Normally, at this time of year we say “Gosh! Where has this year gone?” Perhaps we won’t lament the passing of 2020 in the same way… However, there have been many vinous highlights, which have provided moments of brightness, joy and optimism. Our Buying team has selected our “don’t miss” wines of 2020, bottles that have thrilled and tantalised our tastebuds and should appear in everyone’s cellars. After much deliberation, we’ve whittled these down to a superlative six.
What better place to start than with GPL 2019? There were better 2019s. Lafite was a masterpiece, Pichon Lalande took our breath away, however, nothing offered as much class and pleasure per buck as Xavier Borie’s sensational Fifth Growth. This has it all: power, elegance, charm, complexity, staggering tannins, fine detail and haunting length. It’s like the 2016 but with a more seductive, luxuriant core of fruit. If you only buy one case of 2019 Bordeaux, this is our number one recommendation.
Read MoreNot many wines give rise to onomatopoetic tasting notes, but, “Holy Tintinnabulation!” Von Schubert’s Bruderberg Kabinett 2019 certainly did! This electric Riesling is sheer brilliance. “Kapow! The Bruderberg Kabinett is never short of verve and this 2019 is no exception. Full of animation and restless fruit, it dances; precise, balletic fruit on a bed of brilliant minerals. This may not have the depth of the other two Kabinetts, but for sheer joy, it’s hard to beat. In 2019, Bruderberg was ravaged by frost, so just one fuder was produced - with almost 12 grams of acidity!”
It would be remiss not to include something from the sensational 2016 Barolo campaign. With growers going giddy over the quality of 2016, we tasted in Barolo with much excitement and anticipation. Luigi Scavino’s Bricco Fiasco lasts in the memory as the finest we have tasted from this prized Castiglione Falleto cru. Silky, bright and ethereal with a core of fine tannins, it’s a wine that captures the vintage perfectly, marrying power and structure with elegance and finesse. Aged 50% in large botti instead of purely small barrels, the 2016 offers detail ahead of radiance, an exemplar of precision and focus.
Our fourth wine was released way back in January 2019, long before most of us had even heard of Wuhan. At the time we thought the 2017 white Burgundies were a bit special, however, we were still slightly in awe of the magical 2014s. Re tasting 2017s this year has been a joy. It has become clear that many domaines have produced their best wines ever. Our favourite discovery has been the Chateau de Meursault, Puligny Champs Canet. Hailing from the oldest vines on the estate, this vineyard produces tiny quantities of deep, textured, unctuous, yet brilliantly bright wines. The 2017 has reached new heights – a truly ravishing Puligny.
Despite the challenges in South Africa, 2020 may potentially go down as a watershed year for garagista winemaker Donovan Rall. His “White” 2019 the tautest, most refined incarnation yet, a vintage that has cemented his reputation as a master blender. Predominantly Chenin with Verdelho and just a touch of Viognier for aromatics, it drinks beautifully from release, although it will age for up to a decade. Awarded Editor’s Winery of the Year by Platter’s, after receiving five-stars for four of his six wines (the other two were four stars), the best Grenache Blanc in the country and the joint top-scoring Syrah, he is a man on a roll. 96 Points from Tim Atkin MW for the “White” 2019 puts it as one of the top white blends of the vintage, and our favourite example to date.
And last, but by no means least, we had to include a wine from the wizard of Bierzo, Raúl Pérez. La Vitoriana is a wonderful vineyard in Valtuille, located at 600m altitude. Dating back to 1881, it is planted on original Pie Franco rootstocks, thanks to the higher proportion of sand in the upper section of the vineyard. Aromatically open and suave, the 2017 leaps from the glass with soft strawberry, cherry and cassis notes. Silky, plummy flavours, soft velvety tannins and chocolatey notes emerge to produce a beautifully measured Bierzo with no hard edges. Fermented in large wooden vats on the skins for up to 90 days before maturation in neutral 500L casks and 225L barrique for a year.
And there you have it, the cream of 2020! An eclectic mix from across the world of wine, all linked by their sheer brilliance.