Walls: Exclusive first taste of M Chapoutier Sélections Parcellaires 2020

Before we dive into 2020, let’s recall a previous vintage in the Rhône – the tipping-point 2003. Before this year, hot vintages had come and gone, but local winemakers all agreed 2003 was unbearable.

The plants couldn’t cope; leaves desiccated on the vines. The resulting wines were often strange, jammy confections.

No-one wants to see that again.

Scroll down to see Matt Walls’ exclusive tasting notes and scores for the Chapoutier Sélections Parcellaires 2020 wines

In 2003, Michel Chapoutier started the picking on the 17th of August. In 2020, he started on the 19th of August. The fiery spectre of 2003 had raised its head once again.

‘I was very worried that [2020] would have the same characteristics as ’03,’ he says. ‘But it’s amazing; when you taste the wines, you don’t have the impression that we had such a warm vintage.’

He thinks this is down to epigenetic modification in the vines. ‘I really believe it shows… the genetic adaptation of the vine to follow the evolution of the climate… We have a demonstration, a brilliant demonstration of the ability of the vineyards to adapt.’

This isn’t the first hot year since 2003 after all; 2019 was also a scorcher, and 2018 and 2017 weren’t far behind.

Chapoutier says the 2020 vintage was just as hot as 2019, but the heat came at a less damaging time, and without the same extremes. In 2019 the heatwave hit in early July; in 2020 it came in August.

Whether or not the vines have now permanently adapted to the hotter, drier summer weather that is increasingly the norm in the Rhône, one thing is for sure; the 2020s bear no resemblance to the 2003s.

Chapoutier Sélections Parcellaires 2020

The reds

The 2020 vintage is tannic but not hugely structured in Hermitage; that’s to say it has plenty of tannin, but that tannin is melted and juicy. The structures aren’t as rugged or rigid as the monolithic 2019s, but they’re far from blowsy; a more accurate term might be luxurious.

The granite-born Le Pavillon and L’Ermite are both phenomenal wines.

Les Greffieux and Le Méal are very good indeed, but marginally softer and sunnier in style. Wines grown on granite often derive a certain upright nature and textural freshness from these soils, which gives them the edge in a year like 2020.

And not just in Hermitage – both red Saint-Josephs are excellent this year.

Élevage was typically one to two months longer this year and the movement towards large containers continues: Le Pavillon and Les Greffieux now see a proportion aged in 12hl barrels.

Acidities are remarkably well balanced considering the vintage conditions, and there’s a feeling of vibrancy in the wines across the range. The yields played a role here. The average at Chapoutier was 30hl/ha for reds, or 25hl/ha for the Sélections Parcellaires – so not painfully low like some years, helping to preserve acidity and juice.

As a result, they don’t have quite the same concentration and depth of fruit as the 2019s and 2015s but some are better balanced, with an enjoyable clarity, fruitiness and fluidity. They have the freshness of the 2016 vintage, with an added dollop of 2018 ripeness. They are quite spherical and soft despite their tannic load.

Despite this I suspect they will age fairly well.

Michel thinks that the wines will take a long time to come round, comparing it to the very good, firmly structured 1983.

I’m sure however that thanks to the accessibility of the tannic structures and juicy fluidity in the wines, many wine lovers will dive in sooner rather than later.

The whites

Yields for whites were higher still, at 38hl/ha across the board. ‘Low yields in Marsanne is not always helpful,’ says Michel, as ‘you wake up the noble bitters. And when you stress the Marsanne, the bitterness can bite you.’

What surprised me for such a hot, dry year was the freshness and elegance of the whites. They don’t have the same extract as the 2019, so not quite the same length and intensity, but they have an appealing clarity and freshness making for particularly drinkable wines.

This could prove to be the best year at Chapoutier for white wines since 2014.

The new addition to the range, the Saint-Péray ‘Haut Chamblard’, is very successful indeed. On occasion their single vineyard Saint-Pérays have felt overworked, but this captures the fluidity and softness of Saint-Péray around a fine acid line – it’s a very impressive opening vintage.

The white Hermitage lieux-dits all display their individual characters, and will be relatively early drinking. De l’Orée can be almost too rich in certain vintages; it’s naturally reined-in by the vintage conditions in 2020 and I think shows particularly well as a result.

I’ll be visiting the Rhône for three weeks in October to taste the 2020s more widely. On the strength of these wines, that’s an exciting prospect.

Chapoutier Sélections Parcellaires 2020: Tasting notes and scores

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