022 have plenty of ripe fruit, with higher alcohol than we have seen over the past decade, typically between 14 and 14.6, but low PH levels. PH is a measurement of total acidity; the lower the PH the higher the total acidity. This runs counter to what one would expect from such a hot year. Surprise!
How could such wines be made in a hot vintage? Though there are several theories being discussed, no one could say for certain. To my mind, the soundest argument is that 2022 saw drought conditions through March and April, which is unique for Bordeaux as the spring is typically wet and was so even in 2003. These difficult early-season conditions meant that the vines lived their entire life cycle in a drought environment. From budbreak through flowering, fruit set and veraison, the vines were constantly stressed, labouring to produce healthy grapes while preserving water.
Several châteaux took pictures of their vineyards in late August just before harvest, because they were astonished at how green the canopy was and how healthy the grapes appeared. Despite the aggressive heat there were no brown leaves and no sunburn damage. The plants were clearly thriving. Surprise!
It could also be the simple truth that, since the 2015 vintage, hot, dry summer weather has become the norm in the region and the Bordelais have become adept at working with these challenging temperatures. And, of course, even the plants themselves could be adapting to these conditions.
Whatever the reasons, 2022 has produced outstanding wines across all appellations and price bands.
For me, Carmes Haut-Brion, Canon and Pichon Lalande are clear standouts. Fonroque continues to perform well and, following an excellent tasting at L'Église-Clinet, we added the tremendous value found in Montlandrie and Les Cruzelles to our selection.
Though there are exceptions (a few châteaux miscalculated harvest dates or chose to chase extraction rather than look to preserve freshness), the majority of 2022 Bordeaux have generous ripe fruit and plenty of freshness alongside unobtrusive, ripe, soft tannins. What more do you look for in a barrel sample?”
Bordeaux’s 2021 vintage is well worth a look. This expanded selection features the best and brightest of the vintage, including brand-new finds and rare large formats.
Online ordering begins Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at 8:30 a.m.
Buy online – Bordeaux Futures 2021 >
Our impressions of the vintage
The 2021 Bordeaux is evolving to be a complex and fascinating vintage. Despite the many challenges that the châteaux faced, the Bordelais were able to rise to the occasion and create a very good vintage. However, the story is not that simple. In fact, if there is a single defining element of the vintage it is likely its heterogeneousness of style, quality and volume. This story starts with the April frosts that devastated some, while many top terroirs were unaffected. Then came the mildew, which had a greater impact on yields for organic producers over conventional growers. The warm, cloudy summer allowed grapes to remain on vine well into September, but the crucial decision of when to pick, especially in the threat of heavy rains (which never materialized), impacted both style and quality. Christian Moueix produced outstanding wines across their entire stable, and wines on top of the plateau in Pomerol were also outstanding. Most of the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wines on the Left Bank are excellent, as are the Right Bank wines with significant quantities of Cabernet Franc. In short, it’s a year for the savvy shopper – and while you won’t see the homogeneous quality of a great vintage like 2010, there are outstanding wines, especially at the top end.
Critics’ impressions of the vintage
“The 2021s will be bought and consumed in the near future because of their drinkability and freshness – a hallmark of the year and proof that the best winemakers can produce good to outstanding wines in just about any year.” James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
“Bordeaux’s 2021 vintage has confronted the region’s wine producers with a seemingly never-ending series of challenges … The region’s best producers, however, have taken all these challenges in their stride.” William Kelley, robertparker.com
“While the vintage certainly presented an untold number of challenges for some … it is also being called ‘the marathon vintage’, ‘the on-call vintage’, ‘the victory vintage’ and ‘the miracle vintage’ with winemakers not only glad to have been able to harvest healthy grapes at all but surprised at the resulting quality.” Georgie Hindle, decanter.com
“[The 2021 vintage] is bejewelled with wines that will offer immense pleasure and could only transcend limitations thanks to talent, hard work and a bit of luck.” Neal Martin, vinous.com
“The best wines offer a striking combination of old-school classicism with modern-day precision.” Antonio Galloni, vinous.com
The tasting panel
Lisa Chapman has been with the LCBO for more than 20 years. This vintage marks her sixth Bordeaux Futures campaign as part of the tasting panel and buying team.
Paul Farrell has been with the LCBO for more than 21 years. This is his eighth campaign as part of the tasting panel and buying team.
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