Antinori - Solaia 2015

Die Tenuta Tignanello liegt im Herzen des Chianti Classico auf sanften Hügeln zwischen den Flüssen Greve und Pesa und umfasst über 300 Hektar Land. Von den etwa 130 Hektar Rebenfläche beherbergt die Tenuta Tignanello zwei ganz besondere Weinberge: Tignanello und Solaia, die sich auf demselben Hügel befinden und auf kalk- und schieferhaltigen Mergelböden marinen Ursprungs aus dem Pliozän wachsen. Die Weine profitieren während ihres Wachstums von warmen Tagen und kühlen Nächten. Die beiden Weine Tignanello und Solaia, die hier produziert werden, haben maßgeblich dazu beigetragen, den italienischen Wein ins Rampenlicht zu rücken und eine Renaissance des italienischen Weines auszulösen.

Die Familie Antinori hat Solaia im Jahrgang 1978 erstmals produziert, die erste Cuvée bestand aus 80% Cabernet Sauvignon und 20% Cabernet Franc, und blieb auch im Jahrgang 1979 gleich. Im Laufe der Jahre wurde eine geringe Menge Sangiovese hinzugefügt und die Zusammensetzung von Cabernet Sauvignon und Cabernet Franc variiert, bis man zur aktuellen Assemblage gelangte. 

Antinori’s team did a fabulous job with the 2015 Solaia. Bold and supremely exotic to its core, the 2015 (magnum) possesses stunning richness from start to finish. Ripe red berry fruit, blood orange, mint and sweet spice all build as the 2015 shows off its considerable allure. The 2015 is a very young wine, but it is stunningly beautiful tonight. Magnum 98/100 (09.2020)

The 2015 Solaia hasn’t moved much since I tasted it last year. In the glass, the 2015 is surprisingly fresh and vibrant for the vintage. Blackberry jam, blood orange, chocolate, licorice, cloves, lavender and menthol are all woven together, but the 2015 needs time to show the full breadth of its beauty, as there is a ton going on here. 98/100 (08.2019)

The 2015 Solaia is fabulous. Crème de cassis, lavender, cedar, tobacco, grilled herbs and blackberry jam are all vivid in the glass. Explosive and yet also wonderfully nuanced for such a big wine, the 2015 Solaia has it all going on. Here, too, Antinori's move to give the wines more energy really comes through. The 2015 is simply a magical wine with a bright, bright future. 97+/100 (02.2019)

There is a magical infinity, a continuous loop of compatibilities, between the icon wines of Tuscany and the 2015 vintage. The stunning 2015 Solaia is solid evidence of this perfect alignment. This was a warm vintage that shows less favorably in my opinion in different parts of Italy and with other grapes that render their most elegant performances in the cooler vintages. I would put pure expressions of Nebbiolo and Sangiovese in this category. However, Tuscany and many of her great blended reds (made partially or fully with international grapes) operate according to a different logic. To me, their maximum expression comes when you can taste that Tuscan sunshine beaming from within. Its rays are brilliant and warm. They shine across the senses with opulence and intensity. The very name Solaia evokes the concept of sunshine and this unique Tuscan wine archetype I am referring to. With the 2015 vintage, Solaia is liquid sunshine not just in name but also in fact. The bouquet is immediately soft and sensual with dark fruit, spice and sweet tobacco. The mouthfeel shows intensity and power, but you don't get any heavy residue from the dry extract (measured at 33 grams per liter). Indeed, the wine feels glossy, tonic and fresh. It is composed of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese and a tiny part Cabernet Franc. There is a bit of crunch or snap that comes thanks to the more acidity-prone Sangiovese grape (the wine measures 3.5 in pH). Finally, the tannins are beautifully sweet and ripe. This wine is meticulously executed, and the 2015 vintage lives up to an ideal of what we imagine Solaia to be. It will be released about a week after this review is published. Some 80,000 bottles were produced. 100/100 (09.2018)