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Five days Bordeaux-Primeurs. grueling job! Taste after taste. Castle after castle. Castle hopping. Usually every hour. A total of 20 wineries were visited. 170 wine tastings This requires a high level of planning. A thousand thanks to Philippe Ritschard from the Ritschard wine shop in Interlaken. parentheses are closed. And what is the result after these 22er impressions?
Inexplicable freshness in the hot year
2022 will be a harvest of legends! Even the vineyards cannot explain this freshness in a hot, sunny (as they say in Bordeaux) year. If you pull the glorified numbers of 1947 and 1949 out of the clothes box for comparison, you know: Big things have happened!
Seven wines have the potential of 100 Parker points
On Friday, April 28, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate’s new star taster William Kelley, who also oversees Burgundy, released his ratings along with the team’s new man, Yohan Castaing. It endorses seven wines that have the potential to score 100 out of 100: Canon, Les Carmes Haut Brion, Montrose, Figeac, Léoville Las Cases, Troplong Mondot and La Conseillante. It coincides with the author’s experience: La Conseillante! For comparison: it was a single, lone 100-point wine for the 2021 vintage – Ausone. Also seven for 2020. There were even eleven in 2016.
Harvest cooled in record time
The question arises: How do Bağcılar explain the extraordinary result despite the great heat? We asked around. “Unlike the hot 2003, the nights were relatively cool, which was extremely beneficial for the vines,” says Dominique Arangoïts, head coach of Château Cos d’Estournel. “And the vintage didn’t hit the record for hot days above 40 degrees of 1947 and 1949, either. And finally, the grapes are now chilled within five to eight minutes of being harvested.”
Another factor is how we deal with hot weather: Incredible Since 2003, there have been warm years on a regular basis. Bağcılar got used to it and adapted. Grapes are now unconditionally early harvested. “This time the launch took place on September 7,” says Arangoïts. The grapes would have reached 100% phenolic maturity. Traditionally, the harvest on Kos begins between September 15-20.
The vines quickly responded to the lack of water
Jérôme Poisson, general Régisseur at Château Giscours, also highlights this vegetation: “The thing that made the vintage stand out was that it was early. It was very hot very early, so everything went much faster than usual.” However, this also helped the vines in a certain respect, according to Nicolas Corporandy, head of cultivation at Château Cheval Blanc: “As soon as it started to sprout, there was no more water, so the vines could get used to it. this shortcoming. They reacted accordingly and produced smaller fruits, fewer shoots and fewer leaves.”
Speaking of heat: Antoine Gimbert, Export Manager of Château Léoville Las Cases, briefly explains what the biggest challenge of 2022 is: “Preventing the sunstroke of the grapes.” Bağcılar managed to do this with few exceptions, especially since there was no real solar attack like in 2003.
One of the best wines for many winemakers
Cantenac-Brown’s managing director and winemaker José Sanfins considers the 22nd to be the finest vintage the chateau has ever bottled. “2022 is a great vineyard and is the hallmark of all great vineyards: Wines are accessible and drinkable early. They will stay that way in the medium term, but they have a near-infinite life ahead of them.” It’s not a ‘mouth-to-mouth’ vintage, Sanfins continues. “The wines are probably very intense, but very subtle.”
The same evaluation is made for Cheval Blanc. “2022 is one of Cheval Blanc’s truly great crops,” believes the cult’s minister of culture. “In any case, we were surprised at how beautiful the material was at the harvest, because it was so early that everything was out of balance. But of course we were very careful beforehand.”
“You have everything in the 2022 vintage, and more than that!”
The closing words of Charly Lassus, Technical Director of Château La Conseillante, one of the team members who create a simply perfect wine: “In the 2022 harvest, you have it all, a lot!”
Important to know: At Primeurs, wines are tasted in their present, temporary form. Samples are taken in advance. But the wines are still waiting to be bottled at the barricades. However, it is the finished cuvés presented.
