We’re pleased to offer the potentially perfect 2022 vintage from a Pessac Leognan property that has been “firing on all cylinders” of late, Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion - “This is a magical terroir…believe the hype” (Jeb Dunnuck). Located right in Pessac (across from Haut Brion), the property changed hands in 2011 and has undergone extensive upgrades including a massive renovation of the winemaking facilities and an expansion of vineyard holdings. It has been farmed organically since 2009 and has the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc on the Left Bank, at around 45% of plantings, with the rest 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, set across two gravel, clay and sandy soil slopes. The wine is now better than ever, and the 2022 is one of our picks for wine of the vintage. Not to be missed!
We are delighted to see the release of one of the most popular wines in Saint Julien, the 2nd Growth Château Léoville-Poyferré. Located at the Northern end of Saint Julien, not far from the Pauillac border, Chateau Léoville Poyferré consistently produces one of the most charming wines on the Left Bank. The estate dates back to 1638, originally part of the larger Léoville property. It was passed on to the Las Cases family, and then through marriage to Baron de Poyferré. It was finally acquired by the Cuvelier family in 1920, and has been managed by them ever since, currently under the guidance of Sara Lecomte Cuvelier, who took over in 2018. Poyferré has a loyal following, and for good reason, it is a very consistent performer, an affordable Saint-Julien, and always a joy to drink!
One of the legends from Pauillac, Château Lynch-Bages, have just released their 2022 Grand Vin. Lynch-Bages is one of the best-known Médoc estates and has always had a particularly strong following. Owned in the 18th Century by Irishman Thomas Lynch, since 1973 it has been owned by Jean-Michel Cazes and is now run by his son, Jean-Charles. The 2022 is stellar and it is the third vintage to have been made in their state of the art new cellars.
Chateau Larcis Ducasse is located on one of Bordeaux's finest strips of terroir - the Cote Pavie. Here, this 25-acre property abuts the 1er Grand Cru Classé Chateau Pavie estate. The vines are planted on an eclectic range of soils - alluvial sand deposits, clay, chalk and limestone. The vines, as one would expect for that part of the world, are predominately Merlot along with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It was another standout for us en primeur and is poised to earn 100 points from Jeb Dunnuck and potentially others.
Released this morning from Margaux is Château Lascombes. One of the classic second growths of the 1855 classification and named after the Chevalier de Lascombes, its terroir is made up of forty of the best plots in Margaux, and significant investment has gone into the wine production since 2001. It was a standout from barrel when we tasted this April.
The ever-popular Pessac Leognan property, Chateau Pape Clement, have also released their red and white 2022s today. The famous property has one of the oldest documented histories of any Bordeaux vineyard, having been planted in 1300 by Bernard de Groth, the future Pope Clément V. The quality of the wines at Pape Clément slipped in the 1960s and 70s, largely because of under-investment. Bernard Magrez took over ownership in 1980 and he turned Pape Clément's fortunes around. He introduced more rigorous selection in the vineyards, as well as installing stainless steel vats and raising the percentage of new oak casks used in the maturation process. The wines are now regarded as some of the very best in Bordeaux, and the 2022s are no exception.
Lastly a stunning St. Emilion released on to the market today is Château Clos Fourtet which excelled in the 2022 growing conditions and produced a masterful wine packed full of character and class. It has been universally praised by the critics and is definitely up there with the crème de la crème of St. Emilion. Available at a fraction of the price of Ausone, Cheval Blanc and Pavie, it's a wine to tuck away in the cellar and enjoy over the coming decades.
Don't miss this opportunity to secure your stock at the opening prices.
Our 2022 Bordeaux Vintage Report is now available, and as always, our 2022 Futures Landing Page is updated with the new releases each day, and includes our Wines of the Vintage, Standout Mid-Range Wines, Over-Achievers and Value Drinkers. We'll continue sending offers on the most compelling wines as they are released...stay tuned!
"2022 is certainly the greatest overall vintage I have ever tasted." - Andy Lench of Bordeaux Wine Locators on his 37th vintage tasted en primeur.
