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Updated Saint-Émilion Classification Announced

Exterior of Figeac

Bordeaux’s Saint-Émilion Classification is reviewed each decade and the seventh edition has now been released for 2022. 

Both the wine trade and wine lovers across the globe have been expectantly waiting for this new edition as the classification has experienced unprecedented withdrawals over the past year and a half. Châteaux Angélus, Ausone and Cheval Blanc – all Premier Grand Cru Classé A – decided not to be a part of the classification over the past 14 months as they felt too much emphasis was being placed on brand building and not on the wine itself. And, in June earlier this year, Château la Gaffelière (status ‘B’) also withdrew, highlighting a concern with tasting notes it was being given.

Château Figeac has now been promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé A status where it joins Château Pavie. There was a real sense of disappointment when Figeac wasn’t promoted in 2012 so there will be plenty of celebrations for this well earnt result. 

Châteaux Canon and Troplong Mondot have both been working hard to gain promotions, although it wasn’t to be this time round. Interestingly, there were also no demotions, leading some commentators to speculate that the commission had played it safe in order to avoid attracting any further controversy.

While there may have been withdrawals and lawsuits recently, more than 140 estates are estimated to have applied to the commission. Ten years ago there were around 90. This demonstrates the value of the classification and what it means for those fortunate enough to be included in it: the opportunity to command higher prices for their wines.  

Below you can find a full list of the producers featured in the new Saint-Émilion Classification for 2022. 

Interested in finding out more about the recent Bordeaux Blanc harvest? Read our recent article here.

 

PREMIERS GRAND CRUS CLASSÉS

Château BEAU-SEJOUR BECOT

Château BEAUSEJOUR HERITIERS DUFFAU LAGARROSSE

Château BELAIR MONANGE

Château CANON

Château CANON LA GAFFELIERE

Château FIGEAC (Distinction A)

Château LARCIS DUCASSE

Château PAVIE (Distinction A)

Château PAVIE MACQUIN

Château TROPLONG MONDOT

Château TROTTEVIEILLE

Château VALANDRAUD

CLOS FOURTET

LA MONDOTTE

 

GRANDS CRUS CLASSÉS

Château BADETTE

Château BALESTARD LA TONNELLE

Château BARDE-HAUT

Château BELLEFONT-BELCIER

Château BELLEVUE

Château BERLIQUET

Château BOUTISSE

Château CAP DE MOURLIN

Château CHAUVIN

Château CLOS DE SARPE

Château CORBIN

Château CORBIN MICHOTTE

Château COTE DE BALEAU

Château CROIX DE LABRIE

Château DASSAULT

Château DE FERRAND

Château DE PRESSAC

Château DESTIEUX

Château FAUGERES

Château FLEUR CARDINALE

Château FOMBRAUGE

Château FONPLEGADE

Château FONROQUE

Château FRANC MAYNE

Château GRAND CORBIN

Château GRAND CORBIN-DESPAGNE

Château GRAND MAYNE

Château GUADET

Château HAUT-SARPE

Château JEAN FAURE

Château LA COMMANDERIE

Château LA CONFESSION

Château LA COUSPAUDE

Château LA CROIZILLE

Château LA DOMINIQUE

Château LA FLEUR MORANGE

Château LA MARZELLE

Château LA SERRE

Château LANIOTE

Château LAROQUE

Château LAROZE

Château LARMANDE

Château LA TOUR FIGEAC

Château LE CHATELET

Château LE PRIEURE

Château MANGOT

Château MONBOUSQUET

Château MONTLABERT

Château MONTLISSE

Château MOULIN DU CADET

Château PEBY FAUGERES

Château PETIT FAURIE DE SOUTARD

Château RIPEAU

Château ROCHEBELLE

Château ROL VALENTIN

Château SAINT-GEORGES (COTE PAVIE)

Château SANSONNET

Château SOUTARD

Château TOUR BALADOZ

Château TOUR SAINT CHRISTOPHE

Château VILLEMAURINE

Château YON-FIGEAC

CLOS BADON THUNEVIN

CLOS DE L’ORATOIRE

CLOS DES JACOBINS

CLOS DUBREUIL

CLOS SAINT-JULIEN

CLOS SAINT-MARTIN

COUVENT DES JACOBINS

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New ‘Rocas de Seña’ Label Released

Bottle of Rocas de Sena

The Chilean fine wine ‘Seña’ has released a second label called ‘Rocas de Seña’.  This new 2020 vintage was sold via La Place de Bordeaux along with its older sibling. Both labels sold out within hours of their release on the market on the 1st of September.

