2020
2020
Holden Manz 2020 Reserve Chenin Blanc
South African White
Golden-yellow colour leads to kumquat, honeysuckle, quince and citrus blossom. The palate is rounded and medium to full in body, with crisp acidity, yellow fruit, fresh ginger and pineapple through a long finish. Chenin Blanc comes from Simonsberg/Paarl and Perdeberg. Wild-yeast fermentation uses barrels and tanks, with part of the wine spending twelve months in French oak and regular fine-lees stirring.
Alias Winery 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon
American Red
Ripe blackberry, cassis and currant lead the fruit, with tobacco and spice emerging later. The texture is smooth and the fruit remains juicy, giving the wine weight without excessive heaviness. Made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon, it comes from California and contains 13.7 percent alcohol. The finish is clean and smooth, and the wine suits grilled beef, burgers or barbecue ribs.
Zenato 2020 Ripassa Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 375 mL
Italian Red
Blackberry, blackcurrant, spice, pepper and leather accompany a deep ruby colour. The palate is smooth and viscous, with acidity and alcohol in balance. The blend combines Corvina, Rondinella and Oseleta. A second fermentation takes place on Amarone lees. Ageing includes six months in tank, eighteen months in French Allier tonneaux and six months in bottle.
Mulderbosch 2020 Sparkling Rosé Brut
South African Sparkling
Fresh strawberry, raspberry, peach, blood orange and herbs appear in a dry sparkling rosé with clean fruit and a fine mousse. The wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grown in Darling and Stellenbosch. Grapes are harvested early, crushed and cold-macerated for six hours before fermentation in stainless steel. Alcohol is twelve-point-five percent. The finish has good length.
Raymond 2020 Family Classic Cabernet Sauvignon
American Red
Dark plum and blackberry aromas include earthiness. Black cherry and baked berry cobbler flavours sit with allspice and nutmeg. The palate is approachable, with a plush mid-palate and a lingering finish. Blueberry and elderberry are also present, while the tannins are soft and round. Cabernet Sauvignon comes from California's North Coast. Alcohol is fourteen point five percent.
Suertes del Marqués 2020 Hacienda Las Cañas Listán Negro
Spanish Red
Raspberry, red cherry, pepper, rose and leather appear with pomegranate, cranberry and Mediterranean spice. The profile is energetic and layered, with volcanic smoke, pronounced salinity, fine silky tannins and a long finish. Made entirely from Listán Negro, the wine comes from vines between one hundred and two hundred years old. Part of the wine matures for twelve months in five-hundred-litre oak barrels.
Masia de la Roqua 2020 El Truc Blanc Macabeo
Spanish White
Citrus, floral and white-fruit notes are present in a fresh profile with good acidity. Macabeo comes from two small parcels known as dels Molats, rooted in limestone under a Mediterranean climate. Fermentation begins spontaneously without temperature control. Bâtonnage occurs near the end of fermentation, and the wine undergoes malolactic conversion. The wine contains nine percent alcohol and is made without additives.
Else Wines 2020 Jocko Cabernet Franc
Canadian Red
This light Cabernet Franc has a rosé-like character and comes from Okanagan Falls. The vineyard sits just north of Oliver on conventionally farmed land; its vines were four years old. The grapes spend one to two weeks on skins before six months in neutral barrels. Twenty parts per million of sulphur are added at bottling. Alcohol is eleven-point-three percent.
Tormaresca 2020 Calafuria Rosato
Italian Rosé
Bright pink-red colour accompanies pink grapefruit, juicy cherries and raspberries, with a faint Muscat-like note. The palate is juicy, fruity and fresh. Made from Negroamaro in Salento, the rosé carries twelve percent alcohol. Before bottling, it rests in stainless steel with its lees. Floral notes of rosehip and wisteria appear with tamarind and a saline mineral character.
Monmousseau 2020 Rosé d’Anjou
French Rosé
Cabernet Franc makes up seventy percent of the blend, with Grolleau accounting for the remainder. The grapes are pressed immediately after harvest, using only the first pressing, then fermented without skins at low temperature. Pale pink with a salmon tint, the wine carries floral and strawberry aromas with raspberry and cherry blossom undertones. The finish is fresh and off-dry.
