2020 Smoke Taint or No Smoke Taint California (Focus on Northern California)

I know! It’s a shame, would love to meet and chat with you too.

2 Likes

Well the point is to post wines that are impacted and not impacted as I have done. Personally I will still buy wines that are not impacted but will buy elsewhere if it is noticeable and impacts the quality.

2 Likes

Always like their base bottlings. Good to here!

Sounds like a defamation lawsuit waiting to happen

Sounds like posting tasting notes and determining if a wine is good or not. I have found one wine to be an issue and over 4 days the Sea Slopes is noticeably smoke tainted. I have had many vintages and none were this bad. As you can see others have posted that some of the wines are drinking fine at the moment.

1 Like

I’d be a bummer to see areas like SBC get lumped in with and have a similar stigma as the Napa 2011s but for smoke taint. I’m definitely not rolling any dice buying expensive 2020 Napa/Sonoma wines without knowing their state so the Napa/Sonoma notes are helpful. My Kistler noted above was a 2019 on the display and stupid me didn’t look at the label when I grabbed one from the rack. Lucky $80something purchase, I suppose.
That reminds me, I need to pick up my 2020 Colson Cyn wines from K&L :truck:

1 Like

The Tensley wines have been the two best I have ever tasted from 2020. I was upset as a local wine shop sold out when I went to buy a mixed case of the two but once again promoting wine sales locally has not panned out for me but at least others will enjoy.

2 Likes

Explain that to me? If the wine is smoked taint what is the problem. It is not like anyone on here is going to make up notes on wineries. The fact that so many good wineries in Napa did not produce a 2020 is a testament that it is a serious issue.

Yeah, I tasted it and immediately went online to find a handful of bottles.

2 Likes

Interesting reads. I’ve been dying to find TN or reviews of Memento Mori’s 2020 vintage. Only time can tell if the 2020 events were blown out of proportions.

1 Like

Your final score on the Sea Slopes is an 86? That’s what is bolded. Even though it became undrinkable?

1 Like

I take the highest score. The wine got much worse over a few days. Sometimes the highest score is day 3, sometimes day 2 and day 1.

4 Likes

I think it would be best to refresh one of the original threads, like this one: Smoke Taint 2020 Northern California.

It has a lot of nuance and context, with extensive winemaker participation.

As far as personal experience is concerned, I’ve had about two cases of 2020 wines by now from winemakers I trust (half white, half red/rose), and have tasted as many more reds all over California. I have yet to detect smoke taint in any of them. Some were just OK, some were downright spectacular, like 2020 Geyserville.

I realize that this streak will end sooner or later, especially if I failed to detect and laid down manipulated wines where taint will emerge later.

The '20 Memento Mori is fantastic. I tasted it in a flight, alongside the '17, '18, and '19, and it certainly held its own. Some of the experienced tasters in our group even preferred it to the '18 or '19.

2 Likes

Added and good call.

3 Likes

I’ll post more detailed notes after my vacation is over, but for now, I’ll just say I had a wonderful tasting with Leah and Mike Smith. We tasted quite a few Myriad and Quivet 2020 Cabs, from the NV to the Beckstoffers, and they were all various levels of great. My group detected 0 smoke taint and nothing out of the ordinary or concerning with the wines. We all bought some 2020s and are excited to have them. I’m not at all surprised given who made the wine, but it was nice to finally have a hands on experience with 2020 Napa Cabs.

2 Likes

Thanks for posting!

I’ve opened one of my 2020 Myriad Napa Valley Cab and no issues that I noticed.

2 Likes

No issues on this one!

  • 2020 Pax Syrah North Coast - USA, California, North Coast (11/19/2022)
    Day 1: Very similar in style to the Result of a Crush Syrah wines which are a bit cheaper but not by much. Green olives, sour cherry, spice, white pepper, underbrush, minerals and floral notes. Medium plus finish and quite nice overall. For sure a buy at this price. 92 points
    Day 2: While it has some of the same characteristics of day 1 on day 2 gets a little more intense featuring dark berries, smoke, black pepper, spice, floral and underbrush. Went from a Rocks clone to a Barossa wine over the course of two days. I like it and one of the more interesting transformations of the year. 91 points
    Day 3: More rustic on day 3. Underbrush, earth, black pepper, tar, dark fruits and spices. Intensity is up on day 3 so this wine has plenty left in the tank. 91 points
    Recommendation: This really can be drunk now or over the next 8 plus years. (92 points)

Got an email from Jancis Robinson with access to her column this week concerning 2020 Napa vintage. Nice to see a second major critic weigh in on the vintage. She is pretty positive about the samples she tasted, indicated that some wineries like Harlan harvested earlier than usual. 2020 may turn out to be a real sleeper year in the long run. She did hint that the 21’s may be back to the lush, heavily fruited style. 2020 is sounding more and more interesting. John Williams at Frogs Leap gets some love, and his prices are not insanity.

I am planning to dip my toe in the water, could be a very interesting year…