An Early Look at 2022 Vintage Loire Valley Cabernet Franc
No.36 | Regional Reporting
Some numbers, some caveats, some impressions.
As more and more 2022 Cabernet Francs are making their way through distribution channels and onto retail shelves, I am buying and tasting as many examples as I can in an effort to wrap my head around this vintage and its wines. Yet another (!!) warm, sunny and dry year, by all accounts 2022 is deemed by many to be a very good, if not excellent vintage for Loire Valley Cabernet Franc, particularly if you are a fan of riper styles from the region. But as vintages like these are seemingly becoming the “new normal,” what I am curious about is how does 2022 then compare to similar warm/sunny/dry vintages like 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015, 2010, 2009, 2005, 2003 etc., and what can we expect from the 2022s as they mature.
On paper, 2022 was the warmest, sunniest and driest vintage on record in the last thirty years.
Some Numbers
The total heat accumulation during the growing season in 2022 surpassed both 2018 and 2003, the second and third warmest years s…