Eastern France

Following on from my summary of the 2022 Vintage in Bordeaux, here are a few notes on this year's harvest in Champagne, Burgundy and Rhône.

Champagne

As a starting point, I refer back to an FT article in December last year that highlighted the price of vintage Champagne had increased by 33.7% since the beginning of 2021: usually prices in this sector rise by between 8% and 10% on an annual basis.

Led by demand for top brands such as Roederer's Cristal, LVHM's Dom Perignon and Krug, Laurent-Perrier's Salon, and a few more rarities, there seems to be an enhanced demand for these highly priced brews that are in short supply.

However, back to the 2022. According to Champagne's trade body, CIVC, "The year 2022 has turned out to be a 'solar' Champagne vintage, yielding substantial volume, with a quick and easy winegrowing season and perfectly healthy grapes."

Like every other wine region in Europe, the harvest arrived much earlier than usual, with the seventh year since the warm 2003 harvest when picking had started in August. Fitou, an appellation in Languedoc-Rousillon, started their harvest in July.

Researching comments from individual Houses - both large players and individual small producers - seems to follow the same line: healthy grapes, substantial volume, an excellent vintage for Champagne. "As good as it gets", was how one winemaker summed up this vintage. The yield per hectare was also the highest ever allowed in this region, demonstrating that weather conditions had been close to perfect.

Demand for Champagne has recovered well after COVID, with the largest player, LVMH - who owns not only Dom Perignon and Krug, but also Veuve Clicquot and Moët - seeing growth of 28% in the first half of 2022.

Stocks have been partially replenished following the frost-hit 2021 vintage, demand seems to be increasing for the premium products, and when the 2022 vintage is released later this decade, I expect prices will have risen considerably.

Of course, there is the alternative of English Sparkling Wine, but more on that subject next week .....

Pruning in Champagne: a monotonous task.

Burgundy

Again, from Brugundy's trade association, BIVB, "after historically low volumes in 2021, followed by some tricky weather during the growth cycle, the 2022 vintage is proving to be a pleasant surprise, and one that combines both quality and quantity".

However, the season was far from straightforward. Low temperatures in April caused major concerns about another widespread frost across the region, and then a significant turn-around as the thermometer headed north and flowering arrived two weeks ahead of the average. Thunderstorms in late June, followed by an extremely hot and dry summer.

Picking started on 16th August, and everything had been harvested across the region by the third week in September.

The BIVB added regarding the quality, ‘The potential is there to make 2022 a great vintage indeed. With beautiful balance, perfect health, and wonderful colour extraction, it would be unreasonable to ask for more.’ Growers such as Faiveley and Bouchard have also been very positive about the vintage's quality.

It looks very good to potentially great.

Prices in Burgundy have been rising at an alarming rate over the last decade. Corton-Charlemagne from Bonneau du Martray used to cost around £80 per bottle a decade ago for a young vintage still needing another decade before it was ready to drink. In late 2022, a similar young vintage, still needing time before the cork is pulled, is now listed around the £400 per bottle mark.

I agree, this example is at the top end of the quality spectrum, but prices have increased proportionally across all levels: finding inexpensive, good quality White Burgundy is a real challenge. Hence, the need to source Chardonnay from other regions around the world for everyday drinking - more on that topic over the coming months.

Summer vines ripening.

Rhône

"This vintage will be very high quality", states Joël Durand, Co-President of AOC Saint-Joseph. Quotes from both the Northern and Southern Rhône seem to agree with this appraisal.

In terms of wines to buy, I think Grenache based Gigondas and Vacqueyras will mature quickly, be very ripe and approachable as soon as they are bottled, as will the middle-ranking wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape that will show early potential. The whites from St-Péray will probably be outstanding - Tardieu-Laurent and Domaine du Tunnel spring to mind - with Hermitage Blanc and Condrieu needing time, but not too much, to evolve into exquisite examples of this warm vintage. As one grower from Condrieu stated, “2022 is a precocious vintage with a  fairly low, but balanced, acidity and the alcohol has remained typical. Floral and fruity, the wines are now completing fermentation and are expected to be lush and accessible.”

I think there might be a number of good value wines from the Rhône's 2022 vintage: very high quality with a sensible price tag. We'll see!

Northern Rhône - light snow on a February morning.

Argentina

As a footnote, on the other side of the world and on the other side of the equator, Mendoza in Argentina has been hit by frosts that have impacted between 50% and 75% of all vineyards in the region. This level of frost has not been seen for several decades: expect a very small crop for Argentina's 2023 vintage that will be picked from late February onwards.