"This is the 40th year I have tasted barrel samples in Bordeaux, but I have never come across anything like the 2022 vintage. It was one of the hottest and driest growing seasons in the history of France’s most famous wine region, yet it produced thousands of opulent and structured but still fresh and balanced wines. They are exciting...it was a joyous and fascinating experience to taste so many special wines. And there was high quality from top to bottom. The 2022 vintage really is something unique." - James Suckling
2022 Les Carmes Haut Brion (Pessac Leognan)
GVWM Wine of the Vintage & Over-Achiever
99-100 WA / 98-100 VM / 98-100 JD / 97-99 WI / 97-98 JS / 98 DE / 96 JA
The remarkable 2022 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a strong candidate for the title of wine of the vintage. It's also one of the most singular, characterful wines being produced in the region today. Unfurling in the glass with complex aromas of blackberries and cherries mingled with notions of exotic spices, orange zest, pencil lead, rose petals and vine smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a velvety attack that segues into a layered, seamless and multidimensional mid-palate framed by rich, powdery tannins. Pure, perfumed and penetrating, this blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot is a brilliant success that caps a decade of relentless work by Guillaume Pouthier and his team that have seen Les Carmes Haut-Brion emerge as one of Bordeaux's leading estates. It checks in at a mere 13.5% alcohol, with a very healthy pH of 3.64. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate
$159.89 ea. 750ml | Future | BUY NOW
See our full list of Les Carmes Haut Brion >
2022 Lynch Bages (Pauillac)
98-99 JS / 96-98+ JD / 97 DE / 97 JA / 95-97 WI / 95-97 VM / 93-96 WA
Blackcurrant and bramble fruit with savoury herbal nuances on the nose, this smells rich and potent. Tense and focussed, compact from the get go, present tannins give grip and hold. This is definitely not out to charm, more serious, stern and focussed but there's such overall precision. This is in high definition, supremely controlled and well worked with mouthfilling ripe tannins. I like the chewy aspect and there’s balancing acidity, hidden now by the density, that will sustain the wine for decades to come. Floral notes and some minerality come through giving the nuance so it’s not all heft, but there’s clear muscle on show. A long finish gives the sense of structure and style. An impressive wine. 95 IPT. 3.71pH. Ageing 18 months, 75% new oak. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 4.1 g/L total acidity. Harvest 12 September - 24 September. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter
$144.99 ea. 750ml | Future | BUY NOW
See our full list of Lynch Bages >
2022 Blanc De Lynch Bages (Bordeaux)
95 JS / 94 JA / 94 JD / 93 WI / 92 VM / 92 DE
A bright and vivid white with sliced lemon, grapefruit and mineral character. Medium to full body. Crisp acidity and a minerally finish. Lots of energy this year despite the hot and dry growing season. 67% sauvignon blanc, 22% semillon and 11% muscadelle. Drinking beautifully already. - James Suckling
$60.49 ea. 750ml | Future | BUY NOW
See our full list of Blanc De Lynch Bages >
2022 Leoville Poyferre (Saint Julien)
GVWM Standout Mid-Range Wine & Over-Achiever
97-100 JD / 96-98 WI / 96-97 JS / 95-97 VM / 96 JA / 96 DE / 94-96 WA
I was blown away by the 2022 Château Léoville Poyferré, which is a classic blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Harvest spanned from the 8th to the 28th of September, the vinification is in tronconique tanks (parcel by parcel), and the élevage will span 18-20 months in 80% new barrels. This inky hued beauty offers that rare mix of power and elegance and offers ample cassis and assorted blue fruits, full-bodied richness, an opulent, concentrated, yet flawlessly balanced mouthfeel, velvety tannins, and plenty of classic Saint-Julien violets, espresso roast, and crushed stone-like minerality. Despite its incredible concentration and depth, it stays beautifully balanced. In a region that seems to only talk about finesse and elegance, it's a relief to still have producers such as this producing powerful, intense, singular wines. Hats off to the Cuvelier family and their team. - Jeb Dunnuck
$116.98 ea. 750ml | Future | BUY NOW
See our full list of Leoville Poyferre >
2022 Lascombes (Margaux)
GVWM Standout Mid-Range Wine & Value Drinker
