2020
2020
Montes 2020 Folly Apalta Syrah
Chilean Red
Intense carmine-red colour has violet tones at the edge. Ripe red and blue fruit includes blueberry, blackberry, cherry and black plum, with cookie, nutmeg, vanilla, leather, dark chocolate and toast. The tannins are smooth, and the finish is long and balanced. Syrah grows on thin granitic soils with angular stones in Apalta. Maturation lasts fourteen to eighteen months in French oak, seventy percent new.
Remoissenet Père et Fils 2020 Marsannay Les Échezeaux
French Red
An intense red colour accompanies subtle aromas of black and red fruit. The palate is ample and generous, with silky tannins, freshness and a fruit-led character. Pinot Noir comes from the Les Échezeaux parcel in the northern part of the Marsannay appellation. This is a dry Côte de Nuits red from a village-classified site. The parcel is among the local climats seeking Premier Cru classification.
Pirramimma 2020 A.C.J. McLaren Vale Red Blend
Australian Red
Blackberry, violets, juniper, plum and toasted cedar are present. The palate is rich, with dark red fruit, cassis, ripe tannins and a long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot come from the Basket Weave and Katunga vineyards. The Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in a contoured vineyard, while the Petit Verdot comes from plantings established in the mid-1980s. The wine is dry and red.
Château Mauvinon 2020 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
French Red
Black cherry, plum, hazelnut, chocolate and dried flowers are present in the aromas. Blackberry and liquorice appear on the palate. The profile is structured and intense, with powerful, silky tannins and a long, smoky finish. The blend is seventy percent Merlot and thirty percent Cabernet Franc. Grapes are hand-picked and sorted. Vinification uses small containers; maturation lasts twelve months in French oak, with half of the barrels renewed.
Martin’s Lane 2020 Simes Vineyard Pinot Noir
Canadian Red
Black, spicy fruit meets a silky palate, with bright acidity and a dense profile. Two parcels of a cool, north-facing East Kelowna vineyard supplied the fruit. Granite-based soils sit over fine silt. Wild fermentation used 70 percent whole bunches for 28 days, followed by 17 months in extra-tight-grain Austrian and French oak. Organic certification began with this vintage.
Anthonij Rupert 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon
South African Red
Tea leaf, violets, dark Christmas cake and black cherry form a layered nose. The palate is rich, with brewed tea, tomato leaf, spice and cedar. The wine is structured, balanced and long. Cabernet Sauvignon comes mainly from Franschhoek, with a smaller portion from Groenekloof in Darling. Fermentation uses wild yeasts, and maturation lasts twenty-four months in French oak, sixty percent new.
Clos des Vignes du Maynes 2020 Mâcon-Cruzille Manganite
French Red
Gamay comes from vines planted in nineteen fifty-three on limestone soils. Whole bunches undergo semi-carbonic maceration in wooden vats. The wine is bottled without fining, filtration or added sulphur. Lifted tart berry and floral tones meet a soft texture. The parcel lies in Mâcon-Cruzille in Burgundy's Mâconnais, and the finished wine carries 14.5 percent alcohol.
Julien Guillot 2020 Bourgogne Rouge Cuvée Auguste
French Red
Pinot Noir grows on clay and limestone soils with calcareous silt and abundant silica. The grapes undergo semi-carbonic maceration, followed by twelve months in used French oak. Bottling takes place without fining, filtration or added sulphur. The property is farmed organically without chemical treatments, and biodynamic methods are used. Work in the vineyard and cellar is performed by hand, without additions during growing or winemaking.
Pindarie 2020 Black Hinge Reserve Shiraz
Australian Red
Berry fruit and spice meet a concentrated, dense structure, supported by strong tannins and balanced acidity. The palate has a luscious, lingering mouthfeel. The Shiraz comes entirely from estate-grown fruit selected from the lower section of Tony's Block, on terra rossa soils. A small open fermenter is used with gentle hand plunging. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, followed by sixteen months in French oak.
Clos Cibonne 2020 Château Cibon Cuvée Hommage à Marius Rosé
French Rosé
Made from ninety percent Tibouren and ten percent Grenache, this rosé comes from vines more than sixty years old. The wine spends two years in 2,600-litre French-oak foudres, with bâtonnage during the first six months. Its onion-skin colour accompanies full body and layered intensity. Spiced and candied-fruit notes are present with a vinous, substantial palate. The cuvée honours Marius Roux and uses the estate’s historic Château Cibon label.
