This January marks the start of Burgundy 2022 En Primeur and the perfect opportunity to add some of these fabulous wines to your collection. The 2022 vintage is being lauded as one of the finest vintages in Burgundy in living memory. Despite the warming temperatures, the almost perfect conditions and increasing skill of grape growers returned good quantities of beautiful berries that have translated into equally beautiful, age-worthy and highly collectable wines.
Almost Perfect Vintage Conditions in 2022
2022 was one of Burgundy’s warmest and sunniest on record, yet despite this it has returned wines with fabulous freshness and balance.
The well-timed watering of the vines from rains at the end of June and mid-August, as well as cool nights in the summer months allowed the vines to relax and temper the speed of the ripening process.
The rain also effectively “diluted” the berries, bringing the concentrated flavors and sugars back into balance on the run in to harvest across the end of August and the first days of September, as producers welcomed bunches of near perfect fruit to the cellar.
Age Worthy Reds
The red wines of the 2022 vintage are widely reported to be already showing beautifully, even in their unfinished state as barrel samples.
The Pinot Noir is supplying plush, crunchy red fruits, supple tannic structure, restrained alcohol and perfectly balanced freshness. All this adds up to a vintage of red Burgundies that will taste fabulous on release but will undoubtedly age for decades for those with the will power to allow them to do so.
As Charles Van Canneyt himself put it, “I think it’s a charming vintage. The wonderful balance makes it both approachable and cellar-worthy.”
Volumes Ease Price Pressure
A main factor for price rises across Burgundy in recent years has been the limited quantities available following low yielding vintages.
The 2022 vintage, however, has been lauded as a return to “normal” volumes, and with the 2023 vintage also looking set to produce similar quantities, the pressure on producers and their baron cellars has been alleviated for now.
This means that prices for this January’s En Primeur campaign look set to remain steady, which itself is an increasingly rare occurrence.
The Burgundy 2022 En Primeur Campaign
Burgundy is one of the most iconic names in the world of fine wine, producing the finest expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay anywhere in the world. These wines, from across renowned villages, especially the 640 Premier Cru and 33 Grand Cru vineyards, are now some of the most sought after, collectible and investment worthy wines money can buy.
January’s En Primeur campaign gives the Burgundy lovers in our Vintage Cellar community crucial access to rare wines and exceptional releases.