Château Cos d’Estournel: the best mansion in “Switzerland”
For us Swiss Cos is a special case in that the winery (like a few others) is owned by a Swiss, Michel Reybier. Known as “Roi du Saucisson” in France, the man, even in his old age, is unstoppable and takes care of many things in his empire himself, until he sells his meat-processing companies and uses his income to buy Cos, among other things. The Frenchman lives in Geneva and is active in Switzerland. He owns some of the most iconic Swiss hotels, including Victoria-Jungfrau in Interlaken, Bellevue Palace in Bern, La Réserve in Geneva and Mont-Cervin in Zermatt. In addition, as the largest private clinic operator with 75 companies, it is the most important player in the Swiss healthcare system.
In 2000, he bought the famous product with an elephant on the label. In 2005 he had a new winery built, which has been in operation since 2008. It acquired neighboring property Cos Labory in March 2023. “We wanted to preserve the unity of Kos. And keep the estate independent. However, Cos d’Estournel and Cos Labory remain two hundred percent separate wineries,” Reybier tells Blick. Kos wines:
- G d’Estournel: 17.5/20
- Kos Pagodas: 18/20
- For Estournel: Wide, deep but at the same time restrained nose, dark berries such as blackberry, chocolate, tobacco, power, creamy, ripe tannins, minimal green touch, ethereal, filling everything, full, concentrated, endlessly long finish. Rating: 19.5/20 – a truly elephant-like wine!
- Charme de Cos Labory: 17.25/20
- Because Labor: 17.25/20
- Pagodes de Cos white: 17/20
Château Smith Haut Lafitte: on the way to the absolute top
Smith Haut Lafitte is different from other chateaux in Bordeaux. The only thing that represents this is the complex’s style, which includes a lot of wood. Of course, the history here is also very old, the beginning of viticulture goes back to the 14th century. However, the property got its name in the 18th century when a Scottish vintner named George Smith bought it and named it after himself.
In 1990, Daniel and Florence Cathiard bought it after selling their multi-billion dollar wholesale business. They’ve taken the site to a whole different level, building a five-star resort that includes the best restaurant. For 28 years, one name has represented wines: Fabien Teitgen, Bordeaux wine legend, director, agronomist and wine expert in personal union. 53 years old, gray hair, black jacket with ponytail and skull buckle. He defines 2022 as a year in which man has to constantly fight the sun. His most important weapon: to do nothing! “We left the leaves on the vines, as usual, we didn’t cut anything. So we can sort of preserve the grapes.” What about the sun-seekers? Teitgen: “They didn’t take part in this race and were eliminated.”
Teitgen likes to play with crisp, fresh and sometimes even slightly bitter tannins. “They give freshness to the wine. But this requires the best ripeness of the fruit.» Since it has such a material, it is also capable of fermenting a quarter-bundle full-bundle. “The brown stems go into the juice after being pressed. Not the green ones, or the wine would be undrinkable.”
These freshness cures have shown impressive results in recent years. And the newest vintage is already the best. Owner Florence Cathiard says during her in-flight visit to Blick’s private tasting: “Border readers always say the last baby is the best. We think so at Smith.
- Le Thil Comte Clary: 17.25/20
- Les Hauts de Smith Haut Lafitte: 17.75/20
- Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte: 18/20
- Smith Haut Lafitte: Wonderfully complex nose, very fresh, slightly medicinal, spicy, tremendous depth, ethereal, creamy, soft, present tannins, lots of power, fills everything, top length. It has great potential, which is eventually supported by the return of tannins. Score: 19.5/20
- Les Hauts de Smith Haut Lafitte white: 18.25/20
- Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte white: 18,5/20
- Smith Haut Lafitte white (90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% each Sauvignon Gros and Sémillon): Crazy nose that has it all; Depth, power, extremely delicate, almost no acidity, minimal tannins, ethereal, mouth-filling, endless length, starting with beeswax, floral aromas, many fruit, citrus, apple and pineapple notes. What a white Smith! Score: 19.75/20
Source : Blick
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
