Vintage 2020 — Ripeness, balance and age-worthy successes

Buying a 2020 wine means choosing a modern, ripe and highly successful vintage in several major wine regions. The best wines combine fruit, depth, balance and strong ageing potential, with profiles that are often concentrated yet well defined.

The strongest successes are found in Burgundy, in both white and red wines, in Bordeaux for age-worthy reds, across Spain’s leading wine regions, in Alsace and in Germany for Riesling. The Rhône Valley, the Loire, Champagne, Piedmont and Switzerland also offer fine bottles, with a more careful reading by estate and cuvée.

The style of the 2020 vintage

2020 is a vintage of ripeness, concentration and contrast. In the best regions, the wines show depth, energy and real ageing potential. Success, however, depends strongly on terroir, balance and the precision of each estate.

Burgundy 2020 — Remarkable whites, deep reds

In Burgundy, 2020 is one of the great successes of the vintage. The whites combine ripeness, concentration and energy, with serious ageing potential from the best domaines. The reds often show intense fruit, fine density and a deep expression of terroir.

Look for: Chablis, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits and consistent domaines.

Bordeaux 2020 — A great age-worthy red vintage

In Bordeaux, 2020 stands among the great recent years for red wines. The most successful bottles combine ripeness, structure, depth and the ability to evolve, with the Right Bank particularly attractive among the best crus. Dry whites and sweet wines are less central to the overall reading of the vintage.

Look for: Pomerol, Saint-Émilion, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe, Margaux and Pessac-Léognan, especially classified growths and leading estates built for long ageing.

Spain 2020 — Strong leading regions

In Spain, 2020 is very solid across the leading regions for age-worthy wines. The best bottles combine ripeness, structure and balance, with an expressive but serious profile. The most interesting purchases come from estates able to preserve freshness in a ripe year.

Look for: Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Toro and leading Spanish estates.

Alsace and Germany 2020 — Balanced great whites

In Alsace, 2020 offers excellent balance, with aromatic, ripe and well-held whites in the best cases. Alsace Pinot Noir is also one of the attractive successes of the vintage. In Germany, the most successful Rieslings deserve to be read estate by estate, with precise, fresh profiles suited to graceful evolution.

Look for: Alsace Riesling, balanced Pinot Gris, Alsace Pinot Noir, great Alsace whites, Riesling from the Mosel, Nahe, Rheingau and Rheinhessen.

Rhône, Loire, Champagne and Piedmont — Strong targeted buys

Beyond the six main successes, 2020 also offers attractive opportunities in the Rhône Valley, the Loire Valley, Champagne and Piedmont. The Northern Rhône is particularly interesting, the Loire offers well-balanced reds, Champagne should be read cuvée by cuvée, and Piedmont remains attractive from leading producers.

Napa Valley 2020 — A highly selective year

In Napa Valley, 2020 must be approached with real caution. Fine bottles can exist from the safest estates, but the year remains highly selective. For Cabernet Sauvignon, it is best to focus only on producers that released wines clearly meeting the expected level.