Lisa Perrotti-Brown 93 Points
The 2022 Prieure-Lichine is deep garnet-purple in color. It tumbles out with eager-to-please scents of juicy blackcurrant, Morello cherries, and black raspberries, followed by hints of cedar, violets, and black truffles. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely packed with juicy black fruit and floral accents, supported by beautifully ripe, fine-grained tannins and a refreshing backbone, finishing long and fragrant. This is a very impressive showing for Prieure-Lichine.
James Suckling 96 Points
This is really something for the Prieure. The aromas are vivid and bright and so, so perfumed. Violets, other flowers and citrus blossoms too. Medium- to full-bodied with ultrafine polished tannins that go on and on. Cashmere texture. Long and seductive. Best after 2029.
Jeb Dunnuck 93+ Points
Plums, sappy flowers, violets, and spicy oak notes all define the 2022 Château Prieuré-Lichine, a ripe, concentrated, medium to full-bodied Margaux. It has solid mid-palate depth, plenty of background oak, and a great finish. While this ripe, textured, wonderfully layered Margaux offers pleasure today, it should have no issues evolving gracefully over the coming 15-20 years. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, aged 14 months in barrel.
Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
93-95 Barrel sample. This has a dense core (with generous black fruits) and is very perfumed and ripe. The wine has a fine structure as well as an open character.
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider 95 Points
Flowers, blackberries, currants, espresso, and plums with a touch of cocoa form the nose. On the palate, the wine is loaded with lusciously-textured, ripe, polished fruits. There is a solid depth of flavor, good energy, and layers of black and red fruits on the mid-palate and in the creamy, fruit-packed finish. Drink from 2027-2055. 94-96 Pts.
Vintage Notes
The 2022 vintage will go down in history for many reasons. An unprecedented number
of heat waves, combined with low rainfall, led to exceptional wines, offering deep
colors and silky textures. The Cabernet Sauvignon, thanks to the mid-September rains,
achieved full ripeness, and this variety dominates our blend with trademark elegance
and pedigree.
The 21-22 winter was quite mild and dry. Bud-break in the vines occurred around the
usual dates in late March and promised a large and homogeneous crop. A cold frosty
snap in early April made no significant impact on the potential size of the crop. Good
weather conditions set in during spring with reasonable fungal disease pressure,
while the vine cycle’s advance on a normal year, begun during the early phase of
the cycle, was reaffirmed with early flowering dates.
In mid-June, a first spell of very high temperatures brought us summer-like
conditions along with a very significant deficit in rainfall. After the storm of
June 20, we will miss more than 120 mm of precipitation until September 12,
the date of the start of the harvest.
The three very intense heat-waves that occurred in July and August resulted
in grapes with little juice and thick skins, together with amazing lab analysis
parameters in the juices.
Thanks to the staggered ripening in our different plots, spread out over the
4 communes of our appellation, we harvested over a period of 3 weeks and
brought in perfectly healthy grapes. The last batch of Cabernet picked on
29th September showed fabulous balances, reflecting the overall outstanding
quality of the vintage.
The vinification went very smoothly. Macerations were long for the vats
containing the Grand Vin. With the aid of pigeages, we enhanced the contact
of the skins with the juices and in doing so extracted ripe, silky tannins. The
yields were low, due to the desperate lack of rain from thunderstorms during
the summer.
The Merlot had a beautifully round profile, which was complemented by the
energy, depth and dense, velvety texture of the Cabernet Sauvignon.
In 2022, our great terroirs expressed that “something extra special” you
only find in legendary vintages. The complementary nature of these terroirs
produced aromatic, fleshy, velvety wines -quintessential Margaux in its
refinement and power. The quality of the blend, which is built on our Cabernet
Sauvignon, confirms the ageing potential of this vintage, which promises to
develop with time all the complexity of a Grand Cru.