Danbury Ridge 2020 Pinot Noir
British Red
Ripe fruit, orange blossom and forest floor appear in an expressive bouquet. Fresh acidity, plush velvety tannins and a long finish define the palate. Fruit is hand picked and sorted, gently destemmed without crushing, then given a three-to-five-day cold soak in open-top oak fermenters. Maturation lasts ten months in French oak before bottling without fining or filtration. Alcohol is thirteen percent.
Domaine Raspail-Ay 2020 Gigondas 1.5 L
French Red
The blend is sixty percent Grenache, thirty-five percent Syrah and five percent Mourvèdre. Jammy red and black fruit appear with toasted spice. The palate is fleshy, with ripe tannins, acidity and balance. Grapes are harvested by hand. Vatting lasts thirty days, and maturation lasts eighteen to twenty-four months in oak foudres plus six months in demi-muids. Alcohol is fourteen percent.
Domaine Georges Glantenay 2020 Volnay Vieilles Vignes
French Red
Fruit comes from five parcels planted with vines aged sixty years and older. Dense, complex aromas accompany a broad profile of darker fruit. The palate is more intense, with slight salinity and a little more structure. Fruit for this old-vine bottling was formerly blended into the domaine’s other village wine, whose vines range from thirty to sixty years of age.
Pinino 2020 Brunello di Montalcino
Italian Red
Blackberry, plum and spice form the profile of this Sangiovese Grosso. The palate is velvety, full-bodied and smooth. Fruit comes from the Pinino and Canchi sites, whose soils include galestro, alberese, clay and silt. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled steel tanks, with eighteen to twenty-five days on the skins. Oak maturation lasts at least thirty months, and alcohol is fourteen percent.
Domaine Rebourgeon-Mure 2020 Pommard
French Red
Restrained, dense, pure, firm and tight, this Pinot Noir comes from Pommard in Burgundy. The village wine is assembled from Les Perrières, La Vache, La Rue au Port and La Croix Planet. The vineyards lie between 230 and 270 metres on clay-limestone soils with south and southeast exposures. Grapes are harvested by hand and fully destemmed. Maturation in oak lasts fourteen to eighteen months, depending on the cuvée.
Domaine Simon Bize et Fils 2020 Savigny-lès-Beaune
French Red
Black cherry, sweet dark berry, woodsmoke, currant leaf, dark soil and dark chocolate appear together. The wine is deep and full-bodied, with a core of black fruit, ripe firm tannins, tangy acidity, focus and grip. The finish has length, vibrancy and balance. This dry village red is made entirely from Pinot Noir, and production for the vintage totalled 15,000 bottles.
Le Chiuse 2020 Brunello di Montalcino
Italian Red
Forest berry, rose, new leather, Mediterranean herb, red cherry, raspberry, citrus, white pepper and anise appear with refined tannins, fresh acidity and energy. This Sangiovese comes from three north-facing vineyards. Fermentation and maceration lasted twenty-two days in temperature-controlled tanks. The wine then spent thirty-six months in Slavonian oak and was reassembled in large concrete tanks before bottling.
Ramos Pinto 2020 Quinta de Ervamoira Vintage Port
Portuguese Fortified
Deep, opaque colour accompanies intense raspberry and wild-berry aromas, a light violet note and fresh mint. The palate is structured and complex, with silky, fresh tannins, layers of fruit and freshness. The finish is silky and aromatic. Touriga Nacional makes up seventy-four percent of the blend, with Touriga Franca, Sousão and Tinto Cão completing it. Fermentation lasts four to five days in granite lagares.
Flavien Nowack 2020 La Fontinette Blanc de Meunier Extra Brut Champagne
French Sparkling
Pinot Meunier comes from a mid-slope parcel at Vandieres on sand and clay-limestone over marl. Native yeast is used, and the base wine ages in small oak barrels. Secondary fermentation uses grape must, followed by roughly thirty months on lees in bottle. White flowers, ripe pear and smoked almond appear with a chalky, savoury profile and a long finish. The wine is unfined and unfiltered.
Vega-Sicilia 2020 Pintia Toro
Spanish Red
Opulent and juicy character appears with a smooth, refined profile. Extraction was reduced during fermentation. Amphorae were incorporated into ageing and the impact of toast was reduced. Freshness is also present. The growing season brought above-average, well-distributed rain. Summer included occasional rain and daily temperature variation. The wine comes from the Toro denomination, and alcohol is 15.5 percent.
