2020 Vintage wine

The 2020 vintage: a measured culmination of three sun-drenched years

The 2020 vintage closes an unprecedented run of three hot, dry summers. An early season marked by drought — one of the driest summers in half a century in several regions — could have produced heavy wines. Instead, cool nights and limited rainfall concentrated the berries while preserving acidity, so 2020 is often described as a return to a more classic style. Success hinged on choosing the harvest date and managing the vines through the water shortage. Where those decisions were right, the year produced balanced, fresh and profound wines from Burgundy to Roussillon.

Bordeaux 2020 — The Right Bank at its best, balanced reds

In Bordeaux, 2020 is the third great vintage in succession after 2018 and 2019. The driest summer since 1959 produced small berries, particularly in Cabernet Sauvignon, with a high skin-to-juice ratio: hence the concentrated, deeply coloured reds. Yet acidity remained good, and the best wines show freshness and length rather than heaviness — classic Bordeaux hallmarks. This is not strictly a Left Bank or Right Bank year: clay-limestone terroirs able to retain water fared best. The Right Bank was nevertheless more consistent, led by Pomerol.

Pomerol's Merlots produced fleshy, velvety wines; Pétrus and the appellation's other great names made 2020 wines of remarkable richness. In Saint-Émilion, the style leans towards elegance and precision, as exemplified by Cheval Blanc. On the Left Bank and in Pessac-Léognan, superb Cabernets were produced, with Haut-Brion among the wines of the year. The sweet wines of Sauternes were more challenging to make: botrytis — the noble rot that concentrates sugars — arrived late and in limited quantities.

Ageing potential: the great reds need five to fifteen years in the cellar; lengthy decanting is recommended for bottles opened young.

Burgundy 2020 — Vibrant whites, dense yet fresh reds

Burgundy experienced the hottest and driest season of the century so far, with rainfall well below normal in the Côte d'Or. The year's paradox can be summed up in a sentence: sunny conditions produced wines of unexpected freshness. Cool nights preserved tartaric acidity, the backbone of the vintage. The whites take centre stage — precise, saline and vibrant — while the concentrated, deeply coloured reds retain a lively structure. 2020 is the first year since 2015 considered equally successful for both colours.

In Chablis, Vincent Dauvissat counters the heat with finely etched minerality and saline tension. In the Côte de Beaune, Vincent Dancer exemplifies the purity of the year's whites and the finesse of its reds. The great reds of the Côte de Nuits, dense and structured, call for patience; according to Decanter's tasters, the best are among the most accomplished of the decade. The whites, meanwhile, can be enjoyed sooner without sacrificing their ageing potential.

Ageing potential: drink the whites now or over the next ten years; the great reds are worth waiting ten to twenty years for.

Rhône Valley 2020 — Freshness in the South and remarkable whites

In the Rhône Valley, 2020 extends a remarkable run, but in a lighter, fresher style than 2019. The summer was hot and dry, without the previous year's heat spikes, resulting in better balance and preserved acidity. In the north, Syrah offers clear fruit, silky tannins and fine minerality, while the whites (Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier) gain brightness and liveliness. In the south, the reds are supple and elegant; in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, success depends on the terroir, with the best sites producing intense yet refined wines.

In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine de la Janasse makes a Grenache from its old vines that is both generous and fresh. In the Vaucluse, Domaine des Tours, part of the Château Rayas family of estates, charms with its finesse and pure fruit, offering an elegant introduction to this Rhône style. Overall, this is a vintage that can be enjoyed young, though the great Châteauneuf wines will blossom with time.

Ageing potential: the South's whites and reds are approachable young; the great Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines will fully open up after a few years in the cellar.

Loire and Alsace 2020 — Ripe whites with vibrant acidity

The Loire and Alsace share a hallmark in 2020: ripe grapes with enough acidity to keep the wines lively. In the Loire, Vouvray Chenin Blanc achieved fine balance, the grapes' natural sweetness blending with vibrant acidity in wines ranging from dry to sweet. In Alsace, 2020 was a high-quality, sun-filled year: grand cru Rieslings produced full-bodied yet taut dry whites built to age. Throughout, freshness keeps ripeness from turning heavy.

In Vouvray, Domaine Huet produces pure, saline versions of Clos du Bourg, among the appellation's finest successes in 2020 and, as Wine Advocate has noted, a testament to the finesse of Chenin that year. In Alsace, grand cru Rieslings such as Marc Kreydenweiss's Wiebelsberg combine density with mineral precision. Even in these northerly terroirs, the whites retain the balance that defines 2020.

Ageing potential: enjoy dry Alsace and Vouvray wines over ten to fifteen years; sweet Loire wines will keep for several decades and are already approachable for their fruit.

Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence 2020 — Distinctive terroirs and wines worth ageing patiently

The South faced a demanding year. Spring frost followed by summer drought drove yields in Roussillon to historically low levels. The upside is fine concentration: the wines are dense and aromatic, with ripe tannins and an elegant texture. Cooler terroirs such as Pic Saint-Loup retained valuable freshness. Roussillon in particular produced reds whose depth rivals that of wines from more celebrated regions.

A leading name in Roussillon, Gérard Gauby's estate produces concentrated yet always elegant reds from its old vines, including the La Muntada cuvée mentioned above. In Pic Saint-Loup, Clos Marie makes Les Glorieuses, a distinctive red that is both sun-ripened and fresh. In Provence, Domaine Tempier carries on Bandol's great Mourvèdre tradition with structured reds made for patient ageing. These are terroir-driven wines to choose as much for their character as for their potential.

Ageing potential: drink most over five to ten years; the great Roussillon reds and age-worthy Bandol wines will last well beyond that.

Building a cellar around the 2020 vintage

If a sun-drenched year might have raised concerns, 2020 is reassuring: concentration goes hand in hand with freshness. Wines built for long ageing — Bordeaux Right Bank reds, Burgundy grands crus, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Roussillon reds — will continue to improve for many years, while Burgundy whites, Alsace Rieslings and Loire Vouvray wines are already a pleasure to drink. In a vintage where the estate makes all the difference, a reliable guide is invaluable: to compare 2020 with other great years and enjoy each bottle at its peak, keep the SoDivin Vintage Guide close at hand.