Loire Valley | 2020 vintage
The Loire Valley experienced a very mild and rainy winter in 2020, as did other French regions. Throughout the following months, the growth cycle was significantly early which extended through to the harvest. Grapes ripened well thanks to rain in May and June, which supported the build-up of water reserves. While the beginning of the summer was relatively fresh, temperatures then rose considerably, culminating with two heat waves in August. As a result, the majority of harvests began at the end of the month. In addition, hailstorms occurring in June and August caused substantial losses, notably in the vineyards of the Centre-Loire, in Châteaumeillant, Menetou-Salon, Reuilly, and Sancerre.
While the wines may not be as ethereal as in the previous vintage, most are rather successful. In Muscadet, the harvest proved to be excellent in both quantity and quality. The wines reveal a pleasing typicality and a very enjoyable aromatic freshness. Dry Chenin wines from Montlouis and Vouvray in Touraine are complex and possess excellent acidity. Sweet wines also fare well, with Botrytis developing nicely thus yielding concentrated and elegant juices. Wines from the easternmost part of the region present a very high standard. Sancerre grapes attained excellent levels of maturity while retaining good tension. Meanwhile, Pouilly-Fumé wines exhibit remarkable aromatic structure.
As for the red wines, the leading appellations for Cabernet Franc, namely Chinon, Bourgueil, and Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, produced very pleasant, fruity, well-balanced juices with good tannic structures that will ensure their long-term quality. The Centre-Loire produced wines with, at times, intense colours, offering complex nuances and fine concentrations, thus confirming the qualitative progress observed in the region for several years now. The 2020 vintage has significant ageing potential.