Both wines hail from the same area, a remote and biodynamically-farmed estate in the Aconcagua Valley. However, the grapes that go into the blend differ in both expressions. 

Over half of Seña is made with Cabernet Sauvignon (53%), with Malbec (25%) and Carmenère (15%) in support. Petit Verdot completes the blend, adding the final 7%. However, the main grape variety in Rocas de Seña is Malbec (38%) and has no Carmenère. Syrah (25%), Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) and Grenache (14%) also feature, with Petit Verdot adding a final flourish of 8%.

Just under 3,000 cases were made of the first vintage of Rocas de Seña, that’s around half the annual production of the Grand Vin.

Seña’s 2020 vintage was released up 6.2% on 2019’s opening price and is offered at £1,029 per 12x75cl case. Rocas de Seña 2020 is being offered under half the price of the Grand Vin at £426 per 12x75cl case.

Winemaker Francisco Baettig said at a tasting in London that he wanted Rocas de Seña to have its own character which is why he selected different grape varieties.

‘I did not want to make a copy of Seña just with younger parcels (of vines), I wanted to give a personality to Rocas, which is why I used Malbec as a base instead of Cabernet and some Mediterranean varieties, with Syrah and Grenache,’ he commented.

He added that Petit Verdot’s inclusion in the blend was important in order to create ‘tension’ in the wine, which is needed in this part of Chile, as well as in the moderately hot, dry 2020 vintage.

His aim is for ‘Rocas… not to be a Cabernet-based wine – we have that with Seña, as well as Chadwick and Don Max.’

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Bordeaux’s ‘Earliest Ever’ Harvest

Bordeaux vineyard at sunrise

Producers in Bordeaux welcomed the rain and cooler temperatures that arrived at the start of August with open arms. After six weeks of no rain, and with a prolonged heatwave, July of 2022 was announced as the driest on record since 1959.

The first white grapes of one of the key varietals that makes up the Bordeaux Blanc blend – Sauvignon Blanc – began arriving at wineries in the communes of Entre deux Mers, Graves and Pessac-Léognan from the 16th of August. The 2003 harvest that was previously considered very early, began on the 18th of August, making 2022 now the earliest ever vintage.       

The president of the Pessac-Léognan syndicate, Jacques Lurton, commented on this ‘earliest ever harvest,’ to French press agency AFP. He said that it was caused by ‘the exceptional conditions of the year that have speeded up ripening. Right now the aromatics are high in Sauvignon Blanc, making it the perfect moment to start bringing them in’.

Yields are expected to come in slightly under the 50-year average and are predicted to be between 13-21% higher than the 2021 harvest that was severely affected by frost. While there was a summer drought this year, both flowering and fruit set took place at the perfect time which meant that yields weren’t impacted too much.

The recent rain, up to 20mm in the majority of communes, has helped refresh soils and vines, as well as increasing the size of the grapes which are reportedly still some 30% smaller than usual.  

However, Bordeaux hasn’t been the only French wine region to have begun harvesting grapes early this year. The Rhône began on the 22nd of August: eight days earlier than last year. Roussillon also started picking grapes as early as the 3rd of August. Producers in both regions have expressed that, while the production levels may be down on average, they’re hopeful that great quality wines will be made.

Read more about the small but exceptional Port vintage expected in the Douro here.

