The 2020 Durfort-Vivens is an exotic, full-throttle wine. Heat and lack of rain between May and August yielded small berries with naturally concentrated juice. That comes through in the wine's ripe, luscious personality. Yields were 32 hectoliters per hectare, lower than normal. Small berries yielded a Durfort of tremendous richness. I imagine the 2020 will need quite a bit of time in bottle to be at its best. Today, it is quite the powerhouse. The 2020 is aging 67% new oak and 33% terracotta vats.

The 2020 Durfort Vivens has turned out beautifully, unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark cherries and berries mingled with hints of licorice, baking chocolate and mint. Medium to full-bodied, deep and fleshy, it's layered and concentrated, with lively acids and broad structural shoulders, its generous endowment of powdery tannin asserting itself on the youthfully firm finish. More tightly wound than the extroverted, charming 2019, the 2020 will demand patience, but it's a very strong performance for this estate.