Remoissenet Père et Fils 2020 Beaune Marconnets Premier Cru
French Red
Black and red cherries appear with red plums in a structured, layered Pinot Noir. Meaty tannins accompany the fruit. Energy, balance, ripe cherry and freshness are also present. The Marconnets plot lies at the northern end of Beaune near Savigny-lès-Beaune. It faces south and southeast on clay and limestone. Light woody and smoky notes accompany redcurrant and blackcurrant.
El Gran Enemigo 2020 Gualtallary Cabernet Franc
Argentinian Red
Deep purple colour has red highlights. Sweet spice, black pepper, eucalyptus and thyme appear with ripe black fruit, blackberry, black cherry, chocolate and vanilla. The taste is complex, with sweet impact, structured tannins and a long, persistent finish. The blend is eighty-five percent Cabernet Franc and fifteen percent Malbec, grown on deep, calcareous and rocky soil at about 1,470 metres in Gualtallary.
Château Lynch-Bages 2020 Pauillac
French Red
Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for sixty percent of the blend, with Merlot at thirty-one percent, Petit Verdot at five percent and Cabernet Franc at four percent. The vineyard soil is Garonne gravel. The grapes are hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard. Ageing lasts eighteen months in French oak barrels, with new wood accounting for seventy-five percent.
Vega-Sicilia 2020 Macán Rioja DOCa
Spanish Red
Tempranillo comes from vineyards averaging forty years old at about 500 metres. The fruit was harvested by hand in twelve-kilogram boxes. The wine is powerful and subtle, with richness, freshness and balance. Fermentation is followed by malolactic conversion in barrels and tanks, while ageing uses fine- and extra-fine-grained French wood. The wine remains in wood for fifteen months before bottle maturation.
Champagne Nakada-Park 2020 Vignes de Courteron Brut Nature
French Sparkling
Pinot Noir forms this Blanc de Noirs Champagne. Fine perlage accompanies a fruity nose with yeast and bread-crust notes, while the palate is fresh and elegant. Fermentation and maturation take place in oak barrels, and dosage is zero. The wine comes from a 0.2-hectare parcel, with 2,400 bottles produced and disgorgement in November. The vineyard is farmed organically.
Champagne Nakada-Park 2020 Vignes de Gyé-sur-Seine Brut Nature
French Sparkling
Pinot Noir grows on sandy and limestone soil at Gyé-sur-Seine. Fermentation and maturation use oak barrels, and dosage is zero. Lemon, understated crustacea and blackcurrant leaf appear in a nuanced profile with precision, complexity and tension. Brightness and harmony are also present. The wine undergoes bottle fermentation and forty-two months of bottle ageing; disgorgement took place in November. The vineyard is farmed organically.
E. Pira & Figli Chiara Boschis 2020 Via Nuova Barolo
Italian Red
Nebbiolo comes from six vineyards in Barolo, Monforte d'Alba and Serralunga d'Alba. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel with punch-downs and pump-overs. The wine matures for about two years in casks and French oak barriques, then one year in bottle. Dried leaves, bark and disturbed earth appear with violet, liquorice and spice. Elegance and freshness accompany finely shaped tannins and long saline persistence.
Justin 2020 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon
American Red
Deep ruby-purple colour accompanies black cherry, cassis, tobacco leaf, baking spice, oak, leather, camphor and purple flowers. The dry, nearly full-bodied palate includes black cherry, blackcurrant, red berries, vanilla and cinnamon. Fermentation takes place in open- and closed-top stainless-steel tanks with twice-daily pumpovers. The Cabernet Sauvignon matures for thirteen months in American oak, one quarter new.
Domaine Jean Bourdy 2020 Côtes du Jura Blanc Chardonnay
French White
Golden colour accompanies fruit, sherry-like notes, yeast, Indian spice and umami. Herbs add an incense-like detail. Nuttiness, ripe pear, baked apple, briny minerality and lively acidity are also present. Made entirely from Chardonnay, the dry white comes from clay-limestone soils and grey marl. Biodynamic vineyard work is certified by Demeter. It may be opened several hours before service.
Domaine Jamet 2020 Équivoque Côtes du Rhône
French Red
Cassis, soaked black cherry, liquorice and ink accompany spice, black fruit, graphite, rose petal and black olive. Smoke is also present. The wine has fine, extended tannins. Syrah grows on schist and is harvested by hand. Vinification uses partial destemming, indigenous yeast and about fifteen days of maceration. Maturation lasts twenty-two months in older oak barrels before bottling.