Wine
The 2022 Bordeaux Wine Vintage Is Brilliant—and a Big Surprise
This year’s Bordeaux en primeur upended all expectations, leaving buyers of wine futures with incredible options. Here are our wine critic’s top 12 picks.
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At 9 a.m. on Monday, April 17, I was swirling, sniffing, sipping and spitting a stunning barrel sample of first growth Château Mouton Rothschild. It was my first taste of Bordeaux’s 2022 vintage. Over the ensuing two weeks in the region, I sampled impressive wines at dozens of châteaux and at official press tastings. Most of them completely upended all my expectations—and everyone else’s.
After all, the 2022 growing season was a drama of nonstop extreme weather: April frosts, June rainstorms, record-breaking heat waves, severe drought and hail.