Solaia 2020 Antinori

Tasting Notes

First impressions: dark fruit and graphite, with something floral rising from the glass. Black currant and black cherry in the foreground, cedar and tobacco behind, with hints of dried Mediterranean herbs. The flavor is rich but not heavy. The tannins are fine and reminiscent of Cabernet, while Sangiovese emphasizes cherry acidity and spiciness. The finish is iron and pencil shavings. Drinkable now if you let it air out, but it will get even better with patience.

Grape Varieties

The blend is approx.

• 75% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 20% Sangiovese
• 5% Cabernet Franc

Why this particular blend? Cabernet Sauvignon gives Solaia a blackcurrant core and a tannin backbone that allows it to age. Sangiovese keeps the palate from feeling like a wine transplanted to Bordeaux, bringing cherry, acidity and an earthy Tuscan character. The Cabernet Franc is small but with floral lift and green herbal notes.

Cellaring Potential

Solaia 2020 should be drunk between 2028 and 2050. The tannins are still firm and the concentration of warm harvest fruit needs time to integrate with the oak; store at a stable temperature of 12-14°C. After 10 years or so, the blackcurrant notes will give way to leather, tobacco and truffles.

The Producer

The Antinori family has been making wine since 1385, but a very recent development is important here: in the 1970s Piero Antinori broke Chianti norms and released Tignanello (1971), a Cabernet blend, and Solaia (1978), a Cabernet-dominated wine. The first two wines were released in 1971 and 1978 respectively. Both became "Super Tuscany." And both helped redefine Italian wine. Today, with Renzo Cotarella as head winemaker and Piero's daughter Albiera as president, Antinori is still making wine their way. We believe this is why their wines continue to be benchmarks.

Terroir & Climate

The Solaia vineyard is located next to the Tenuta Tignanello winery in Mercatale Val di Pesa, in the Chianti Classico zone. The vineyard's name means "sunny" and its southwestern exposure at 350-400 meters above sea level explains why. The soils are alberese (calcareous marl) and galestro (schistose loose clay). Why it matters. Limestone gives Cabernet Sauvignon the structure and freshness needed for warmer climates, and the higher altitude means cooler nights. Greater diurnal variation, slower ripening and aromatic complexity. That's the formula.

Winemaking

Solaia is aged in French oak barriques (small 225-liter barrels from Bordeaux) for about 18 months. Fermentation is first carried out in stainless steel to preserve the purity of the fruit and allow Antinori to precisely control the extraction. The wine is then transferred to barrels where new oak adds cedar and vanilla without reducing the acidity of the Sangiovese. After bottling, the wine is aged for another year before release. This is why Solaia is not raw but refined at release.

Food Pairing

Cabernet tannins call for fat and char. Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Tuscan chianina beef bone-in) is the obvious answer and very tasty. But there's more to it than that:

• Wild boar ragout with pappardelle.
• Braised Tuscan Beef Peposo with black pepper.
• Aged Pecorino Toscano, salty and rich.

Serve at 17-18°C. Decant at least 2 hours before serving.