Marchesi Antinori
Solaia 2023
| Denomination | IGT Toscana |
|---|---|
| Size | 0,75 l |
| Alcohol content | 14.5% by volume |
| Area | Tuscany (Italy) |
| Grape varieties | 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Franc |
| Aging | Aged in wood for approximately 15–18 months in new French oak barriques/barrels, with malolactic fermentation in second- and third-fill barriques; batches are aged separately and then blended before bottling. |
- Type: Still Tuscan red wine IGT, dry Super Tuscan with zero residual sugar.
- Grapes: Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc, vinified separately.
- Ageing: 15-18 months in French oak, with malolactic fermentation in barriques.
- Palate: Creamy and fresh, silky tannins; notes of blackberry, cherry, bitter cocoa and coffee.
- Origin: Tignanello Estate in Chianti Classico; 98 points Decanter and James Suckling.
Description
What type of wine it is
Solaia by Marchesi Antinori is an excellent still red wine, an authentic expression of the Tuscan terroir. This famous IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) blend is born from the careful combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc grapes, cultivated with extreme dedication. On the palate, it presents a creamy and enveloping entry, enriched by a distinct freshness and a silky tannic texture that leads towards a long and deep finish. Processing in conical tanks and ageing in barrels lend the sensory profile remarkable elegance and a marked structural complexity.
Where it comes from
This wine originates from the renowned Tignanello Estate, located in the heart of Chianti Classico between the Greve and Pesa valleys. The vineyards, facing south-west at an altitude of between 350 and 400 metres, sit on calcareous and rocky soils, rich in alberese, galestro and veins of Pliocene clay. The local microclimate, characterised by warm days and cooler nights, ensures optimal temperature shifts for the perfect development of the bunches. These peculiar territorial characteristics ensure a compact and vibrant structure to the palate, honouring the history of a label conceived in 1978 and produced exclusively in the best vintages.
How it is produced
The production process begins with a meticulous manual selection of the berries, followed by destemming and gentle pressing. The must is transferred by gravity into conical tanks, where fermentation and maceration on the skins take place at a controlled temperature in strictly separate batches to optimise qualitative extraction. After racking, the wine completes malolactic fermentation in oak barrels, before continuing with ageing in new French oak for approximately fifteen months. At the end of this maturation, the different parcels are assembled into the final blend to achieve full structural harmony.
History and interesting facts
First produced in 1978 by the Antinori family, Solaia represents a true milestone in Italian oenological history. In the early vintages, the original blend was composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc; Sangiovese, introduced at 20%, enriched this prestigious composition only later on. This renowned Super Tuscan, an authentic and monumental expression of its territory, is produced exclusively in exceptional vintages, so much so that it was not released in the 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1992 vintages.
Awards
-
2023
98/100
Decanter is a wine and lifestyle magazine, published monthly in around 90 countries. The magazine includes industry news, classic guides and advice on wine and spirits.
-
2023
97/100
James Suckling is an influential American wine critic and journalist who worked at Wine Spectator for 30 years. He left the magazine in 2010 to start his own website and guidebook (JamesSuckling.com). He specialises in Italian and Bordeaux wines.
-
2023
97/100
Vinous is the online guide from Antonio Galloni, one of the world's leading wine connoisseurs.
-
2023
95/100
Wine spectator is the most influential wine guide on the internet.
Tasting notes
Perfume
Color
Taste
Serve at:
18 - 20 °C
Longevity:
10 - 15 years
Decanting time:
1 hour
- Start up year: 1385
- Oenologist: Renzo Cotarella
The Antinori family’s first encounter with wine dates back to 1385, when Giovanni di Piero Antinori joined the Guild of Wine Merchants to make the best use of the family’s country properties in Valdarno, around Florence.
However, it was not until the 16th century that banker and merchant Alessandro Antinori made the wine from his estates famous in Italy and abroad, travelling from Lyons to Flanders, and from Spain to Algiers.
Wine was to remain the family’s passion and main business activity, so much so that in 1898 the "Fattoria dei Marchesi Lodovico e Piero Antinori" was created by brothers Lodovico and Piero, the sons of Marchese Niccolò – a direct descendent of that other Niccolò who purchased Palazzo Antinori in 1506 and poured his efforts into publicising Tuscan wines around the world and creating fine quality products. For 26 generations the Antinori family have continued to make history.
In 2023, at the beginning of February, Villa Antinori Toscana IGT 2019 was named the third wine in the world, the only Italian wine, in Wine Specator's Top 10 Values 2022: the list of the 10 wines that according to the American magazine represent world excellence in terms of value for money. Read more
| Name | Antinori Solaia 2023 |
|---|---|
| Type | Red still |
| Denomination | Toscana IGT |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Size | 0,75 l |
| Alcohol content | 14.5% by volume |
| Grape varieties | 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Franc |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Tuscany |
| Vendor | Marchesi Antinori |
| Story | History and interesting facts First produced in 1978 by the Antinori family, Solaia represents a true milestone in Italian oenological history. In the early vintages, the original blend was composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc; Sangiovese, introduced at 20%, enriched this prestigious composition only later on. This renowned Super Tuscan, an authentic and monumental expression of its territory, is produced exclusively in exceptional vintages, so much so that it was not released in the 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1992 vintages. |
| Origin | Tignanello Estate, in Chianti Classico between the Greve and Pesa valleys (Tuscany) |
| Climate | Hot and dry with subsequent rain and cooler nights |
| Soil composition | Rocky limestone soil (alberese) with galestro and veins of Pliocene clay |
| Yield per hectare | Less than 8,000 kg per hectare |
| Harvest | October harvest: started in early October and concluded on 13 October. |
| Fermentation temperature | Average temperature of 27 °C, never exceeding 31 °C |
| Production technique | Manual selection of the berries; destemming and gentle crushing; gravity-flow transfer into truncated conical tanks with fermentation and maceration on the skins at a controlled temperature; malolactic fermentation in barriques; ageing in wood (French oak) with batches vinified and aged separately and then blended. |
| Wine making | Manual selection of the berries, destemming and gentle crushing; must transferred by gravity to truncated conical tanks (60 hl) where fermentation and maceration on the skins take place at controlled temperatures in separate batches; after racking and pressing, malolactic fermentation in second and third-fill barriques; initial ageing in separate batches, then blending and maturation in wood (new French oak casks/barriques) for approximately 15–18 months before bottling. |
| Aging | Aged in wood for approximately 15–18 months in new French oak barriques/barrels, with malolactic fermentation in second- and third-fill barriques; batches are aged separately and then blended before bottling. |
| Allergens | Contains sulphites |