Description

The 2022 Burgundy wines are moreish. The wines are elegant, juicy and balanced. Many of them will be approachable right from the start, even if the very best look to be highly age-worthy. And luckily, the vintage was generous overall.

Prices will be the key for the 2022s. Consumers everywhere are beginning to show resistance toward Burgundy’s escalation of prices, in retail and at auction. While some producers indicate they may hold or even lower prices for the 2022 vintage, we will have to see what the importers, distributors and agents do with their pricing, too. Even regional wines now typically look disproportionately expensive to the same quality wines from other regions. Plus, as Burgundy flails in the secondary market, buyers should be aware that truly reliable resale value is held in only a handful of names. If you buy Burgundy today, it’s best to buy to drink it.

Beaune may have been a backwater town twenty years ago, but today it hosts the jet set. It’s cleaned up well, even if some of the glamorousness feels a bit awkward and forced. If you plan to visit, be sure to set up tastings in advance. Fewer vignerons receive consumers today.

I spent three-and-a-half weeks in Burgundy in the summer and fall of 2023 to compile the research for this 164-page report, personally visiting 140 producers and tasting 1,885 wines. Eighty pages of the report—almost half— are dedicated to tasting notes of the 652 wines rated 94 points or above. And don’t miss my 120 Favorite Value Wines highlighted in the A to Z list.

The report begins with close-up view on the style and quality of the 2022 vintage. Then I dissect the differences in the two colours by sub-region and offer comparisons to other recent vintages. There are “Top Producer” rankings, a list of best importers in the UK and US and a new list of restaurants organized by area. There is the annual parade of vintners’ portraits—including many of their canine companions.

Christy Canterbury MW