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Napa's 2020 whites

Mary Novak 2017

The valley's white wines largely escaped the effects of 2020 wildfires.

In early May I tasted through a collection of white wines from the 2020 vintage of the Napa Valley. Varieties tasted were primarily, but not exclusively, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

The 2020 vintage is of course infamous for its wildfires, but the tasting revealed more of the vintage character than just smoke effects. As previously written, smoke impact did not begin to be a concern in the Napa Valley until after the Glass Fire started in late September. So, it was not surprising to find a significant...