Climbing the Cru Hill in 2022

The cru hill seems steeper than usual with the 2022s, meaning that there is a significant difference in intensity and concentration as we climb from regional to village to 1er cru, etc.

The ’22 reds can be charming and forward, and some early-bottled wines I’ve tasted maintain this lovely energy. We can only hope this will continue once all are bottled.

That said, I’m finding a tendency in some of the lesser wines to lack energy and core palate intensity. It’s like they have a weakness in the mid-palate resulting in a lack of energy and tension. Some of this is due to low acidity, but also a lack of full phenolic ripeness really damages some of the lesser and less good wines.

This could be related to the relatively ample yields, the frequently weak acidity, and the lack of true terroir impression to support the wine. I have noticed this tendency with even quite prominent producers.

When it’s a big village, a 1er or a grand cru, then the terroir expression tends to strengthen the intensity of the core palate and reduce, or even eliminate, this problem.

The contrast of vintages

Let’s face it: 2022 is not the biggest, most powerful vintage of the century; it’s quite cool and somewhat light-footed.

The top crus get their intensity from their terroirs, but tasting a ’22 village after a 2020 of the same level can be quite revealing, and could lead to disappointment. That said, it’s also true that the ’20s that are unusually powerful, not that the 2022s are weak or lean!

Of recent vintages, 2018, 2019, and 2020 are quite intense and powerful. So be careful when comparing the lesser ’22s with these more powerful vintages. And as said, this is less of an issue with the bigger terroirs.

But to sum up: It is not realistic to harvest 50 hectolitres/hectare in 2022 if the terroir is modest and the phenolic ripeness is low and expect wonders. Sorry: it does not work!