The top 20 sparkling wines of 2020
From Champagne and Franciacorta to English and Australian sparkling wines, discover the Platinum and Best in Show medal winners from the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards, plus where to buy them...
Of the 1,677 sparkling wines judged at DWWA 2020, just 20 (1.2%) received the competition’s top accolades of Best in Show or Platinum.
Top scorers, all receiving a minimum of 97 points, this year’s best sparkling wines from across the globe give reason to celebrate – and just in time for the holidays…
France Champagne
Rare, Brut, Champagne 2006
98 points, Best in Show
£149.99 North & South Wines
With 14 years’ ageing, this has had time to gather all its resources – which it does with great style and assurance. The palate has dramatic intensity and drive, delivering a wealth of chalky lemon; its athleticism and vigour almost come as a surprise after that floating veil of seductive scent. A fresh, mouth-cleansing finish completes the appeal of this skilful, sagely judged blend from a hugely likeable vintage. Alc 12.7%
Taillet, Sur le Grand Marais Brut Nature, Champagne NV
97 points, Best in Show
N/A UK www.champagne-eric-taillet.fr
Pinot Meunier has long been the Cinderella of the Champagne grape triumvirate, rarely winning the accolades of its elder sisters Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This Meunierdominated blend is a welcome indication of its rehabilitation. In addition to the refined orchard fruits, there are notes of marzipan and honeycomb among the aromas. On the bracingly dry, brut-nature palate, expect a cascade of autumn apple resonance and woodland green freshness. Alc 12%
Boizel, Brut Réserve, Champagne NV
97 points, Platinum
£35 The Wine Society
Liquorice aromatic notes with resonant plum and red apple. Deep, exuberant, mouthfilling, vigorous and long, an exuberant, vinous Champagne with plenty of richly textured aromatic lift. Crowd-pleasing, but connoisseur-pleasing too. Alc 12%
Deutz, Amour de Deutz Brut, Champagne 2010
97 points, Platinum
£125-£130 MIllésima, Plus de Bulles
Classy wine filled with scents of citrus and brioche and hints of woodsmoke. The palate brings impressive soft bubbles and notes of citrus, praline and cream. Long, breezy and vivid finish with a persistent prickle of mousse. Kudos! Alc 12%
Devaux, D Millésimé Brut, Champagne 2008
97 points, Platinum
£59.50-£61.67 Exel, Millésima, Vinvm
Weighty vanilla toast and lemon butter bouquet. Bright, energetic and crunchy on the palate with vanilla, pastry and herbal red berry characters. Long, tapering finish. This is cerebral, accomplished and compulsively drinkable. Alc 12%
Louis de Chatet, Privilège Brut, Champagne NV
97 points, Platinum
N/A UK www.champagne-louisdechatet.com
Delightful nose of red fruit: strawberry, Mirabelle plum and herbs. Full-bodied and generous with young vine fruit characters to the fore. Chalky acidity lengthens the finish and aftertaste. Superb. Alc 12%
Taittinger, Folies de la Marquetterie Brut, Champagne NV
97 points, Platinum
£46-£65 Widely available
Lovely smoky brioche intensity on the nose. In the mouth it begins with cream and lemon meringue, then opens up further to lively acidity. Very complex, intense and concentrated. Superb potential to develop further. Alc 12.5%
Rare, Rosé Brut, Champagne 2008
97 points, Best in Show
£275-£300 Cru, Farr Vintners, Fine & Rare, NY Wines of Cambridge, The Solent Cellar
This pale-salmon rosé is certainly appealing to look at, with a steady mousse. But take time to engage with its bready, quietly fragrant scents, and the architectural breadth of its flavours reveals the quality of this very gastronomic, vinous and rewardingly understated wine. The edge and cut of the vintage plays a key role in shaping the slow, teasing roll of its pomelo and tangerine-peel fruits. A pink Champagne for fine-wine lovers. Alc 12%ream and lemon meringue, then opens up further to lively acidity. Very complex, intense and concentrated. Superb potential to develop further. Alc 12.5%
Henriot, Rosé Brut, Champagne 2012
97 points, Platinum
£68.95 MIllésima, Plus de Bulles
