2022 Harvest: harbingers of a promising vintage?
While some are barely out of the harvest, we can already talk about 2022 as if a year "like no other"Between spring frosts, June hail, and summer drought, the French vineyards were not spared by the weather hazardsHowever, a large majority of winegrowers agree that 2022 is shaping up to be a year exceptional.
After a challenging 2021 vintage, smiles have returned to the faces of French winegrowers. Yields are on the rise again with 44.6 million hectoliters as of October 1st (+ 18 % compared to 2021) and the Quality seems to be there in all regionsIt's also worth noting that thanks to the dry weather we experienced, vine diseases were minimal or even nonexistent, which limited the number of treatments required. Let's take a brief look at the 2022 harvest.
Bordeaux
In the Bordeaux region, The quality is there. despite small quantities. After having suffered hail in June where approximately 10,000 hectares The vineyards were affected, and they also faced water stress from this record drought. As a result, the berries were small with little juice when pressed, but... high-quality and rich vintage in perspective.
Left bank
On the left bank, the first reports from the vineyards suggest that the quality of the 2022 vintage is approaching that of... the exceptional 2016The grape harvest took place in very good conditions and was spread out over a period of late August to early October For the most part. Château Countess PichonThe grape harvest ended on October 1st, and here are the first comments from its director. Nicolas Glumineau are very complimentary “First tasting of Merlot press wines. The wines are delicious. A promising 2022 vintage. (Source: Pichon Comtesse's Twitter)
Right bank
On the right bank, the discourse is similar. HAS Saint-EmilionJust a few meters from its iconic village, we find the Château FonroqueThis pioneer of the biodynamicswhose new winery was inaugurated last September, expresses itself through Judith Barat - The wine tourism communications manager: "The grape harvest started on September 5 were very beautiful, thanks to a resilient vineyard and care given at opportune times, the vines suffered very little from the heat. The yield is good and the 2022 vintage promises to be of very high quality. ».
We were lucky enough to taste some juices that turned out to be full of fruitequipped with beautiful fresh plot And very balanced, of good omen for this 2022 vintage that we are eager to taste en primeur! It is also interesting to note that the merlot very present on the right bank, often criticized for its fragility, has shown very resilient faced with this year's climatic uncertainties, it will indeed be present for this 2022 vintage, the key words of which could be summarized as: balance, intensity and depth.
Burgundy
In BurgundyThis 2022 harvest is a welcome relief after a rather disastrous 2021 in terms of yield. Unlike Bordeaux, here we find both the quality and the quantity This is despite a heterogeneous vineyard depending on its location and the age of the vines, which have suffered more or less, with the young vines being mostly affected by the drought.
Champagne
After record sales of its sparkling wines in 2021 with more than 300 million bottles soldThe region has benefited this year from particularly mild seasons with 10 % has 30 % additional sunshine. The harvest is therefore looking promising. exceptionalWith a yield of 12,000 kilos per hectare (14,000 kg/ha according to the union of houses of champagne), this is the highest level recorded for fifteen years, thus allowing stocks and reserves to be restored.
Loire Valley
After suffering a devastating hailstorm on some plots, particularly in Anjou and in TouraineThe Loire region was not spared by the drought. Nevertheless, the grape harvest took place in the serenityFrom Sancerre to the Nantes region, the harvest was spread out over late August to early October with some great discoveries in store for this upcoming vintage, particularly regarding the Chenins And Sauvignon Blanc.
Alsace
The region broke heat records with a string of hot days over 30 degrees with temperatures above 2003These record-breaking conditions led to uneven ripening of the grapes, but the much-needed rains in August allowed for a successful harvest. twice as high to last year's. Theacidity is present, heralding a vintage full of finesse and freshnessTo summarize, the numerous efforts and the work of the winegrowers to cope with the whims of Mother Nature seem to have bore fruitIndeed, these grape harvests 2022 announce a very promising vintage across the entire territory with varying quantities, but above all a High quality in prospectThe challenge now is to successfully control this sugar concentration that the grapes have benefited from in order to limit the alcohol level, which could prove to be high.
This is a matter to follow closely before the arrival of the early produce 2022 eagerly awaited.