2020 – What a year, right? Collectively, we’re probably all ready to wash our hands of this crazy year.
But wait, 2020 also brought its share of positive and life-changing events for a lot of us – marriages, babies, new homes.
For the spouse and I, 2020 was the year of the big migration – our 9-day pilgrimage across the country to live closer to family. Naturally, the trip consumed much of our time before and afterward. Yet, we continued to taste and pair wine with home-cooked meals or takeout, whatever was available.
Looking back, the best wines of 2020 were those that left me musing about the people and places behind my full wine glass. They had complexity, for sure, but also stories to tell and lessons to teach. Following is my list of top 10 life lessons from a year of memorable wine tasting.
- Ancestry matters, but so does the ground where you’re planted.
2017 Résonance Découverte Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills AVA
Founded by Maison Louis Jadot, Résonance shares the Bourgogne producer’s winemaking philosophy and know-how. Yet, a certain Oregon “somewhereness,” as the producer calls it, shines through a glass of their single-vineyard Pinot Noir – a reflection of the Willamette Valley climate and the red volcanic soil of the Dundee Hills subregion. Fruity and elegant, this age-worthy Pinot tastes of wet forest floor with high acidity and a touch of vanilla on a long peppery finish. Licorice and cherry notes emerge after the wine opens up.
2. Stay true to your roots.
2017 Bernard Baudry Le Domaine Chinon AOC
In the Loire Valley of France, Cabernet Franc is a rock star. It’s bottled as a single varietal under various place names (Chinon, Bourgueil, St.-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, Saumur-Champigny). The Baudry father and son team appreciate the unique character of each plot of land within their vineyards. They apply “piecemeal winemaking” to harvesting and vinifying grapes. In the cellar, “no interventionist winemaking” is the rule. They use only natural yeasts to make “mono-varietal wines” that showcase each terroir (climate, soil, aspect) and vintage. This is classic Loire Cab Franc.
3. Sometimes, we all can use a little help from our friends.
2015 WineSmith Cabernet Franc, Lake County
This satiny California blend is 78% Cabernet Franc and 22% Merlot. An innovator and inventor, winemaker Clark Smith sources the best available grapes, but he also helps his wines to reach their full potential. For this Lake County Cab Franc, he uses air-cured oak chips to extract color and micro-oxygenation (a process of adding oxygen in small, measured amounts) to build structure. He adds Merlot “for roundness and fatness.” The wine opens with cherry and dark cherry aromas with a hint of violet and ripe bell pepper. After a couple of days, the nose becomes luscious – bell pepper disappears and is replaced by chocolate and tobacco. Tastes sweet though it’s dry.
4. Experience counts.
2018 Goldschmidt “Katherine” Stonemason Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley
“I find it funny that they name the 40 under 40 best, [winemakers]” says producer and winemaker Nick Goldschmidt. “How about the 50 best over 50? Those are the ones I want to drink.” At 58, Goldschmidt is Exhibit A in his argument for age-worthy winemakers. His career spans more than 30 years in eight countries. At home in Healdsburg, California, he consistently produces high-quality single-varietal, single-vineyard wines. Several of his wines are named for his daughters, including Katherine. She’s the popular girl on the block – an elegant, soft-textured and full-bodied Cab Sauv from this Sonoma County subregion.
5. Perseverance pays off.
Wines of Moldova
Before I had an opportunity to taste wines from Moldova, I couldn’t have told you anything about this small country. Now I know Moldova is located in Eastern Europe and was one of the former Soviet-bloc states. It’s had a long history of winemaking, but only recently emerged from its role as provider of cheap fortified wine to Soviet workers. Now, through investment and dedication, it’s 19th among worldwide wine producers and has the highest density of vineyards in the world. What’s more, the wines are delicious! Especially enjoyed the fruity, zingy, and spicy 2018 Radacini Ampre, a blend of 70% Saperavi, 20% Fetească Neagră, and 10% Merlot.
6. Nobody knows a neighborhood like the locals.
2017 Benanti Etna Rosso DOC, Sicily
Vineyards on Mount Etna, the 10,920-foot active volcano that dominates the northeastern corner of Sicily, are located at elevations of up to 3,500 feet above sea level. The Benanti family has been producing wines from native grapes on these slopes since the late 19th century. In 1988, Benanti began an extensive study of the Etnean soils. In 2010, they completed a five-year experiment aimed at selecting indigenous Etna yeasts in the vineyard and cellar. Etna Rosso typically consists mostly of Nerello Mascalese with a small amount of Nerello Cappuccio. This one has mineral and saline notes, and a long, herby and peppery finish.
7. Listen to recs from a trusted source.
2016 Alain Jaume Domaine Grand Veneur Les Champauvins Côtes du Rhône AOC
“This one is savory,” says Carol as she pulls down this wine from a shelf. I’m in Carol’s wine shop looking specifically for a Côtes du Rhône from 2016, a notable vintage for this Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre red blend. I tend to go with Carol’s recommendations because she tastes the wines she stocks, and she has a soft spot in her heart for the structure and finesse of old-world wines. Sure enough, this wine is a savory mix of herbs, spice, black cherry, and cranberry aromas, and more herbs, some cranberry, and a generous amount of ground black pepper on the palate. At $19 a bottle, you can’t beat the value when compared to Châteauneuf-du-Pape at twice and triple the cost.
8. A little sweetness goes a long way.
Sweet Bordeaux wines of France
Only 2% of Bordeaux’s overall wine production area is sweet. But famous folks like Thomas Jefferson appreciated their special character at a time when sweet white wines were more popular than dry reds. The good news is these sweet Bordeaux wines pair beautifully with everything from appetizers to entrées to desserts. I tasted four, including a Château La Rame Sainte Croix du Mont AOC (95% Sémillon, 5% Sauvignon Blanc) that sang of dried apricots, honey, and honeysuckle, and was light and buttery on the palate. This wine was made from grapes with Botrytis cinerea or “noble rot,” a beneficial fungus that breaks the thin-skinned Sémillon grapes and traps moisture inside. These moldy grapes slowly dehydrate and shrivel over time, concentrating sweetness and adding layers of complexity to the wine.
9. Keep things fresh and lively.
2019 L’Ecole No. 41 Semillon, Columbia Valley
There’s not much Semillon grown in Washington state, but Walla Walla-based L’Ecole No. 41 makes a dry, Bordeaux-style white blend (88% Semillon, 12% Sauvignon Blanc) using Columbia Valley grapes. Family-owned L’Ecole was the third winery in Walla Walla and the 20th commercial winery in Washington state. The three-generation winery is housed in the historic Frenchtown School just west of town. L’Ecole’s Semillon is vibrant and zesty with pineapple and hints of grapefruit, orange zest, and grass on the nose, and a palate rich in pineapple, lemon, and lemon curd with a rounded mouthfeel.
10. Experimentation can lead to fun surprises.
2017 Anthony Road Skin Ferment Pinot Gris, Finger Lakes
I vividly recall tasting winemaker Peter Becraft’s clean, precise wines on one of several visits to the New York Finger Lakes wine region. No one wine stood out as better than the rest, but his skin-contact white wines left a lasting impression. Most white wines are made from direct pressing of grapes to extract their juice. For skin-contact white wines – sometimes called “orange” or “amber” wines for their deep color – grapes are fermented for a time on their skins. Becraft finds a bit of tannin from skins and seeds focuses the varietal expression of grapes. This textured and savory Pinot Gris has layers of complexity.
(Top photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels)
Great wines, great lessons! Here’s to 2021!