Aromas of smoke and raspberry cede to a delightful mousse on the palate, with brisk acidity propelling complex notes of pear, melon and brioche. Impressively long, this never wavers in its elegance. Alc 12%
France Loire
De Chanceny, Impetus Brut, Crémant de Loire 2012
97 points, Platinum
£18.85 GP Brands, Q Wines
Expressive nose of honeyed fruit, toast and candied lemon. Richly poised, with citrus and creamy notes. Savoury truffle and nuts finish the palate nicely with a long and sumptuous length. Alc 12%
England
Roebuck Estates, Classic Cuvée Brut, West Sussex 2014
97 points, Best in Show
£35 www.roebuckestates.co.uk
A stream of fine bubbles is followed by keen, ultra-fresh aromas in which the graceful, creamy Chardonnay notes mix with deeper fruits from the two Pinots: apple, pear, quince. The promise of the nose is delivered with great focus on the palate in this refined and searching wine, its length and persistence testament to the kind of slow acquisition of phenolic (or flavour) ripeness that southern England’s climate now permits. That vivacity and assurance are redefining the boundaries for northern, high-latitude sparkling wine creation: taste it here. Alc 12%
Chapel Down, Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée, Kent 2014
97 points, Platinum
£100 www.chapeldown.com
Fantastically complex, the nose laden with cinnamon, brioche, apple blossom, red apples, butter and white mushrooms. Excellent fruit concentration on a powerful palate, which is long, fresh and rich despite the extra brut style. Alc 12.5%
Chapel Down, Three Graces, Kent 2015
97 points, Platinum
£28 Justerini & Brooks
Bold and opulent, showing a plush nose of cinnamon-coated baked apples, spun sugar, oats and custard, followed by a soft yet crisp palate that reveals layers of intense apricot and red apple fruit, nuts and toasty notes. Still plenty of ageworthy freshness, too. Alc 12%
The Grange, Pink, Hampshire NV
97 points, Platinum
£31 Fareham Wine Cellar, Stone Vine & Sun
Wonderful fragrance, elegance and concentration, along with layers of raspberry, redcurrant and hedgerow fruits, all run through with toast and nuts, before a very long finale. Alc 12%
Italy
Corte Aura, Satèn Brut, Franciacorta, Lombardy 2013
97 points, Platinum
N/A UK www.corteaura.it
Very attractive, honeyed and fruity nose of pineapple, peach and melon. Great freshness on the palate with plenty of soft white stone fruits, hints of crème pâtissière and a long and stylish finish. Alc 12.5%
Spain
Bodegas Ca n’Estella, Rabetllat i Vidal Gran Reserva Brut Nature Cava, Penedès 2015
97 points, Platinum
N/A UK www.fincacanestella.com
The resplendent toast, citrus and apple bouquet leads into an intensely focused palate with a minerally texture, lively acidity and toasty, white peach and pineapple concentration. Beautiful expression of brut nature, and great development potential. Alc 12%
Gramona, III Lustros Brut Nature, Corpinnat, Catalonia 2012
97 points, Platinum
£33 Decántalo
Complex nose of minerals, macadamia and pineapple. Wonderfully engaging with a well-defined, savoury and toasty finish, inviting you to drink again. Delicious and well-made, with the power booster on for a protracted finish. A real jewel. Alc 12%
Portugal
Caves Transmontanas, Vértice Bruto, Douro 2012
97 points, Platinum
N/A UK www.dourovertice.pt
Wonderful toasty brioche, apricot and citrus underpinned by a chalky, limey core. Rich and elegant with a sublime, almost creamy acidity, velvety mousse and a stunning, long, melt-in-the-mouth finish with soft herbal influences. Alc 12.5%
Slovenia
Bjana, Cuvée Prestige Extra Brut, Goriška Brda, Primorska 2015
97 points, Platinum
N/A UK www.bjana.si
Fresh and focused nose, with lift, life and zesty citrus and apple notes. The bright palate has lovely structure and texture, with some minerality and elegance. Persistent mousse. Very classy. Alc 12%
Australia
Terre à Terre, Daosa Blanc de Blancs, Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills, South Australia 2015
97 points, Platinum
N/A UK www.terreaterre.com.au
Beautifully perfumed with hints of peach, bright citrus and heady, rich brioche notes, then onto a palate braced with fine acidity, clean and focused fruit and a layered, textured finesse. Alc 12.5%
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