Bordeaux's 2022 vintage marks a welcome turnaround following the 2021 offerings; while 2021’s crop was meager and heterogeneous, producing wines of more narrow scale, 2022’s warm and dry growing season led to expressive wines with generous fruit notes. This fantastic vintage is yielding impressive bottlings. While the well-known top names typically carry steep price tags, exceptional vintages such as 2022 also provide value. The wines from prestigious regions like the Right Bank's St.-Emilion, Bordeaux’s largest major AOC, are prime hunting grounds, as our latest Tasting Highlights shows. (For even more reviews of 2022 Bordeaux reds, check out our Jan. 22 special Insider edition.)
Due to its size, St.-Emilion is diverse and ambitious in both quality and innovation. In the 1990s, the attention given to its boutique, powerhouse “garagiste” style convinced many local winemakers to follow the trend. This wave had outward and inward effects: At its start, the Right Bank’s garagiste movement initially challenged the rest of Bordeaux to step up its game and modernize. But later on, it was forced to look itself in the mirror and rethink its approach, as the prevailing style—which relied on extraction and power—resulted in many wines that did not stand the test of time.
This lineup includes Château Côte de Baleau's St.-Emilion 2022, the top scorer, which is stylish with dark fruit, chestnut and violet notes. Read on to get our score and full expert tasting note for this fantastic Bordeaux red wine and six others.
Tasting Highlights' wine reviews are fresh out of the tasting room, offering a sneak peek of our editors' most recent ratings—including scores and full tasting notes—to WineSpectator.com members.
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