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 - 2035tom_parker_mw, JancisRobinson.com (September 2023)

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.One of the biggest news stories to hit fine wine this year is the full acquisition of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa by Tuscany’s Marchesi Antinori in May 2023. The Antinori family enjoyed a 16-year partnership with the celebrated winery Warren Winiarski, founded in 1970. It is now the complete owner. The Antinori family and long-time USA partner Ste made the announcement. Michelle Wine Estates has a portfolio of wines in the American Northwest (Washington and Oregon). Marchesi Antinori is the only Italian company to own a winery in Napa. Marchese Piero Antinori first travelled to California’s wine country in the 1960s and fell in love. In 1985, his family started making wine in Napa (with the company known as Antica, which is short for “Antinori in California”). “It is an honour for me and my family to make good on a promise made to my friend Warren Winiarski 16 years ago,” says Marchese Piero Antinori. “We wanted to safeguard the values and the heritage of the prestigious Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.” The Stag’s Leap 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon was singled out in the celebrated Judgement of Paris in 1976 that pitted the best of Californian wine against Bordeaux. It sparked a revolution in the world of fine wine.Drink 2024 - 2045monica_larner, Wine Advocate (May 2023)

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 - 2045Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com (August 2023)

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.I tasted a wide range of wines from Antinori, including upcoming releases from recently acquired vineyards that will inform a new range of Gran Seleziones. As much as the higher-end wines are consistently outstanding, I have to say I find the showing of the entry-level wines more impressive, given their quality and production levels. There’s a lot of ambition these days at Antinori.Drink 2028 - 2045antonio_galloni, Vinous.com.com (August 2023)

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 2028james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (November 2023)