Better Late Than Never: The 2022 Vintage in Washington State

 BY ERIC GUIDO | DECEMBER 5, 2024

The 2022 vintage will not soon be forgotten in Washington State. A late season by every measure—flowering, veraison and harvest—the year was also incredibly stressful for a variety of reasons. I visited the state in early October of 2022, which typically would have been a horrible time for winemakers to welcome me into their tasting rooms. While I was planning the trip, several estates declined my appointment requests, assuming that they would be neck-deep in harvest. However, when I arrived, I encountered winery after winery waiting for their fruit to reach maturity on the vine. I found cellars full of empty fermentation tanks, with cellar hands repeatedly scrubbing and sanitizing machinery out of a combination of preparation and boredom. 

Many producers had never encountered a vintage like 2022. This is Washington State, where each season seems to be warmer than the previous one. Most winemakers here have spent the majority of their careers learning to deal with increasingly warm conditions, but this was something new. Many compare 2022 to 2011, which is the coldest growing season on record, but this was different. While 2022 started cold and wet, it was relatively warm through July and August, and as October progressed, the state even enjoyed an Indian summer. Anticipation was very high for what this relatively cool, extended growing season could mean for the wines, but there was also anxiety in the air. In the Pacific Northwest, the weather can go from sunny and warm to frost conditions overnight. Nail biting persisted as producers tried to gauge phenolic ripeness against the possibility of needing to pull in all of their fruit at a moment’s notice. Moreover, yields were generally high, and many worried about having the space to accommodate the fruit when it arrived at the winery. As it happened, the weather held out, and I presumed that the 2022s would be fascinating.  

Old Vine Merlot at the Leonetti Estate in October of 2022

Curiously, during my trip to the region this past October, I found something other than what I expected: inconsistency. One winemaker will tell you that Bordeaux varieties fared better than Rhône varieties, and the next will tell you the exact opposite. Some are honest about the challenges of the vintage, while others sugarcoat the situation. To be clear, 2022 is in no way a poor vintage, or a vintage to skip. I could easily rattle off 20 producers that excelled, compellingly marrying the season's conditions with the winemaker's style, but I also encountered several wines that pale in comparison to their usual selves. The wines are certainly more approachable than usual, generally elegant with soft tannins. The reality is that 2022 is a telling example of what the most talented winemakers and vineyard managers are capable of—wines that will make a fine addition to any vertical. It’s essential to dig deeper into the growing season to understand why this year didn’t uniformly yield the wines that both winemakers and I had hoped it would.

The 2022 vintage began with a snowy winter and frigid temperatures that lasted well into spring, coupled with regular precipitation. Steve Robertson of Delmas explains, “There was so much water in the soil when the vines woke up that if you were a producer that was irrigating, you were over-hydrating. The canopies were massive across the Walla Walla Valley, as were the berry and cluster sizes.” The cold spring conditions resulted in uneven fruit setting and prolonged flowering. Spray applications were necessary for dealing with mildew, and fruit set was abundant—the first real issue of 2022. Yields were much lower in 2020 and 2021. The 2020 vintage had problems with smoke, with many wineries forced to dump or declassify wines. Extremely warm and dry conditions in 2021 resulted in a 30% average reduction in quantity, though I received reports of much higher. Pleased with the larger yields of 2022, many growers let the fruit hang. Louis Skinner of Betz Winery comments, “Two thousand twenty-two was a year where we couldn’t be on autopilot. A lot of canopies needed to be repositioned or reduced, plus a larger crop…The only option was to lower the yield.”

Stress was high through the summer. Temperatures remained relatively normal, but the late start to the season had already taken its toll. Veraison took place weeks later than average. Worries set in about achieving phenolic ripeness before temperatures would naturally start to drop in the fall. The region saw its typical cooldown in early September, but very little fruit was ready for harvest. Winemaker Matías Kúsulas of Gard Vintners explains, “Usually, the problem in Washington State is sugar accumulation before phenolic ripeness, but that wasn’t an issue in 2022.” Fortunately, an Indian summer settled in and lasted into October, with only a few rain events and significant diurnal shifts of 40 to 50 degrees. The outlook suddenly seemed much more positive, but the trick was timing harvest to achieve ripe tannins while having ample resources to bring in an abundant amount of fruit in a compressed period of time. In the end, many wineries harvested in the third week of October, with one even reporting a final harvest on October 31. Wineries with estate vineyards or close relationships with growers had the best chances of success in 2022 because they retained the ability to harvest on their preferred schedule. Many winemakers without access to estate vineyards who desired to pick at a precise time could not do so because vineyard management teams had already scheduled other wineries for that date. 

