Bordeaux 2022: The Wine Advocate’s 100 pointers

The last of the major critics, William Kelley of Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate has published his in-bottle report for Bordeaux 2022. It’s clear to us that 2022 is a remarkable, standout vintage, a modern day 1961 or 1982. William concurs, “the very best 2022 Bordeaux are wines that everyone is going to want to have in their glass—no matter the price.”

He has awarded the coveted 100 points to ten wines: La Conseillante, Figeac, Lafite Rothschild, Montrose, Pichon Comtesse, Les Carmes Haut Brion, Troplong Mondot, Leoville Las Cases, Lafleur and Canon. These are all deserving of this accolade; contemporary masterpieces from a vintage we are sure will go down in history as one of Bordeaux’s finest.

Château Canon, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion, 2022 - "The 2022 Canon has turned out brilliantly in bottle. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet raspberries, wild berries and cherries mingled with hints of violets, pencil shavings, black truffle and rose petals, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a dense, enveloping core of fruit underpinned by a chassis of sweet, suave tannins, concluding with a long, saline finish. This is one of the most muscular, broad-shouldered vintages of Canon in recent years, but it retains every bit of its limestone-driven identity. As I wrote two years ago, this is an estate that is delivering its greatest run of vintages since the superb Post War series that preceded the frosts of 1956, and the 2022 is indeed reminiscent of a modern day version of one of those great years." William Kelley

Château Figeac, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion, 2022 - "The 2022 Figeac is one of the wines of the vintage. Unfurling in the glass with a deep and complex bouquet of dark berries and cassis mingled with hints of violet, pencil lead, mint and cigar wrapper, it's medium to full-bodied, dense and concentrated, with striking intensity and sweetness of fruit married with unerring precision and energy, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. Abundant but exquisitely filigreed tannins lend a sense of classicism and proportion to a wine that might otherwise be flamboyant. As I wrote from barrel, it's the quintessential Figeac, testament to the late Thierry Manoncourt's vision to plant such a large proportion of Cabernet, and on drought-resistant rootstocks. Such is the inherent complexity of Figeac's terroirs that harvest took place sub-block by sub-block between September 1st and 25th. Could the result be a contemporary version of the estate's magical 1949?" William Kelley

Château La Conseillante, Pomerol, 2022 - "The 2022 La Conseillante is just as exquisite in bottle as it was en primeur. Wafting from the glass with an exotic bouquet of mulberries, black raspberries and plums mingled with notions of black truffle, burning embers, violets, mint and licorice, it's full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, with a fleshy, even unctuous core of fruit underpinned by a broad chassis of sweet, powdery and perfectly integrated tannin. This is the most lavish, sensual La Conseillante of the last decade, with the most texture and density, yet it remains unerringly precise and harmonious. It's a blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc." William Kelley

Château Lafite Rothschild, 1er Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2022 - "In bottle, the 2022 Lafite Rothschild has turned out even better than I anticipated. Wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, minty blackcurrants, violets and cigar box, it's medium to full-bodied, velvety and suave, with a deep, enveloping core of lively fruit, beautifully refined tannins, and a long, perfumed finish. Even at this early stage, it's remarkably integrated and harmonious, and it's certainly the most elegant of the first growths this year, reminding me of a modern-day version of Lafite's magical 1953." William Kelley

Château Léoville Las Cases, 2ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2022 - "The 2022 Léoville Las Cases is just as remarkable in bottle as it was from barrel. Wafting from the glass with aromas of beautifully pure cassis fruit mingled with notions of violets, burning embers and subtle cigar box, it has already almost entirely integrated its new oak. Full-bodied, dense and layered, it's deep and resonant, with striking concentration, precision and harmony, concluding with a long, palate-staining finish. This striking Saint-Julien really is one of the wines of the vintage, and the best young Léoville Las Cases I've ever tasted." William Kelley

Château Les Carmes Haut Brion, Pessac Léognan, 2022 - The 2022 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is the finest wine bottled to date at this estate under Patrice Pichet's ownership and Guillaume Pouthier's direction. Unfurling from the glass with aromas of violet, iris, dark wild berries, pencil lead and mulberries, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated with a deep core of fruit beautifully framed by velvety, precise tannins, segueing into a long, saline and perfumed finish. Suave and harmonious, it was crafted with 70% whole bunches and matured in 70% new oak. This unconventional blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot represents a turning point for the estate, cementing its rapid ascendancy in the Bordeaux firmament. William Kelley

Château Montrose, 2ème Cru Classé, St Estèphe, 2022 - "From barrel, I wrote that 2022 Montrose was so compelling that assigning it a bracketed score seemed a mere formality, and so it has proven. Unwinding in the glass with a deep and brooding bouquet of cassis, wild blueberries, violets, pencil shavings and burning embers, it's full-bodied, deep and dense, somehow marrying all the tannic authority that has long been such a signature of Montrose with a suavity and purity that represents the quintessence of contemporary Bordeaux. The broad, palate-staining finish lasts for more than a minute. This is a profound young wine that readers aren't going to want to miss." William Kelley

Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, 2ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2022 - "The 2022 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has turned out even better in bottle than I anticipated, bursting from the glass with aromas of cassis and blackberries mingled with scents of licorice, violets and pencil shavings. Full-bodied, layered and enveloping, it's suave, seamless and complete, with faultless precision, pristine integration of tannin, controlled sweetness and a long, expansive finish. The 2022 manages to unite the sensuality that's the estate's calling card and the ripeness of the vintage on the one hand, with a sense of Pauillac classicism on the other, threading the needle to deliver one of the finest wines of the vintage and a benchmark Pichon Comtesse. It's a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in barriques (three months more than was formerly the case), two-thirds of which were new. As I wrote en primeur, there's more than a hint of the 1982 about this wine, and like the 1982, the 2022 will offer an exceptionally wide drinking window." William Kelley

Château Troplong Mondot, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion, 2022 - "The 2022 Troplong Mondot has turned out brilliantly in bottle. Wafting from the glass with aromas of mulberries and blackberries mingled with notions of licorice, rose petals, incense and pencil shavings, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with huge mid-palate volume, superb integration and an ineffable sense of completeness. This site always delivers power, but I've never tasted a Troplong that's simultaneously quite so powerful or quite so harmonious and suave. Concluding with a broad, violet-inflected finish, the 2022 represents the essence of this remarkable site." William Kelley