This year’s critics favourites come from regions that have traditionally been smaller secondary market players.
As the year draws to a close, many publications have released their wines-of-the-year coverage. One of the first critics to announce their favourite wines in 2020 was James Suckling, who chose the Argentinian Chacra Pinot Noir Patagonia Treinta y Dos 2018 as his wine of the year. Last Friday, Wine Spectator also revealed their selection, with the Spanish Marques de Murrieta’s, Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2010 taking the top spot.
Yesterday, Jeb Dunnuck revealed his top 100 picks in 2020 – his favourite wine comes from the Rhone.
Chateauneauf-du-Pape’s Domaine de la Vieille Julienne, Les Hauts Lieux 2018 received 97 points from the critic, who described it as a “heavenly bottle of wine”. Dunnuck wrote in his tasting note: “Possessing full-bodied richness, an ethereal, seamless texture, ultra-fine tannins, and nicely integrated acidity, it’s a more structured wine compared to the Les Trois Sources and will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and evolve for 15 years or more.”
The market for Rhone wines has begun to broaden in recent years, with demand for the region steadily building, examined at length in our latest regional report, The Rhone: Solid as a Rock.
Dunnuck’s top ten includes three 100-point wines from the USA, a region that has more than tripled its market share in 2020 (from 2.3% in 2019 to 7%).
Two wines from Bordeaux 2017, the third most traded vintage by volume on Liv-ex in 2020, also made it into the top ten rankings.
Dunnuck commented that “every producer on [his] list is worth your time and money. If a wine on this list is not available, by all means, try a different wine from the same producer.” To see Jeb Dunnuck’s complete selection, click here.
Liv-ex members can download a copy of our latest extended report on the Rhone, here.
