The Burgundy Wine Board (BIVB) announced that the wines from the 2022 Burgundy harvest have real ‘potential’. This vintage will be dedicated to Louis Fabrice Latour, the former president of the trade association, who passed away earlier this month.
Commenting on the recent harvest, the BIVB said that it had been ‘a pleasant surprise’ and that it was ‘a vintage of the kind we were all hoping for.’ Despite cold temperatures and frosts, the board is happy with both the quantity of grapes that will go into this year’s wines as well as their quality.
The 2022 Burgundy Vintage
The growing season began at the start of April having experienced a milder winter with less rain than usual. Temperatures dropped mid-April and two snaps of frost followed. Fortunately, budburst hadn’t taken place completely and buds were not fully exposed to the frosts, although some areas did experience small amounts of damage.
Spring arrived and brought excellent conditions with it. Flowering took place two weeks earlier than usual which led to many commentators suggesting that the 2022 vintage could be one of the earliest ever. Thunderstorms in late June refreshed the vines but also brought some hailstorms which caused ‘significant damage’ in some areas.
Contrary to the belief that the harvest would start earlier than normal, pickers started harvesting Chardonnay on the 20th of August which is in line with previous years. It was a prolonged harvest due to the good weather which helped produce optimally-ripe grapes.
The board agreed that this year’s grapes are ‘balanced with controlled degrees of alcohol and good acidity.’ It found that the compounds in the red grapes were ‘excellent’ which are needed for long-term ageing. The BIVB also commented that the musts of the whites and reds were ‘highly aromatic’ which is another positive sign.
This year’s harvest is what the Burgundians had hoped for, as the 2021 vintage suffered very low yields and in turn triggered higher prices. However, 2022’s yields were still down on average.
Find out more about our initial thoughts on the Burgundy 2022 vintage in this article.