Despite the Challenges, the 2020 Vintage will not be Absent from the History Book

The 2020 season will be remembered for factors beyond the normal measurements. Here in the valley, it was a warm, dry winter and we didn’t start to see rain and cold weather until the end of March. While the mild spring season gave us a great early start, the wineries of Napa Valley worked under extensive safety protocols due to the COVID pandemic. Summer brought very cool mornings and very warm days. This build-up to harvest was interrupted by two wildfires as we turned to the fall; The LNU Complex Fire started on August 17th and the Glass Fire started on September 27. The white wine harvest started in early August, the wines are showing excellent development in cellars, reflecting the fine vintage year.

While the red wine harvest will be smaller than usual, most wineries were able to move forward with red wine vinification. While the 2020 Napa Valley harvest proved to be one of the most challenging in history, our winemakers remain not only optimistic but committed to bottling wines of the highest quality. The story of this vintage will continue to unfold over the years to come.

Vintage Quotes

“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…” – – Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter.com

“All was not lost in a Napa Cabernet vintage turned upside-down by wildfires and a pandemic: Hope, and great winemaking, finds a way, and 2020 may yet yield successes” – – James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com

“It’s impressive to taste high-quality 2020 wines from Napa Valley when thinking about what winemakers went through that year. Not only was it a very hot and dry growing season for their vines, but it was also complicated by two damaging wildfires as well as the COVID pandemic. Winemakers who actually had the luck and courage to make clean wines, both red and white, showed a real sense of relief as well as satisfaction. And their wines are all the more exciting, if unadulterated, if there is real quality in the bottle.” – – James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

Related Articles

– Napa Cabernet 2020: Vintage report and top recommendations Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter.com

– Keeping an Open Mind on 2020 – James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com

– Karen MacNeil’s thoughts on Napa Valley’s 2020 vintage – Karen MacNeil, NapaValley.wine

– Finding Clarity in Napa 2020 – James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

Vintage Chart

Vintage Videos

Napa Valley Wines – Should you buy the 2018-2020 Vintages?

2018 vintage overview for Napa Valley Cabernet, Merlot and Red Blends