The last 2020’s are starting to drop.
What are you buying? What have you tasted? What are your thoughts on the vintage?
As always i am interested in growing my Northern Rhone collection. So let’s share our thoughts on everything 2020 Northern Rhone.
Will keep this updated with my own thoughts as wines come in.
Back from July:
Domaine Jamet, Cotes du Rhône, 2020.
A great mix of various darker mature berries. Black currants and black raspberries really coming forward on day two. The solar vintage is felt a bit in the fruit profile, but the wines acidity and the 13,5% abv keeps everything fresh and in balance. A dark chocolate note accompanies the fruit. You also get a bit of the classic markers like raw meat and flowers. A little black pepper at the end.
Lacking the bursting aromatics and the length of the Côte-Rôtie’s, but less can also do very well.
It is a good wine. Will be better in 5-8(ish) years.I have never had a red from Jamet i didn’t like.
I also think that winemakers are starting to handle this endless stream of solar vintages better and better
Will just copy paste from IG:
Franck Balthazar, Crozes-Hermitage, 2020.
It is no secret that i am a huge fan of Balthazar’s wines.
The Crozes-Hermitage cuvée initially disappointed me when i first tasted it. But I found out that after 1-2+ years they turn into something beautiful and becomes a top value wine.
So why open one now? To get a read on the vintage.
The fruit is darker and denser than most vintages I’ve had. Dark purple fruit. It is less peppery than i am used to from Balthazar’s wines, but with more raw meat notes than usual. The tannins reminds me of licorice powder. It is a solar vintage (again…) but nothing sticks out. Acidity, alcohol, tannins, fruit profile. Everything stays within its boundaries. It is a good and enjoyable wine now, but i will wait another year before i open my next bottle.
Bought some 2020 Julien Cecillon Crozes-Hermitage Les Marguerites and opened one. This is great Crozes. Dark and serious tarry/peppery nose, with iron, charcoal and granite undergirding the crushed and meaty fruit on the palate. This is great old-vine stuff, northern sector, manually worked vineyard, whole bunch, good freshness and excellent length with some very fine, lightly raspy tannins. Cecillon is making some excellent wines.
Sounds like my type of wine. Never had a Julien Cecilllon wine before though. Will try and add one to any upcoming purchases.
If you can find some the Saint Joseph is stellar as well.
Had Jamet’s 2020 Syrah Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes over the past two days. Very savory, with bacon and olive notes leading the way, and some fruit hiding under it all. Lower acidity than I would have hoped. Is this a trend for the vintage, or just this specific wine we think?
Wine was pretty much dead on day two, which is sad.
This is for the vintage overall 
I can find anything! 
Also got Francois Dumas Saint-Joseph 2020 coming in this week. Will open one during Christmas and post about it here
Did you have it in more vintages? I only had it two or three times. I do remeber it as a more easy going Syrah. So i would not expect it to stay interesting for more than two days at a maximum. In Europe the price difference between it and the CDR is not a lot, so i always go for the CDR (18 vs 24€ or so).
I have the following in-house or pending delivery, but haven’t tried any of those in-house yet
Used to love this producer really under the radar. Balanced wine selections used to sell them when they were still in business. Need to try these again thanks!
As someone who is still in the early stages of exploring N. Rhone wines and who has rarely had much N. Rhone with less than 12 or so years of age, I’m wondering to what extent is it worth it to open these wines on release or soon thereafter. I’ve opened some Vin de Pays young, but if I’m only getting 3 or so bottles each of more expensive wines like Clape Cornas, Gonon SJ, Jamet, LaLas, etc., will I get enough out of the wine if I open it young?
I’m with you. Zillionaires like @Robert.A.Jr like to open them to ‘check in on them’ and see what he has, but I don’t have that kind of jack, thus I wait until it seems like it’s the ‘perfect time’ to open them. Not sure that’s smart, but I get so frustrated if I open a wine too early, or (almost never happens) too late.
This is my first time having this wine from any vintage, and I would agree that it is much more easy going. I didn’t expect much to change on day two, I just couldn’t finish the bottle all on my own in one night! I paid $40 for this in the states, which is about average according to wine-searcher. It is in a strange price range where I would almost rather spend a little more to get something much better, or a little less for something not much worse. Still good wine though!
If you only have a few bottles and it is a more expensive wine with a great track record, like Jamets Côte-Rôtie, then wait. If money is not an issue then go for it.
I do think young Syrah can be amazing. Some of the best Syrah’s ive had was young Jamet, Chave and Allemand. But they were not as good as the proper aged ones. (Never had a proper aged Chave…)
Damn i do feel for you guys sometimes. 40$ is ridiculous. And then i totally get that it hits a strange price range. I would go for something else at that price.
Rarely see A & E Verset mentioned here on WB. I like them
As do I, and Alain Verset, though I’m told the '13 Alain Verset Cornas is not very good 
Well that sucks. Bought two 13’s not long ago 