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Small but Exceptional Port Vintage Expected in the Douro

Panorama of the sunny Douro valley

As the Port producing region of the Douro has just begun grape harvesting, producers are expecting dramatically reduced yields this vintage due to the impact of extreme heat and drought conditions that have characterised 2022. 

This year’s rainfall is more than 70% lower than the 30-year average and follows on from three years of below-average rainfall. Producers in the region are becoming increasingly concerned about this series of drier years. They are most worried about their younger vines as they are more susceptible to drought and hydric stress as the roots don’t reach as far down into the ground as those of older, established vines.

Less rainfall means reduced grape yields which in turn means higher production costs for winemakers at a time where there are other inflationary pressures at play. 

Another factor that has exacerbated the lack of rain is the combination of heat and wind. CEO at Taylor Fladgate, Adrian Bridge, commented that ‘the wind normally picks up at 6pm, but at 2pm it has been whistling up the (Douro) valley – having a hairdrier effect on the vines, so the grapes are shrinking’. He added that this has contributed to the grapes having very thick skins this year and a lot more grapes will be required to make the same quantity of Port.

‘I believe that this is going to be one of the lowest yielding harvests ever in the Douro,’ commented former chairman of Symington Family Estates, Paul Symington

However, while producers will have to wait over the coming weeks to see just how much wine it will be possible to make, there’s a sense of optimism among the Douro winemakers that this year’s vintage will turn out to be a small but exceptional one. 

Christian Seely, managing director at Quinta do Noval, commented that: ‘The occasional hot dry year is not a disaster and can produce remarkable, memorable wines: ‘45 and ‘17 had that sort of profile and both of them produced some of the most remarkable vintage Ports ever produced – and in 2017, remarkable red wines too, to my surprise’.

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China Suspends all Imports from Australia & New Zealand

Australia and Chinese flags with tear in middle

China has suspended all imports from Australia and New Zealand, including wines, dairy products and beef, according to the country’s official logistics trade association: China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP). The ban is set to significantly escalate tensions between China and its Pacific neighbours.

In a post by the Food Ingredients Supply Chain Association under the country’s official logistics trade association (CFLP), it announced that on the 15th of August an order had been given which requests incoming cargo wait at each port for further notice.

The news has not been officially announced by the Chinese Customs Administration, but the association highlighted that relevant organisations working in customs and logistics have already been informed.

It’s currently unknown whether this will be a temporary ban or long-term one. While the CFLP hasn’t given its reasons for the ban, it did cite Australia’s revoking of the ‘One Belt, One Road’ deal as having damaged mutual trust between the nations.

What’s made the situation even more confusing is that within just 24 hours after the CFLP published its article, it was deleted. Anyone now trying to open the WeChat post is presented with an error message that says ‘the article has been deleted by the author.’

Trade

New Zealand’s exports to China totalled US$22.83 billion in 2021 with the main products being lamb, butter and cheese.

Australia and China’s relations have been worsening since 2017. Recently, tensions were heightened due to the origin of Covid, 5G and Huawei that resulted in China imposing hefty tariffs in 2020 on Australian goods such as wine and barley.

Despite the tensions between the two nations, China is still Australia’s number one trade partner, with the Asian country having imported US$164 billion, over 40% more in value than a year ago according to China’s Ministry of Commerce.

If legitimate, the ban would be a huge blow to bilateral trade as the administration in Canberra has been in talks with the Chinese for over two years in a bid to repair relations.

What’s more, the timing couldn’t be worse as 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Australia.

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3 Bordeaux Appellations Permitted to Irrigate Vines

Saint-Emilion church and vineyard

In a year of drought, heatwaves and fires, producers in the three Bordeaux appellations of Pessac-Léognan, Pomerol and Saint-Émilion have been given special dispensation to water their vines. 

The lack of rain this year has been so pronounced that Météo France, the French national weather service, declared that July of 2022 was the driest on record since 1959. Irrigation is usually banned in the region from the 1st of May onwards. However, producers sent a request to the regulatory body, the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité (INAO), which issued a derogation in light of the ‘extreme situation’ facing Bordeaux châteaux. Winegrowers are permitted to water their vines during times of persistent drought with permission and only if the drought ‘disrupts the good physiological development of the vine and ripening of the grapes.’ The vignerons were told by the INAO that their request was granted in this case but to use it when ‘only absolutely necessary’.

