2020 Solaia (2023 Release)
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Tasting notes
The 2020 Solaia is a wonderfully rich, concentrated, decadent Cabernet Sauvignon. The perfect marriage of high-quality oak and Cabernet is never clearer than in this wine. The smoky, savoury oak tones on the nose are beautiful. The wine has wonderful vertical depth and lovely fruit purity. The tannins are smooth and integrated and give a lovely drive to the palate. Its precise, clinical and veers away from plusher styles of Italian Cabernet. There is finesse too and floral tones that hang over the cassis fruit adding nuance and lift.
Critic scores
Tom Parker MW, jancisrobinson.com
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Franc. Harvest 28 September to 10 October. Sorted, destemmed grapes were gently crushed. Fermentation in 60-hl truncated cone-shaped tanks. Immediately after racking, malolactic fermentation began in barriques. Ageing took place in new French oak barrels for approximately 18 months. The various lots were aged separately then blended and reintroduced into barrels to complete the ageing process. Dark in colour and dark in profile. Chocolate, damsons and kirsch. The palate is plush, laden with oak spice and fleshy black fruit. The glycerol and sweetness of fruit completely cloak the tannins, giving a very hedonistic texture. Concentrated and full throttle with a very long finish. (TP)
The 2020 Solaia is an infant. I expected a more exuberant wine, but the 2020 is built along more classic lines. Black cherry, plum, gravel, incense, smoke, pencil shavings and spice all open effortlessly. As always, Solaia is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine, but it is a Cabernet that is distinctly Italian, with plenty of Tuscan acid and structure driving through the mid-palate and into the finish. The 2020 is a terrific example of the recent stylistic shift at Antinori. In the past, richness and opulence were qualities of a vintage that would have been amplified in the vineyard and cellar. Today, the aim is to capture a more balanced expression of these kinds of vintages, and that very much comes through.
A great vintage of the iconic Solaia, full of cloves, sage, graphite, grilled dried herbs, underbrush and roasted cherry pit. There's fruit too, bilberry and cassis, juicy and mouthwatering, both understated and exuberant, ensuring a Tuscan fingerprint despite its majority Cabernet Sauvignon construction. Has grip and length, and effortless charm, reflecting an excellent vintage with low yields after a hot dry summer. Antinori family showing once again why this wine, that comes from 20ha the sunniest slopes of the Tignanello estate, set at 350-400m altitude, is so hard to resist. Winemaking director Renzo Cotarella.
About the producer
Marchesi Antinori is a leading Italian producer, historically based in Tuscany, who rose to fame after creating Tignanello – one of the first Super Tuscans . Combining tradition and innovation to craft fine wine, the family-owned firm has been a force in the Italian wine industry for over 600 years.