This is the 40th year I have tasted barrel samples in Bordeaux, but I have never come across anything like the 2022 vintage. It was one of the hottest and driest growing seasons in the history of France’s most famous wine region, yet it produced thousands of opulent and structured but still fresh and balanced wines. - James Suckling
Our Bordeaux 2022 En Primeur* campaign is about to launch, so we are once again opening up registrations to receive offers on what promises to be a surprisingly balanced and fresh vintage! We are expecting the first tranche of releases sometime next week (hopefully), and, after reading the report from the Bordeaux University, we must say we are VERY excited to see the offers.
P.S.: If you want to read the report, you can find it here. Although a bit dry, it is very informative!
*What is the En Primeur System?
En Primeur, also known as "wine futures," is a system for purchasing Bordeaux wines before they are bottled and released to the market. The En Primeur system typically occurs between April and June each year, following the previous year's harvest. During this period, wine merchants, importers, and journalists are invited to taste and evaluate the new vintage wines from Bordeaux. Based on their assessments, the Châteaux release their wines for sale, with buyers able to purchase the wines at a discounted price. The En Primeur system is particularly popular for Bordeaux's top wines, such as those from the first growths of the 1855 Classification, as these wines are often in high demand and have limited availability. The En Primeur system allows buyers to secure their allocation of these wines before they are released to the wider market, and at a potentially lower price than what they would pay later on.