2020 Rhône Valley Vintage

2020 was a precocious year, sunny but not scorching. A rainy autumn in 2019 restored water reserves after that year's scorching summer, and a mild, dry winter brought early bud break. That early start left the vines particularly sensitive to the last spring frosts, and differences in the growth cycle across the vineyard began to set in. Powerful sunshine and high summer temperatures pushed potential alcohol up, though not to the levels seen in 2019. Drought and heat were a worry in early summer, when ripening stalled in certain sectors. In the Northern Rhone, there were few weather incidents apart from water shortage on some plots, which held back ripening at the start of summer, especially in the south-east of the Northern Rhone. The dry, sunny and slightly windy weather kept the vineyards healthy and protected the crop from disease, and fruit reached harvest in excellent sanitary condition. Inter Rhone president Philippe Pellaton said that overall the vines did not suffer from drought and reached maturity. In the Northern Rhone, a little further north, the harvest was early, starting around the first week of September. Volumes were satisfactory but varied by sector, with great differences in the south, where climatic episodes hit some areas. Surveys for the Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone Villages appellations showed volumes down around 8 percent on 2019 and 10 percent on the ten-year average, with harvest forecasts of 1,540,000 hectoliters, including 270,000 hectoliters of Cotes du Rhone Villages.

• A rainy autumn 2019 restored water reserves; a mild, dry winter brought early bud break
• Early-summer drought and heat stalled ripening in certain sectors; in the north, water shortage on some plots, especially in the south-east
• Dry, sunny, slightly windy weather kept the fruit healthy through to harvest
• Cotes du Rhone and Villages volumes forecast at 1,540,000 hl, around 8 percent below 2019 and 10 percent below the ten-year average

Inter Rhone framed the northern story as elegance and finesse. The harvest was lovely, it said, but fell short of usual yields. Xavier Gomart, director of the Cave de Tain l'Hermitage, told Inter Rhone the vintage promised to be good, with the different terroirs fully expressed and, in some tanks, a freshness that may have been missing in recent years. In Cote-Rotie, David Duclaux, co-president of the appellation's interprofessional section, described very elegant, very fine wines with red and black fruit aromas where the summer heat might have suggested more ripeness, and placed 2020 in an unprecedented string of six great Cote-Rotie vintages: "We are blessed by the gods, even if the yields are not there." In Clairette de Die and the Diois, Franck Monge, president of the appellation, said altitude made the difference and the harvest was very rapid across its 30 towns.

• Few weather incidents apart from water shortage on some plots
• The harvest fell short of usual yields
• Cote-Rotie: very elegant, very fine wines with red and black fruit aromas (David Duclaux, via Inter Rhone)
• Clairette de Die and Diois: altitude made the difference; a very rapid harvest (Franck Monge)

For southern reds, Inter Rhone reported beautiful color and good structure, with tannins that were present but melted in the mouth. Syrah stood out, with hints of ripe fruit and sweet spice, while Grenache had a harder time reaching full phenolic maturity and showed less color intensity than usual. The first wines tasted were supple, balanced and very elegant, rich and fruity. Vincent Boyer, president of Cotes du Rhone Villages Suze la Rousse, called the harvest very heterogeneous in quantity but within the average for the appellation. Samuel Montgermont, co-president of the Cairanne interprofessional section, said 2020 joined the string of fine vintages of the past five years. In the Ventoux, Sebastien Vincenti credited the wide day-to-night temperature swings with helping the vines withstand the drought, and in the Cotes du Vivarais, Philippe Dry said rain was sufficient for the grapes to ripen fully.

• Reds: beautiful color, good structure, tannins that melt in the mouth
• Syrah: ripe fruit and sweet spice; Grenache struggled to reach full phenolic maturity and showed less color than usual
• Suze la Rousse: quantity very heterogeneous but within the appellation's average (Vincent Boyer)
• Ventoux: day-to-night temperature swings helped vines withstand the drought (Sebastien Vincenti)

Inter Rhone said the white and rose wines reflected the diversity of the harvest, with acidity varying by grape variety and zone, giving profiles that were sometimes very aromatic and fresh, sometimes rich and more complex. Philippe Pellaton said picking took place in optimal conditions, particularly for southern whites, which he described as lively and tense, with attractive aromatic profiles. In Tavel, Thomas Giubbi, co-president of the appellation's interprofessional section, said the vines suffered less than in 2019 despite spring weather hazards, and a slightly later harvest let the berries ripen with more acidity than the year before, giving a balanced vintage with aromatic finesse and the color intensity typical of the cru.

• Acidity varied by grape variety and zone
• Southern whites: lively and tense, with attractive aromatic profiles (Philippe Pellaton)
• Tavel: a slightly later harvest and more acidity than 2019 (Thomas Giubbi)