Billo Naravane of Rasa Vineyards and Dossier Wine Collective

So, what can readers expect from the 2022s? In the best cases, they are more delicate than usual yet aromatic, elegant and approachable. The wines are often lifted and graceful in feel, with soft, round tannins that provide a good framework without diminishing length and youthful appeal. However, some wines come across as diluted, superficial and fruit-forward, lacking depth and concentration—likely resulting from larger yields or a poorly timed harvest.

Many winemakers in Washington explain that they are desert farmers. We’ve witnessed their ability to excel in extremely hot and dry vintages. Most of the Columbia Valley winegrowing region wouldn’t even exist without irrigation from the Columbia River. The last cool and rainy vintage was more than ten years ago (2011), so it’s easy to understand how difficult it must be for producers to navigate a vintage like 2022. As I mentioned at the very beginning of this report, the biggest problem in 2022 was inconsistency. From my tastings, I cannot honestly say whether Rhône or Bordeaux varieties performed better. It’s more nuanced than that. This is a producer-dependent year, and those winemakers and vineyard managers who sacrificed yields and spent time manicuring their canopies and vines found success. Those who got it right made spectacular wines, but there is a considerable disparity between the best and the rest.

Better than Expected: Looking Back at 2021

Pinot Noir Clone 777 in the Bayernmoor Cellars Estate Vineyard within the Puget Sound AVA

A Note on Varieties

Last year, we published my report “Rhônes on the Rise: Washington State Takes the Lead.” This article covered not just Washington State AVAs but also The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, located on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley—one of the most exciting pieces of terroir in the United States today. A year later, fresh from tasting, I must reemphasize just how thrilling and significant the emergence of these varieties is for Washington State. For decades, it was all about Bordeaux blends, and the importance of those wines has not changed. However, collectors should take note of the serious uptick in high-quality Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne and Clairette. Year after year, the quality and complexity of these wines amazes me. This year in particular, I tasted several white Rhônes from the WeatherEye vineyard on Red Mountain that genuinely moved me, delivering at a higher level than I’ve experienced before. As for The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, things are moving fast as developers try to secure vineyards and land for future projects. In addition to the construction of new wineries, the town itself is starting to see growth in tourism. Now is the time to explore and secure your place on the mailing lists of your favorite producers. 

Todd Alexander has his finger on the pulse of high-quality winemaking in Washington State and The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater.

I’ve also been very impressed by the increased production of Cabernet Franc throughout the region. Washington State has a knack for finding a blend of rich primary fruit and peppery, zesty Cabernet Franc character. While I’m less excited by wines with a thick sheen of new oak, many winemakers respect the variety's inherent qualities and allow them to shine. Additionally, my recent tastings included some interesting Pinot Noirs from the Puget Sound AVA. Pinot Noir from Washington State can be extremely fruit-forward and lacking in nuance and complexity, but that is not the case here. Located at an elevation of 700 feet on the western side of Washington State, the Puget Sound AVA boasts sandy loam soils. This much cooler terroir yields Pinot Noirs of lift and complexity. I’m excited to dig deeper into this category for future reports.

Sadly, I’m seeing less and less of one of my favorite Washington State darlings: Merlot. High-quality Merlot sets Washington State apart from other domestic regions, so I’m hoping this is just a coincidence of choice, as many wineries only show five or six wines and may choose not to include Merlot. Look to the portfolios of Andrew Will Winery, DeLille Cellars, Quilceda Creek, Betz Family Winery, Tenor and Leonetti for some seriously noteworthy examples of the variety.

The Figgins Estate Vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley

Ultimately, one of Washington's best attributes is its ability to excel with an extensive array of grapes throughout its many diverse growing areas, often while providing fantastic value. I urge curious readers to explore the producers and wines profiled in this report. 

I tasted the wines for this report in Washington State in September 2024 and our offices in New York City in October 2024.

© 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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