2020 Solaia, Antinori, Tuscany, Italy

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.

Drink 2025 - 2035

Inky dark in appearance, the 2020 Solaia is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller percentages of Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese. This vintage unfolds to exuberant richness and thick layers of blackberry and plum. The tannins are sweet and expertly crafted, adding depth and fruit weight. The 2020 vintage is quite bold and plays its best cards in terms of texture and mouthfeel. It’s a bigger, more accessible wine compared to the last two vintages on the market. Spice, toasted coffee bean and more dark fruit colour this full-bodied Tuscan red.

Drink 2024 - 2045

Baked black fruit, ripe, fragrant and intense on the nose. Bright and sour fruit on the palate, quite a sharp initial tang from the high acidity before rich, sunny, ripe strawberries and raspberries come into play with liquorice, toast and cedar aspects, giving the spiced element to the expression and graphite offering minerality. 

This is a powerful wine, no doubt, bordering on too hedonistic at times - a result of the hot and dry summer, it's sensual, rich and flashy, but the sense of control and layers of juicy freshness help balance the opulence with refinement. Clearly confident and charismatic, fans of this style will delight with Solaia in 2020. Made by Renzo Cotarella, Stefano Caraneto and Pietro Dogliani.

Drink 2027 - 2045

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.

Drink 2028 - 2045

Subtle and beautiful on the nose with currants, flowers and light sage aromas that follow through to a full body with ultra-fine tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Extremely polished and poised. Classy. 

Best after 2028