Marchesi Antinori, Solaia, 2021
Marchesi Antinori, Solaia, 2021
- Red Still
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc
- Organic
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The jewel in the Antinori family’s crown, Solaia is located in the heart of Tenuta Tignanello, between Greve and Val di Pesa.
Meaning "sunny one", it was first produced in 1978 and whilst Tignanello is predominantly Sangiovese, the blend in Solaia is based primarily around Cabernet Sauvignon, with Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc both playing supporting roles. This now famous site produces some of the greatest fruit in the world and receives corresponding stratospheric scores from the critics.
Drinking window: 2025 - 2055
What the critics say:
"Antinori's 2021 Solaia is another wine that captures all of the potential I sensed when I tasted it some months ago. More than anything else, the 2021 is a fine example of the style Antinori favors these days, an approach that favors finesse more than opulence. Dark plum, mocha, licorice, chocolate, spice, lavender and menthol build effortlessly in the glass. Oak and tannin are impeccably balanced. The 2021 spent 18 months in wood, three months in once-used barrels during the malolactic fermentation and then 15 months in 100% new barrels for the rest of its aging."
"All said and done, the Marchesi Antinori 2021 Solaia is a monument to perfect winemaking. This coiffed supermodel does not show a single hair follicle out of place. However, it doesn't quite have the same sex appeal of the Tignanello. In my conversations with Estate Manager Renzo Cotarella during this tasting, it was expressed this way: "Tignanello is unexpected. Solaia is expected." Whereas Tignanello is a wine of vertical lift and energy, Solaia is a wine of lasting power. The wine offers generous depth and layering with soft tannins and some of the spicy pink peppercorn you get from the 9% Cabernet Franc (added to 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Sangiovese). The finish is extremely velvety and soft, but I notice that the flavors seem to become sweeter and riper the longer this wine stays in the glass. This newest release will hit the market in September."