Château Segonzac 2020 Vieilles Vignes
French Red
Black fruit and vanilla oak sit within a broad, round profile with aromatic richness and a slight sweetness. This red comes from the Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux appellation. The Vieilles Vignes cuvée draws on older vines, while the estate's clay-limestone subsoil lies over a thick limestone platform. The vineyard carries certified organic status. Red plantings include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Cala Civetta 2020 Vermentino di Toscana
Italian White
Deep, bright straw-yellow colour accompanies floral and fruit aromas with mineral shades. The palate is fresh and savoury, carrying citrus and other fruit through a persistent finish. The blend is ninety percent Vermentino and ten percent Viognier. Fermentation takes place at no more than sixteen degrees, without malolactic fermentation, before three months in stainless steel on fine lees.
Domaine Ménard-Gaborit 2020 Ex Nihilo
French White
Melon de Bourgogne and Folle Blanche are among four varieties in the blend. Citrus flavours, minerality and taut acidity give the wine a lively, tight profile. Sauvignon also appears in the cuvée's established composition. This dry white is classified as Vin de France, comes from the Nantes vineyard area in Loire-Atlantique and carries twelve percent alcohol. The profile also includes fresh fruit and aromatic richness.
Aquinas 2020 North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon
American Red
Juicy fruit and savoury notes form the profile. The palate has depth, good structure and lush, rounded tannins. The Cabernet Sauvignon comes from California's North Coast, which includes Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Pauli Ranch in Mendocino and Oak Meadows Vineyard in Sonoma are among the named sites for Aquinas wines. Alec McTaggart is the winemaker.
Aroa 2020 Le Naturel Blanco Navarra
Spanish White
Intense straw-yellow colour with green and light golden hues accompanies tropical fruit, ripe pip fruit, citrus, mineral notes and white flowers. The palate combines persistent acidity, creaminess, a sweet background, light bitterness and a persistent finish. Garnacha Blanca and other varieties are grown organically on calcareous clay soils. The grapes are hand-harvested, pressed gently and fermented with natural yeasts below 16 degrees Celsius. Alcohol is 13.5 percent.
Schug 2020 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
American Red
Raspberry, strawberry and red cherry appear with spice and a light smoky oak note. Mouthwatering acidity is present. The cuvée is made entirely from Pinot Noir grown in the cool Sonoma Coast, including selected vineyards in western Carneros and the Petaluma Gap. Large neutral oak casks and older French barrels are used, with restrained new-oak flavour and lively acidity through the finish.
Mud House 2020 Central Otago Pinot Noir
New Zealand Red
This New Zealand red shows moderately deep, bright pink-red colour with ripe red cherry, dried herbs, scented oak and spice. The medium-bodied palate is smooth-flowing, with chocolate-coated cherry, dark cherry and bramble. Wild-berry freshness, fine tannins and balanced acidity are present. The finish is long. The wine is bottled under screwcap and carries 13.5 percent alcohol.
Envínate 2020 Albahra
Spanish Red
Light red colour accompanies fresh red fruit, a fresh opening, a light-footed palate and a distinctly spiced character. The blend is seventy percent Garnacha Tintorera and thirty percent Moravia Agria. The former comes from clay-limestone soil; the latter grows in clay-limestone with sandy topsoil. Both components mature for eight months, in concrete or older French barriques, before blending.
Kaiken 2020 Indómito Cabernet Franc
Argentinian Red
Blackberry, herbs, pepper, ash and pyrazine appear in a purple-coloured Cabernet Franc. The palate is taut, with a slightly rugged texture and tannins that have volume. Grapes come from Agrelo in Luján de Cuyo at about 950 metres, on deep silty loam. Twenty percent matures in barrels for ten months, while the remainder stays in tank.
Gustave Lorentz 2020 L’Ami des Crustacés Pinot Blanc
French White
White flowers, honey, melon, citrus, pear and white peach form the aromatic profile. The palate is lively and dry, with integrated acidity and a mineral note. Fruit comes from hillsides around Bergheim, where heavy clay and limestone soils predominate. The blend comprises seventy percent Pinot Auxerrois and thirty percent Pinot Blanc, and the wine is matured in stainless steel.
