The growing season.

2022 in Burgundy followed the warm, dry pattern that has become the new normal. Bud break was early. Flowering was clean and even. There were heat spikes in July and August, but the vines that had survived 2020 and 2021 had adapted — root systems were deeper, canopies were managed more conservatively, and the better growers had learned to leave more leaves on the south side of the rows.

Yields were close to normal. There was no widespread frost. The biggest concern late in the summer was hydric stress in the youngest vineyards, but a series of late-August thunderstorms relieved that and the harvest came in healthy.

The whites.

Better than 2020 and considerably more vibrant than 2018. The Côte de Beaune produced wines with real energy — Puligny is in good form, Chassagne is a touch riper, and the unsung villages (Saint-Aubin, Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses) are the value play of the year. Acidities are higher than expected given the warm summer, the result of harvests starting earlier and growers picking on freshness.

Buy widely. Drink the village wines from 2024 to 2030, the premiers crus from 2026 to 2034, and the grands crus from 2028 onward.

The reds.

Mid-weight, fragrant, deeply Pinot. 2022 will not be remembered as a great vintage like 2015 or 2019, but it will be remembered as a vintage you actually want to drink. The wines are not concentrated — they’re balanced. Tannins are integrated. Alcohols are moderate by recent standards (most village wines came in between 13 and 13.5%).

The Côte de Nuits did slightly better than the Côte de Beaune, particularly Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, and Chambolle-Musigny. Volnay and Pommard are good but riper than usual.

What we recommend.

Drink the village wines now and over the next three years. Hold the 1ers crus for five to eight. Cellar the grands crus for ten to twenty. Don’t expect the wines to need decades — 2022 isn’t 2010 — but they’ll evolve gracefully.

Producers we’re working with most enthusiastically out of 2022: Hubert Lamy in Saint-Aubin, Sylvain Pataille in Marsannay, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, and on the red side, Pataille (again), Faiveley in Mercurey, and Marquis d’Angerville in Volnay.

Pricing.

Burgundy is not getting cheaper. 2022 prices are up 8 to 12% over 2021 across most growers, with the more allocated names rising more steeply. Buy the village wines and 1ers crus where you can — the gap between a good village from a great producer and a grand cru from an average producer keeps closing in the village’s favor.

Tasted on the road: Saint-Aubin, Beaune, Vosne-Romanée, Gevrey-Chambertin · October 2025 · approximately 200 cuvées across 18 domaines.