2022 vintage in Burgundy_photo DR Clément L’hôte
The harvest has been completed since the end of September in Burgundy, and the 2022 vintage has plenty to delight the sector. Here are 5 reasons to rejoice:
- Quantities
The prayers of the winegrowers have been answered! After a very thin 2021 vintage, stocks were falling dangerously in a very popular Burgundy, yields were needed again. It’s done. “The 2022 vintage creates a surprise, combining quality and quantity”, declared the BIVB (Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne) at the end of the harvest. The exact yields are not known, but according to the winegrowers, we are almost everywhere approaching the authorized yields. Which will make 2022 the most generous year since 2018.
- Maturity
A hot year obliges: the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs matured well throughout the season. If we add to this the various episodes of summer drought, which concentrated the juice in the berries, we are heading straight for a profile of solar wines, close to 2019 or 2020, but very far from 2021. In the vats, this results in dense and fragrant whites, and structured reds, with intense aromatics. Of course, we have to wait for the end of the vinification to find out more. “In red, the qualitative potential of phenolic compounds is excellent, suggesting the possibility of a
vintage for laying down. In red as in white, the musts are very aromatic and the start of fermentation is very fast”, indicates the BIVB.
- The Freshness
Cherry on the pinot: despite the strong sun this year, the juices have kept a certain freshness. Thus, the degrees of reds and whites rarely exceed 13% alcohol. The acidities, necessary for the balance of the wines and their aging potential, would also be present.
- Health status
“Ideal”, “irreproachable”… The winegrowers do not fail to emphasize the excellent sanitary condition of the grapes this year. A classic, in a sunny year with very low rainfall. Mildew was non-existent, and powdery mildew practically absent from the vines this year. As for gray rot, or botrytis, which usually develops at the end of the season, we have not heard of it. It must be said that the weather remained excellent until the end, even in the middle of the harvest. Good news, because the absence of diseases in the vineyard reduces the risk of faults in the wines.
- The good humor of the winegrowers
Burgundy winegrowers are finally smiling again. The year 2021, hit by devastating frosts then by incessant rains as well as illnesses, had put wine professionals on their knees, some even thinking of stopping the profession. For the particular case of organic winegrowers, 2022 is also very good news: the vintage encourages labeled estates to continue in this direction, and has convinced others to embark on the conversion.
For most of the other vineyards, the 2022 harvest has also brought its share of good news, and France once again becomes the second largest wine producing country in the world this year.