93-95 JD / 93-94 JS / 93 JA / 93 DE / 92-94+ WI
The 2022 Château Lascombes is a ripe, powerful wine that holds onto a terrific sense of purity and freshness. Black fruits, smoky oak, lead pencil, and tobacco all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a layered, elegant mouthfeel, ripe, building tannins, and a great finish. A killer bottle of wine, it’s going to benefit from short-term cellaring. Tasted twice. - Jeb Dunnuck
$87.59 ea. 750ml | Future | BUY NOW
See our full list of Lascombes >
2022 Pape Clement Rouge (Pessac Leognan)
97-98 JS / 96-98+ JD / 95-97 WI / 94-96 VM / 95 JA / 95 DE
This is a very structured 2022 with powerful tannins that run the length of the wine. Yet it’s perfumed and fresh with flowers and subtle undertones of stone. Pure. It’s full but not heavy with backbone and structure. Lots of crushed stone and currants. One of the most transparent Pape’s I have tasted. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet sauvignon. - James Suckling
$87.59 ea. 750ml | Future | BUY NOW
See our full list of Pape Clement Rouge >
2022 Pape Clement Blanc (Pessac Leognan)
98-99 JS / 94-96+ JD / 93-95 WI / 93-95 VM
The purity of fruit is really impressive here with crushed apples, pears and lemons. Some mineral and stone, too. Honeysuckle. Very clear and bright. The palate is full and very direct and focused, with a long, salty dried lemon finish and minerality. Fine phenolics at the end. 63% sauvignon blanc, 35% semillon and 2% muscadelle. - James Suckling
$134.89 ea. 750ml | Future | BUY NOW
2022 Larcis Ducasse (Saint Emilion)
GVWM Standout Mid-Range Wine
98-100 JD / 98-99 JS / 97-99 WI / 96-98 VM / 97 DE / 96 JA / 94-95 WA
Tasted on multiple occasions and one of the legendary wines in the making from this vintage, the 2022 Château Larcis Ducasse clocks in as 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc that's still resting in 55% new French oak. A hypothetical blend of the 2005 and 2018, it's a deep, powerful, opulent Saint-Emilion offering an incredible array of black cherries, blackberries, smoked tobacco, chocolate, and graphite-driven aromas and flavors. With a rich, full-bodied, expansive mouthfeel, it has ultra-fine tannins, beautiful symmetry in its tannins, acidity, and fruit, no hard edges, and a killer finish. I was lucky enough to taste this on four separate occasions and I thought it had the potential to be a perfect wine every time. - Jeb Dunnuck
$100.39 ea. 750ml | Future | BUY NOW
See our full list of Larcis Ducasse >
2022 Clos Fourtet (Saint Emilion)
98 JA / 97-98 JS / 96-98 WI / 96-98 VM / 96-98 JD / 97 DE / 94-96 WA
The 2022 Clos Fourtet is fabulous. Rich, sensual and layered, the 2022 bristles with the energy found in the best wines of the year. Clean veins of minerality frame a core of red/purplish fruit, lavender, sage, mint, rose petal and mocha. Simply put, the 2022 is a magical Clos Fourtet. This is the first vintage that incorporates fruit from what used to be Grands Murailles. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
$129.59 ea. 750ml | Future | BUY NOW
See our full list of Clos Fourtet >
2% discount for orders placed with a wire or personal check.*
Please click here to send us your order via our contact page, or call 360.350.4896 and we will be glad to assist you. (*Minimum order of $1000 for domestic wire, or $5000 for international wire. No minimum for personal check. For wines eligible for 5% case/9L discounts, maximum discount is 5%.)
Interested in a wine not on our website, or in placing a non-committed pre-order for particular 2022 Bordeaux? Click here to send us your list and we will advise as soon as the wines are available.
BOTTLING CHARGES FOR OTHER FORMATS Please note: Most Chateaux will be able to bottle your orders in the below formats. Click here or call +360.350.4896 if you are interested in any of the following options and they are not listed on our website:
375 ML - 12 x 750ml price + $40.00 per case (min. order of 12 x 375ml)
1.5 L - 12 x 750ml price + $36 per case (min. order of 6 x 1.5L)
3.0 L - 4 x 750ml price + $70 each | 6.0 L - 8 x 750ml price + $110 each
9.0 L - 12 x 750ml price + $180 each | 12.0 L - 16 x 750ml price + $210 each
15.0 L - 24 x 750ml price + $275 each | 18.0 L - 20 x 750ml price + $325 each
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Grand Vin Wine Merchants · 2950 32nd Ave SW · Suite A · Tumwater, Washington 98512 · United States (360) 350-4896
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