Domaine de l’Ecu 2020 Nobis Syrah
French Red
Juicy fruit and pepper spice define a supple red profile. The Syrah comes from organically and biodynamically farmed Southern Rhône plots planted approximately twenty-five to thirty years ago. The grapes were harvested by hand and destemmed. Fermentation lasted ten days with indigenous yeasts, followed by pneumatic pressing and ten months in stainless steel. The wine was bottled without filtration or clarification at fourteen and a half percent alcohol.
Cascina Tavijn 2020 Vino Rosso
Italian Red
Ruby red, this Barbera and Freisa blend offers red fruit, herbs and undergrowth. The palate is warm and soft, with structure, lively tannins, freshness and a persistent finish. Fermentation and refinement take place over several months in fibreglass tanks. The vineyards are in Scurzolengo, Piedmont, and are farmed organically. The wine is bottled unfiltered at thirteen and a half percent alcohol.
Domaine de la Pépière 2020 Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie
French White
White flowers, citrus and mineral notes meet apple and gentle yeasty nuances. The palate has fresh acidity, texture and length. Made from Melon de Bourgogne, the dry white is bottled at twelve and a half percent alcohol. It comes from the Loire Valley and carries biodynamic production status. The clean, refreshing style can accompany oysters and other shellfish.
Weninger 2020 Ponzichter
Hungarian Red
Sour cherry and strawberry meet spice and a lightly earthy Pinot character. The palate is light, with restrained tannins and subtle acidity. Pinot Noir and Zweigelt form the blend. The grapes ferment spontaneously, and the wine matures in large neutral oak. It comes from Sopron, is bottled at twelve percent alcohol and carries organic certification under AT-BIO-402.
Clos de Luz 2020 Agreste País-Moscatel
Chilean Red
Cherry red and lightly cloudy because it is unfiltered, this País and Moscatel blend offers gentle strawberry, sour cherry, damp earth, stem and sweet-spice notes. The palate is flavourful and light, with gentle tannins, hay and fruit. The grapes come from an old vineyard in Almahue, Cachapoal, and the wine spent ten months in used barrels.
Cuevas de Arom 2020 Altas Parcelas Garnacha
Spanish Red
Pure Garnacha comes from old, head-pruned vines planted between 700 and 850 metres on slate, quartzite, sand, limestone and clay. At least half the fruit is retained as whole clusters and fermented with natural yeast in concrete. Ten months of ageing also takes place in concrete. The profile is fruit-driven and juicy, with fine tannins and fresh, fluid character.
Scout Vineyard 2020 Pinot Gris
Canadian White
Watermelon, orange blossom, blood orange, rhubarb, strawberry and rosemary define the profile. Pinot Gris comes from two British Columbia sites: Scout Vineyard in the Similkameen and Kozier Vineyard in Naramata. Fruit from Scout Vineyard was destemmed into two qvevri, with skin ferments lasting fourteen days and three months. The Kozier portion spent seven days on skins in open-top fermenters before pressing into stainless steel. The wine was bottled unfined, unfiltered and without added sulphur.
Pentâge Winery 2020 Hiatus Red
Canadian Red
Fresh raspberry, juicy plum and cherry appear with spice and soft oak. Bright red berries, ripe plum and blackcurrant accompany smooth tannins and balanced acidity. The field blend contains 22 percent Merlot, 22 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 percent Petite Sirah, 14 percent Tempranillo, 12 percent Cabernet Franc, 10 percent Syrah and 5 percent Malbec. The wine carries 13.5 percent alcohol and a medium-plus body.
Giesen 2020 Uncharted Pinot Noir
New Zealand Red
Dark cherry and baked plum appear with smoky notes and vanilla. Sour cherry, fresh black cherry and herbs are also present, together with red and black fruit, cep and truffle. The wine is dry and made entirely from Pinot Noir grown in Marlborough. Alcohol is 13 percent. The exact release is identified as certified organic, sustainably produced and vegan, and it is bottled under screw cap.
G.D. Vajra 2020 Dolcetto d’Alba
Italian Red
Wild berries, mulberry, blueberries and fresh plums appear with white pepper, sweet spices, fresh thyme, earth and blue flowers. Refreshing acidity and mature tannins are present. Balsamic character is also present. Fruit came from the Coste di Vergne, Fossati, Pascolo and Ravera sites. Native-yeast fermentation lasted ten days, natural malolactic conversion followed, and tank ageing continued until April.