Antinori - Solaia 2020
Antinori Description
Solaia 2020 is ruby red in color. Exceptional intensity and complexity on the nose: notes of wild berries, especially blueberries, raspberries and currants that intermingle with sweet hints of plums, black cherries and fresh impressions of mint, myrtle, licorice, and floral nuances of lavender. The rich bouquet is completed by sweet well-integrated notes of cocoa powder and dried fruit that follow over to spicy hints of cloves and pleasant impressions of pink pepper. Entry on the palate is rich and mouth filling then elegantly softens, with velvety tannins that sustain a long persistent finish. The aftertaste echoes notes of mint, licorice and chocolate perceived on the nose.
Wine Spectator: 97 Points
Dripping with black currant, blackberry, black cherry, iron and toasty oak flavors, this red is suave and polished. Features flashes of tobacco and wild herbs that add even more detail as this builds to a long, kaleidoscopic finish. Presents civilized tannins that are well-integrated and provide structure. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc.
Wine Enthusiast: 97 Points
A torrent of blackberries, blueberries, currants jump off the nose before giving way to soil and wild fennel. On the palate berries remain as exuberant as they were on the nose, equally balanced by wild herbs and pepper, with a spicy heat that feels like the peel of an orange set on fire over a glass of amaro. Tannins are taut and smooth and give the sensation of actually being able to bite into the wine. Hard to argue with this one.
Vinous Media: 97 Points
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 are 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.
Wine Advocate: 96 Points
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 both depth and fruit weight. The 2020 vintage is quite bold, and it 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 color this full-bodied Tuscan red.
