2020 Viader Red
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Tasting notes
Viader's 2020 Red Wine is a 60-40 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, which at a glance appears to be approximately the historical average. Fermented in a mix of stainless steel, concrete and 500-liter oak barrels, with an average time on skins of more than 50 days, it's a dark, extracted, full-bodied wine, firmly tannic and seemingly built for the cellar. Scents of black cherries and cassis lead the way, joined by accents of resinous herbs, a touch of cedar (it was aged in 65% new French oak), hints of dark chocolate, allspice and loamy earth. It's a strong effort, marked by a final touch of coarseness to the texture that isn't present in truly great vintages, but some of that should be smoothed over in time.
Critic scores
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2020 Red Blend Viader, a 60/40 split of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, is hard to read at this stage, with a powerful, tannic, structured style. Giving up notes of plums and dark fruits as well as iron and scorched earth, it’s going to need 2-4 years of bottle age to let the tannins chill out, and it will be easier at that point to see where this is going.
Spanish chocolate, cassis, cigars and some baked olives and red capsicum. A rich and full-bodied red, rounded by firm, nicely chewy tannins at this stage, but will melt down along with the fruit. Long and tight finish. An excellent effort for the vintage. 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% cabernet franc. Hold until 2025.