Barossa 2022: Run, Don’t Walk

BY ANGUS HUGHSON | AUGUST 13, 2024

Is there such a thing as a perfect vintage? Where the sun shines brightly but not too brightly, and the gods deliver just the right amount of rainfall at the perfect time? Theoretically, yes, it is possible for a particular vineyard or microclimate. But in reality, the perfect vintage is a fallacy when we describe the goings-on for any decent-sized wine region, despite what some winemakers would like you to believe. There will always be areas that are favored and others that will be cursed. This is particularly true in recent vintages, where extreme weather events are becoming more common globally. And this is the story of 2022 Barossa, an outstanding Barossa vintage that was almost perfect and only spoiled by some unsettled weather caused by La Niña that hit some parts of the region. Two thousand twenty-two is an exciting vintage in many ways. It is pulsing with palpable vibrancy, ripe acidity and energy that will surprise many with its combination of raw power, focus and purity of fruit. Two thousand twenty-two is a contrast to the previous Barossa vintages that were of immense ripeness, extracts and flavors.

The 2022 vintage story began in dark times - Southern Hemisphere Fall and Spring 2020 - when the world was on edge. Conversely, the Barossa Valley received its first decent start to the growing season in terms of rainfall since 2018, which saw the vines slowly spring back to life for the 2021 vintage. The following winter and spring saw plentiful follow-up rainfall, far above average, setting the vines up perfectly for 2022. But, before we analyze the season, it is worth diving deeper into our current understanding of the Barossa.

Views over the Barossa Valley floor from Menglers Hill.

Revisiting Barossa Terroir

The Barossa is, without a doubt, one of the new world’s leading fine wine regions. Yet, various factors over the years have given the global fine wine market a narrow perspective, obscuring much of the region’s underlying story. When Australian dry red wines were flourishing at the turn of the twentieth century, the industry pivoted towards fortified wines to appease colonial masters in London. Mature Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro vines were loaded with spirit to keep the British happy and inebriated. Then, a hundred years later, the industry built a head of steam off the back of a wealth of old vine resources. This, again, took a wrong turn, prioritizing wines with a swathe of lofty scores that delivered luscious upfront fruit without the integrity and structure to compete at the highest level, often with short drinking windows.

There is little doubt that significant damage was done, and today, the Barossa image, in some ways, still struggles for the recognition it is due. Part of this is the strong cultural bias in some circles against New World wines, suggesting that they may lack genuine terroir and the nuances provided by minute changes in climate, soil and geography. Overzealous and egotistical winemakers can erode the impact of terroir–seen around the globe, although potentially more so in the New World. But this is becoming less of a problem with more transparent wines that allow the terroir to shine. This change is elevating the wines to new heights for regions like the Barossa Valley, where there are strong and distinctive terroir influences.

Like many areas in the New World, the Barossa is seen as a singular, homogenous entity where a generic vintage rating of Shiraz quality is enough to provide a full picture for any particular year. While the villages in regions such as Barolo, Bordeaux and the Côte-d’Or are revered, and their vintage attributes are well understood by the trade and collectors, the New World wines fail to have the same in-depth analysis. Some may not deserve it, yet the case for a similar approach in Barossa is strong. Ten years ago, Barossa Australia worked with various government agencies to perform a deep dive into the Barossa, and it uncovered staggering diversity on several levels. Local vignerons have always understood the broad differences between the northern and southern Barossa Valley combined with the Eden Valley. However, this was the first time climate, soil and geographical data were combined to provide a complete picture.

The Barossa is not a small region. Although less intensively planted, it is twice the size of the Médoc, with nearly 14,000 hectares under vine. An oasis compared to its surroundings, the Barossa Ranges and vineyard altitude provide a heat shadow and draw rainfall. The territory is made up of two parallel roughly north-south valleys at differing altitudes, which are split by a low range, with higher altitudes found to the east in the Eden Valley. Of the 61 soil types found in South Australia, the Barossa Valley has 33. It offers a complex mix of multi-colored sand, loam and clays punctuated by occasional outcrops of ironstone, schist and calcareous subsoils.

Water holding capacity is vital in this warm region, as is seasonal rainfall, which averages from 300mm to 800mm annually. Rainfall generally correlates with elevation, which is higher around Greenock and particularly the Barossa Ranges, plus much of the Eden Valley. In this dry region, water holding capacity combined with seasonal rainfall is particularly important to determine the quality of sites and vintages and the suitability for different varieties. The sandy soils of Light Pass are a perfect case in point, well matched to growing high-quality Grenache but less so for Shiraz. Grenache and Mataro are also better suited to hotter, drier conditions and excel in more challenging vintages for Shiraz. As such, these varieties can be the standouts for any vintage and are likely to become more common with warmer temperatures.