In Pomerol, the derogation states that producers must submit their proposals for irrigation two days ahead of any activity, along with the size of the vineyard area and grape varieties to be watered. Grapegrowers must also only use water from wells near the vineyard sites and not from the network.

The threat drought poses to vines, especially young vines, is hydric stress. This means that vines can’t get enough water to flourish and are unable to build up sufficient levels of sugars which delays ripening and harvest. Older vines have deeper roots which can draw water from further underground but vines aged between three to eight years old need the most attention.

The permission to irrigate vines is a much needed lifeline for wine producers this year who have had to deal with April frosts, the June hail storms, fires and a heatwave. With forest fires having started up again around Bordeaux, the region’s châteaux will be praying that the next few weeks bring cooler temperatures and long overdue rain.

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Shafer Vineyards Buys Stags Leap District Vineyard

Shafer-Vineyards

Legendary Napa producer Shafer Vineyards has purchased a nine-hectare vineyard in proximity to its winery in the Stags Leap District from Screaming Eagle founder Arlie Jean Phillips as part of a $35 million deal.

Shafer Vineyards was acquired earlier this year by the Korean luxury firm, Shinsegae Property, and it has now purchased the nine-hectare Wildfoote Vineyard in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley. 

The deal has been reported by various news outlets to form at least part of an overall acquisition of some 46 hectares for $35 million. 

In a statement, Shafer Vineyards said that the purchase ‘secures a key source for the winery, ensuring that winemaker Elias Fernandez will continue to select from the best-of-the-best fruit each vintage.’

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes are all grown in the Wildfoote Vineyard. Shafer Vineyards’ President Doug Shafer commented on the sale that ‘the real winner in this is the consumer, as it gives our winemaking team the ability to choose the best possible fruit in a given vintage.’

General Manager Matthew Sharp highlighted that ‘this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire a world-class vineyard property of unequaled caliber’. He added that ‘it’s a great privilege to make this site part of the Shafer Vineyard portfolio.’

Shinsegae Property, the property arm of a Korea-based luxury company, purchased Shafer Vineyards in February earlier this year.

A historic Napa winery founded in 1972, Shafer Vineyards is one of a handful of the region’s producers that helped gain worldwide recognition for its wines.

Commenting on the sale, Doug Shafer added: ‘for those who are fans of our wines and our team, you’ll see a continuation of everything you love about the winery.’ ‘There may be some new things down the road that I think you will love and embrace as well.’

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Penfolds Innovates New French-Australian Blend

Bottle of Penfolds FWT

The innovative Australian producer Penfolds is pushing winemaking boundaries even further with its soon-to-be-released wine that is a blend of Bordeaux and Australian grapes.

‘Penfolds II Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2019’ blends Bordeaux-grown Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes with Shiraz from South Australia. The project was brought to fruition through Penfold’s partnership with Thiénot, a Champagne house that owns Dourthe in Bordeaux.

Peter Gago, Penfolds’ chief winemaker, was delighted at a press conference in London with the imminent release of the new project, but highlighted the logistical problems in shipping a container of French wine to Australia where it was blended with the Shiraz. Both components were from the 2019 vintage, although the Shiraz was six months older due to its grapes having been harvested from vineyards located in the southern hemisphere.

Penfolds’ aim was to make wines sourced from around the world in its ‘house style’. Gago added that the key to making the wines was to have ‘ripe tannins from the start’. 

The wine is being released this month under the label ‘FWT’ (French Winemaking Trial), along with another expression that’s a Bordeaux blend which also forms part of the ‘Collection’. The objective behind this activity is to expand the Penfolds range while keeping its signature character.

Gago commented on this new release, saying: ‘it is done through the Penfolds lens: we are not saying the wine is better, but done in the Penfolds way.’

