ΝΑΡΑ CABERNET 2020

After what turned out to be a difficult and traumatic growing season across California, those who were able to did manage to produce many high-quality wines, albeit often in small quantity, as our expert summary reveals. Follow advice where you can, and consider drinking rather than keeping long term

- JONATHAN CRISTALDI

Napa’s 2020 vintage is very much about farming choices and location. The growing season began with a dry winter; early rains reduced crop yields. Two fires impacted the region in the middle of the growing season. Still, the vast majority of producers who bottled any Cabernet Sauvignon harvested their grapes before the second fire, which erupted on 27 September. Despite all the challenges, wine lovers will find plenty to admire among the wines I have recommended here. Now three years on, having had good time to settle in the bottle, these are wines to drink now and often.

The short version of the 2020 growing season in Napa is best summed up in one stark reality: compared to a typical vintage, only half the quantity of wines were produced. Indeed, many wineries opted not to produce wine at all. When it came to assessing the 2020 wines earlier this year, apart from one large organised event at which I was able to taste 80 wines, even finding out who had actually made wine and was willing to send out samples was a challenge, and understandably so. The 60 other wines I was able to try were therefore tasted over several months, many on an individual basis.

Those who did make Cabernet Sauvignon, or any wine for that matter, did so with great care and were methodical in their approach, given the tumultuous conditions of both the hot growing season and all the complexities of adjusting to Covid pandemic restrictions for cellar work.

LUCK AND TIMING