My Top 20 Wines For 2020
We’re almost there, y’all!
This year has been a wild one for sure, but I’m grateful to have been able to share my wine musings with you! If there’s one thing quarantine taught me, it is that I’ve got everything I need to push my dreams forward – all I have to do is bet on myself.
I had the opportunity to taste A LOT of wines this year, and this list is simply a compilation of what I think are the greatest hits. No, I haven’t created an elaborate rubric to score them meticulously. I’m going off the strength of my experience in tasting each of the wines, and how I remember them making me feel in the moment. Was it hard to choose my top five wines of 2020? Yes and no. As you may recall, I spent a nice chunk of my summer improving my systematic approach to tasting and studying for my WSET Level 2 and Level 3 exams. So when it was time to simply enjoy wine, I explored things that I liked the most.
To me, the beauty in wine lies in giving yourself space to truly experience it. The beloved five S’s of wine tasting (see, swirl, sniff, sip, and savor) have encouraged me to not only to strengthen my ability to detect aromas and flavors, but it has helped me practice mindfulness. While there may be an art to tasting wine, I’m grateful to have done it in a fun way and learned more about how to appreciate it.
I’ll start with my top five (in no particular order), and then share my favorite sparkling, white and red wines.
Enjoy!
The McBride Sisters Sparkling Brut Rosé had been on my list of wines to try for a while, and it was worth the wait. It’s dry, effervescent with juicy red fruit and a subtle sweetness in the finish. The Field Recordings SKINS is an orange wine that I heard a lot about, and I love the idea of white wines fermenting on their skins. Sans Wine Co. did what they had to do with this natural canned Cabernet Sauvignon - which bee-tee-dubs, there is HALF A BOTTLE OF WINE in one can. My friends at Tank Garage Winery had me a little shook when I popped the cork The Revolution Will Not Be Televised and discovered its tartrates, but it was velvety and jammy with bright cherry and raspberry flavors and a nice touch of vanilla. And Champagne’s affordable and cousin Cremant de Limoux brought sparkles to my eyes every time with his brioche, green apple and floral character.
First of all, I love sparkling rose. Mionetto’s Prosecco Rosé hasn’t even officially hit the streets yet, but when it does? Y’ALL ARE GOING TO LOVE IT. It has notes of strawberry, watermelon, Asian pear and tastes like sophisticated summertime in a glass. I’m a huge fan of John Legend, and so when I found his LVE Sparkling Rosé during a grocery store run, I had to pick it up. Imagine him singing “So High” live in concert at Grant Park in the springtime to ONLY you and your significant other - it tastes JUST like that. I had the chance to partner with Segura Viudas and host a tasting with some incredible Black women in wine. This was our collective favorite because it was creamy, had a rich toasty taste, and citrusy and tart with green apple. Finally, Moet & Chandon pulled up with the honorable 2012 Vintage Rosé Champagne and this was a perfect bottle to pop on November 7, 2020.
I haven’t always been the biggest fan of white wine, but these bottles truly changed the game for me this year. The Vin De Days Blanc from Oregon was a delicious blend of five white grapes that brought fun fruitiness and flavor. I have to thank my girl Cha McCoy for introducing me to Australian Semillon. It’s dry with notes of lemon, lime and pear, with a subtle sweetness of honey - the perfect brunch wine. Soave Classico was a suggestion from a local wine shop based on my love for crisp, clean and very dry, high acid Italian white wines. The last two Chardonnays are very different - Los Vascos is unoaked from Chile and Renouveau is from a family estate in Sonoma Country’s Russian River Valley. Both have made me a believe in Chard.
I remember buying Satis Dei from Trader Joe’s at the top of the pandemic because I thought the bottle was GORGEOUS. Little did I know that I would soon fall in love with a harmonious blend of Syrah and Garnacha. Black fruit, spice, tannin, body - and all for under $10. Chaos Theory is everything that everyone says it is, and it was my first time tasting a wine from THEE Brown Estate. Another red blend, it reminded me of yummy red fruit leather that’s sweet and chewy with some spiciness. I had the chance to try DAOU Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon at a tasting Downtown Chicago with my homegirl Brittany one week before the shutdown. It’s full-bodied, tannic, with a good amount of black fruit - everything a California Cab should be. And speaking of California Cabernets, Faust Cab Sauv from Napa Valley is one of the boldest that I’ve had to date. It’s bold, audacious and absolutely needs to be decanted to get the full expression of leather, pepper and clove that supports the rich black cherry. And to end on a slighter lighter note, Clarice Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir - has a rich aroma of dried Herb de Provence, but cherry, raspberry, and vanilla take center stage. I’d expect a Pinot from the Santa Lucia Highlands to be light in body, but the high alcohol content gives just enough weight on the palate.
And that’s it! What were some of your most memorable sips this year? Share them in the comments below, and I hope you continue to drink well going into the new year!