This is just the beginning of the pioneering Australian brand breaking new ground. One interesting future project would be a blend of Australian Shiraz with Syrah grapes from the Northern Rhône, as the Rhône is the original heartland of Syrah, better known as Shiraz in the New World. Gago confirmed that we might not have too long to wait as a ‘project with the Rhône Valley’ is in the pipeline. 

There’s certainly a lot going on at Penfolds and we’re excited to learn what the next new innovative launch looks like.

Read more about Penfolds’ recent made in China project here.

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Heatwave Provokes Bordeaux Fires

Fire near lake in Bordeaux region

The UK recorded some of the highest temperatures on record at over 40°C on the 20th of July and fires broke out across England. For the WineCap team that was in Bordeaux at the time, it was an all too familiar scene.

France, like other countries on the continent, has endured sweltering temperatures in recent weeks. The combination of the mercury rising and the tinder-dry ground have provided the perfect conditions for forest fires which have ravaged large parts of South and South-West France since the 12th of July. Around Bordeaux, over 6,500 hectares have already been burnt in the Landiras commune and over 3,000 have been scorched in La Teste de Buch according to the Copernicus website.

While no vineyards have been directly affected yet, the fires have come too close for comfort for some producers. Loic Pasquet, owner of Liber Pater, based in the previously mentioned Landiras commune just North-West of Sauternes, revealed that a fire had come almost within 500m of his vines. Fortunately, it has now been fought back to 7km away.

Some 2,000 firemen and a combination of sea planes and water bombers have been battling the blazes in the region. This, combined with temperatures dropping from 41°C to ten degrees cooler, has provided a much needed respite and the forces are currently optimistic that they will be able to contain the fires unless circumstances change.        

Although Bordeaux has experienced large scale fires before – in 1949 and 1989 – none have been as severe as these. For wine lovers, the risk of fires and smoke taint affecting wineries and grapes is something that they’ll probably have read about most with California wines. In 2020, Napa’s ‘Glass Fire’ caused wineries Cain, Newton and Behrens Family on Spring Mountain to suffer complete losses.

It’s too early to tell in Bordeaux if smoke taint has affected grapes and therefore the 2022 vintage. Producers who think their vineyards may have come into contact with the smoke are being urged to take samples and perform tests. The mood in Bordeaux remains optimistic, but with the August and September months still to go before harvest, we’re sure many producers are keeping everything crossed.

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WineCap in Forbes Advisor

Wine bottle necks

WineCap CEO Alexander Westgarth spoke to Forbes Advisor’s Andrew Michael about wine investment’s benefits and long-term performance. Below is a summary of the ‘How to Invest in Wine’ article which you can read in full here.

2021 was a good year for wine investment, as reported by Knight Frank’s Wealth Report released earlier this year. In fact, fine wine shared the top spot in the ‘alternative investments’ category with collectible watches. Both delivered a 16% return over the course of a year.

More and more money is being invested in the wine market. Alexander Westgarth highlighted fine wine’s solid and consistent returns over the past 15 years, with compound annual growth of 8% and some regions, such as Burgundy, delivering 12.5%.

In the current economic climate, traditional asset classes, including stocks and shares, aren’t performing as well as they historically have. The US stock market has entered a ‘bear market’ and is down 20% since January this year.

More and more investors are considering tangible assets as they are less likely to be affected by market fluctuations.

Mr Westgarth commented that ‘wine is a low-stress investment that doesn’t require constant attention, or frequent trading in and out of.’

Other advantages of investing in wine and advice include:

– There is no capital gains tax to pay on profits. HMRC classifies wine as a ‘wasting asset’ as it determines the wines to have a lifespan of fewer than 50 years.

– Think about working with a reliable investment specialist that can build a portfolio for you, manage storage and insurance, keep you updated with valuations and advice and eventually manage the sale of your investment.

– Consider an initial investment of between £5,000 and £25,000. Even at the lower end, you can start building a portfolio with exposure to different wine regions.

Want to find out more about how to get started investing in wine? Download our free guide here.