Superimposed over the impacts of rainfall and the soil’s water-holding capacity is the complex geography and effects of altitude on growing season temperatures, another critical component that underpins the quality of the Barossa’s various terroirs.

The Eden and Barossa Valleys have a noticeable difference in altitude and temperature. Altitude ranges from 120 meters to 540 meters, but on average, the vineyards in the Eden Valley are only 100 meters higher than those on the valley floor. Combined with geography, this translates to a mean January temperature range of 16 to 20 degrees Celsius (61 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit) across the Barossa zone. To give this some perspective, it is comparable to a single region enjoying temperatures of both Bordeaux and Bandol. This significant temperature variability will undoubtedly surprise many, with soils adding further nuances. Arguably, few fine wine regions offer such a wide variability of conditions over such a relatively small area.

Given the complexity of the region and increasing recognition that Barossa Grenache and Mourvèdre can be of exceptional quality, it is time to reconsider how vintages are evaluated. This means assessing a vintage at a sub-regional level as well as exploring quality across different varietals. As with all vintage ratings, hundreds of words can never fully encapsulate the complexity of terroir and season, and these highlights of grape variety and sub-region are only ever generalizations. Inevitably, some top winemakers will overperform with what nature has provided them. In contrast, others will fail to maximize the season's potential due to overambitious yields, picking decisions, commercial aspirations or mismanagement. In addition, most wines produced here are blends. However, for the trade and true fans of the Barossa, a greater understanding of sub-regional vintage quality and various weather events can help illuminate the finest wines.

Frosty Barossa Winter mornings with frost fans ready for action.

The Low Down on 2022

As mentioned earlier, the start of the 2022 growing season was the best in many years. Plenty of soil moisture set up the vines perfectly for yield and quality. However, a number of significant events hit some areas hard while others enjoyed an outstanding season.   

Mid-October saw frost across the Northern Barossa and Western Barossa, which caused significant damage to some vineyards while, in others, it simply took the edge off yields. More serious was a brutal hail event on October 28, with some almost golf-ball-sized stones ripping canopies to shreds through the central Barossa in Seppeltsfield, Light Pass and Tanunda before the storm moved west into Angaston and the Eden Valley. It was patchy, though, with some vineyards spared, although for others, it was catastrophic - the Two Hands Holy Grail vineyard lost 95% of its annual crop.

A coolish start to the season saw a later flowering than usual, stretching across November and into December. On the valley floor, flowering in November unfortunately coincided with cool and damp weather, which reduced yields and led to uneven ripeness and increased concentration due to poor fruit set in some areas. The cooler Eden Valley, with later flowering at the end of November to early December, was less affected overall but also experienced some poor fruit set and reduced yields, which had the advantage of reaching full ripeness despite the colder temperatures.

Vintage 2022 then entered a period of relative calm. The region was dry but not barren with rainfall, down 22% on average, and a storm at the end of February freshened up vines just prior to harvest. Similarly, Eden Valley rainfall was down 12%. A key element to the vintage was the lack of any oppressive heat. Temperatures were mild by Barossa standards and, importantly even, with no days over 40 degrees Celsius, only 11 days over 35 degrees, plus a relatively short run of only three days of 35 degrees or higher in a row, ensuring the vines approached vintage stress-free. On February 28, another hailstorm hit the Northern Barossa, although this was far less damaging than earlier in the season.

Towards the back end of the growing season, overall temperatures remained a little below average, with harvesting dates one to two weeks later than usual, starting in early March and, in some cases, extending into May. Thankfully, benign vintage conditions allowed winemakers to choose dates at will. The resulting wines retain beautiful acidity, freshness and vibrancy, which are core features of the vintage, matched by firm tannins in the wines from the valley floor. For wineries lucky enough to avoid the hail, 2022 is a truly outstanding vintage. The long ripening window makes for a stunning year for Shiraz, particularly for late-ripening Grenache, Mataro and Eden Valley Riesling.

In 2022, wineries sourcing Shiraz fruit from the Eden Valley have crafted elegant, balanced and buoyant wines where subtlety is a key feature with accompanying aging potential. However, standout Shiraz will largely come from the valley floor, where the additional ripeness provided greater power and underlying structure, driven in part by moderate yields. This is especially true for vineyards in the northern Barossa that were spared by hail. Fans should stock up on single vineyard Shiraz from Greenock, Moppa, Marananga, Ebenezer and Kalimna to experience the best of Barossa 2022.

