By James Bayley
Published: 06 June, 2023
In part two of Wine Lister’s 2023 Bordeaux Study, the company has given the 2022 vintage the highest overall Wine Lister Quality score ever recorded, with 29 wines achieving scores of 980 or more in 2022, compared with just five in 2021.
The endorsement comes amidst a flutter of optimism around said vintage, one that was marked by extreme heat and drought, producing inconsistent yields across the region.
Those wines that did hold up in the heat are the ones causing a stir, predictably high in alcohol with ripe fruit and mature tannins.
Last month, Bordeaux wine grower Gavin Quinney offered his verdict to Harpers, he said: “2022 was a really enjoyable vintage to taste, and not just because of the ripe, dark fruits and well-knit tannins.
“Having lived and worked through such a hot and dry season, the freshness shown in so many of the wines was a happy surprise, and I found most reds were well made, with few being – for example – overly extracted. There is a lightness of touch being demonstrated in Bordeaux these days and it’s most welcome.”
The Wine Lister report evaluates the top-quality wines and appellations in 2022 and examines recent en primeur pricing trends to inform a projection for this year’s campaign. The company also considers short and long-term price performances and presence at the auctions of top Bordeaux wines, among many other lines of enquiry.
The price analysis indicates that ex-négociant prices for 2022 should be between -5% and +26% on the 2021 average. To date, the key releases have been up by an average of 14%.
Pomerol is once again the appellation with the highest price appreciation over the last five years, while Saint-Julien is the most widely distributed appellation according to Wine-Searcher offers.
Below is a graph published in the report looking at the en primeur release prices based on data from 110 wines in the 2022 study.
Out of the 48 releases already covered by Wine Lister to date, the average release price of the 2022 vintage is 71.30 Euros compared to 62.60 Euros in 2021 – an increase of 14%.
The report will be available in full to Wine Lister Pro Subscribers via their website later this afternoon (June 6).
