SOLAIA 2020

Description

Antonio Galloni 97 points vinous.com (June 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.

Monica Larner 96 points www.robertparker.com
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.

Georgina Hindle 97 points  www.decanter.com (at Bordeaux, 01 Aug 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.

Aldo Fiordelli 97 points  www.decanter.com (at Bolgheri, 01 Jul 2023)
The 2020 is probably not the best ever vintage of Solaia, but in the glass it shines. The wine is dark and concentrated, with restrained cassis mingling with leafy, flowery notes and the clove aroma of the 100% new French oak. Very youthful at the moment, it deserves more time to develop more complexity, but the attack is already soft and velvety, with tannins developing volume on the mid-palate, then a toasty tobacco finish. Fresh acidity is typical of the Chianti Classico region as well as the contribution of Sangiovese. Powerful, graceful and energetic.