2020 Was a Stressful Year That Paid Off
While I was sitting in the rain yesterday(it's already sunny again) I thought I'd tell the full story of our 2020 wine process. I know I've touched on some of this before. Once upon a time in Argentina...
The Familia Morgan 2020 vintage was born out of a season that kept us on our toes (not just because of COVID). The 2020 season was blisteringly hot and bone-dry. The Zonda wind—a scorching force from the north—had been battering us for weeks, drying out the vines and concentrating the grapes.
Step 1: The Unexpected Harvest Call
In early March, @Renzo_Burzi, our enologist, took a casual sugar sample from one of our Malbec grapes. Typically, we wouldn’t even think about harvesting for weeks. But that dry heat had spiked the sugar levels early—25 BRIX. "Uh oh," Renzo thought. Armed with his refractometer, he rushed to other sections of the vineyard. Every reading came back the same: 25 BRIX. It was time to harvest, way ahead of schedule.
Step 2: Scramble to Secure Pickers
That’s the thing about winemaking; it doesn’t wait for your calendar. In a matter of hours, every vineyard in the region had received the same news—sugar levels were off the charts. Grape pickers became a precious resource overnight. Under the guidance of the Burzichelli brothers, we scrambled to bring in the harvest, working day and night, racing against time.
Step 3: The First Triumph—Grapes in the Tanks
After a week of relentless labor, sweat, and careful handling, we finally had all the grapes in the tanks. But the stress of harvest translated into something beautiful in the winery. We put those high-sugar grapes through four days of cold maceration, teasing out colors and structure.
Step 4: Wild Yeasts Take Charge
The fermentation began naturally—wild yeasts from our vineyard soils guiding the process before we introduced selected yeasts. Each step was handled gently, ensuring the wine would be as balanced as possible, given the intensity of the vintage.
Step 5: Balancing in the Barrel
After 28 days of maceration, we racked the wine into French and American oak barrels. Only 15% were new, allowing the vintage to express itself without overpowering it with oak. The wine rested for 12 months in those barrels. Why not all virgin oak? Because we want to taste the stress those grapes went through, not hide it.
Step 6: The Final Refinement
Even after leaving the barrels, we weren’t done. The wine matured for another year in the bottle, building complexity and finesse, transforming into the robust yet elegant Red Blend we have today. From early harvest chaos to polished wine in the glass, this vintage is a true testament to resilience and adaptation.
Winner of the golf medal in the national blind tasting competition.
The Final Product
So, when you take that first sip, remember—it’s not just a Red Blend. It’s the product of blistering heat, wild Zonda winds, and a team that faced every obstacle the season threw at them. And yet, we ended up with something exceptional. Exceptional enough to win Gold in the Argentine National wine contest.
Cheers to the 2020 Familia Morgan year, as stressful as it was. 🍷
