This wine represents the leading edge of the Fabulous 2020s. The 2020 vintage was a small crop, with no rain, yielding wines of intense concentration and some of the ripest fruit we have seen. Some of the wines coming soon from the 2020 vintage are Oentrepid "X", Colos, Magnus, and the first "Initiate", a right-bank Merlot-based Bordeaux blend. I love the 2020s.
The Illumina product from 2020 is also very good. Both Carmenere and Petit Verdot are showing very well, among others.
Like Cab Franc, Carmenere is a higher pyrazine grape, meaning generally more peppery. The longer the grapes hang, however, the more they lose this peppery characteristic, resulting in a more generic type of red wine with less varietal distinction. The trick in good production of these varieties is to catch them at exactly the right moment, not underripe, but not past their prime. That's my job.
The 2020 Carmenere is a good full-bodied representation of the grape. I would treat this wine just like the two Tempranillo wines above: It is drinkable now, but to maximize your investment, I would hold for 1-2 years meaning drink in 2024 or 2025.
