Napa 2019 and 2020: vintage guides

The view out of Dominus’s iconic Herzog & De Meuron winery, across the rain-soaked vineyard in February 2023

Two belated write-ups on vintages past

It’s immensely infuriating that wineries beyond Bordeaux don’t co-ordinate releases (Burgundy and the Rhone, and some parts of Italy, sort of do, but not really). For someone trying to inform consumers on the vintages that they’re being offered, it’s a quagmire – with no right time to publish news of any vintage, which is inevitably irrelevant for the majority of wines hitting the market. That said, I took the chance during my trip to Napa earlier this year to get to grips with the 2019 and 2020 vintages.

Needless to say, there’s a lot to be said about 2020, a year ravaged by wildfires and already tainted by the memories of smoke. I wrote more specifically on the threats of wildfires and smoke taint already, but it’s important to look at the rest of the season (even if I suspect few will bother to). I’m certain many consumers will write off the year, but that will be their loss. I may not have the money to buy 2020 Promontory, but boy if I did… there really are some exceptional wines from the year, and they shouldn’t be dismissed by rote. As for 2019, my personal tastes align more closely with 2018 (lighter, more elegant), but it’s clearly a brilliant year, and as most seem to agree, much more typically “Napa”.

Read my full reports on 2019 and 2020 in Napa on frw.co.uk/editorial