It is worth touching on the 2021 Shiraz vintage, as a large number of wines were tasted for this report, providing a comparison against 2022. Two thousand twenty-one was also a strong Barossa vintage characterized by a cooler-than-average ripening season and dry conditions. Unsurprisingly, for wineries with hail-affected vineyards in 2022 across Seppeltsfield, Stone Well, Nuriootpa, Light Pass and parts of the Eden Valley, 2021 is an exceptional year and, on the whole, a better vintage than 2022. But head-to-head, taking hail out of the equation, the top wines from 2022 offer more fruit power and focus underpinned by balanced acidity and firm tannins that provide upfront energy, appeal and more consistent aging.

Two thousand twenty-two is the best year in the Barossa since 2018, with acidity and vibrancy more in common with the benchmark 2010 vintage. Prudent buyers will find much to enjoy and cellar in this classic vintage. Compared to other international benchmark regions, the Barossa remains very well priced, with releases from 2022 offering outstanding value for money.

Winemaker Dave Powell at Neldner Road.

Shifting Sands

It is true that, internationally, Penfolds remains the Barossa standard bearer. Still, Barossa remains constantly changing and full of surprises. It is a region where traditions run strong but also where there is an undercurrent for change. In some cases, this is responding to the modern international wine market where brute force is less popular than it once was. There is also a new generation questioning the old ways and forging their path, sometimes with greater focus away from Shiraz and more nuanced winemaking techniques. There are no Barossa Wars as in Barolo back in the 1980s. However, there is a significant dynamic tension between modernist and traditionalist winemakers. Modernists use more wine-making techniques such as whole bunches, shorter time in oak, earlier picking, extended skin contact and various vessels like concrete and ceramic eggs for fermentation and or maturation. The jury is still out on how well these wines will age. Yet, this healthy interplay of ideas is getting the whole region thinking about the traditional winemaking techniques and how they may be tweaked.

Fans of big Barossa can still rely on plenty of winemakers catering to more traditional Shiraz tastes, both old and new names. A revitalized Greenock Creek, under chief winemaker Alex Peel, is refining the winery style and firmly retaining the brand DNA. At the same time, Two Hands, Kalleske and Hentley Farm continue to deliver flashy and impactful wines. Historically, Barossa has always attracted its fair share of dreamers who want to partake in the regional aura, contributing to a continuous flow of new ideas and visions. Today, Eisenstone and Hayes Family Wines are newer producers largely operating as negociants and selectively sourcing high-quality parcels of fruit for their various labels.

David Powell of Torbreck, a familiar name to many fans of the Barossa Valley, has recently returned to form. Powell was the poster boy for big Australian Shiraz from the mid-1990s. His larger-than-life personality and decadent wines had an enormous impact internationally and found a legion of fans. Consequently, a new generation of winemakers emerged, keen to replicate Powell’s success. Powell remains a controversial figure, but time has mellowed this maverick. I caught up with him, living a more suitable, simpler life, running his own Neldner Road brand and fitting a tasting between long sessions pruning his vineyards. Powell’s wines still showcase his relationships with key growers and his rare knack for blending and crafting monolithic Shiraz. While new oak is still crucial to his winemaking style, the best wines are also slick, balanced and impressive.

Others, like Chris Ringland, who also won significant fame in the 1990s thanks to Robert Parker, have always followed their path. Ringland is an enigma, his quiet and unassuming character seemingly at odds with the Three River Shiraz, which often weighs in at 16 or 17% alcohol. Before you pass judgment, taste the wines, as the combination of a cool, dry-grown, high-altitude vineyard planted in 1910 with immaculate viticulture and three years in high-quality new French and American oak defies expectations.

Winemakers Belinda and John Hughes from Rieslingfreak.

Grenache and Mataro 2022s

One final point that must be touched on is the exquisite quality of 2022 Grenache and Mataro. The long, cool and dry growing season resulted in spectacular offerings. These wines, crafted from old vines by accomplished winemakers such as Tim Smith, John Duval, Marco Cirillo and Torbreck Vintners, should open many doors for these varieties and can compete with fine examples from around the world. While the Shiraz and Mataro are outstanding, Grenache is truly phenomenal, and 2022 is one of the finest vintages for this variety in living memory. With more appropriate and nuanced winemaking in the region, which has been improving over the last decade, Barossa Grenache has never been better. These wines and the quality of top-level Shiraz show the wonderful diversity on offer, which a magical 2022 vintage has illuminated.