Solaia (2022)

About this wine

Solaia 2022 is a classic Super Tuscan expression, Cabernet led with just enough Sangiovese to keep the fruit bright and the finish lifted. The nose leans into black cherry and blackcurrant, then swings toward cedar, tobacco, and a little minty herb note that keeps it lively. On the palate it feels full and layered, with dark berry fruit up front and a cocoa and espresso tone through the midpalate. The tannins read as fine and steady rather than aggressive, giving the wine a polished, confident shape. You will notice a hint of balsamic freshness and sweet spice as it opens, which is part of what makes Solaia feel unmistakably Tuscan even with its Bordeaux grapes. This wine started as a Cabernet focused bottling from the sunniest part of the Tignanello hill, first released with the 1978 vintage, and it became one of the labels that helped define the modern Tuscan red wine era.

About the grape

Cabernet Sauvignon is the backbone of Solaia at roughly 75 percent of the blend, a variety brought to prominence in Bordeaux and planted on the Solaia vineyard which sits around 350 to 400 meters above sea level on stony alberese limestone, where its thick skins and late ripening give concentrated tannin and structure used here for the wine s long aging potential. Sangiovese contributes about 20 percent and brings the local Tuscan pedigree, bright acidity and red fruit clarity, it is managed alongside the international varieties to preserve freshness and varietal definition within the Toscana IGT blend. Cabernet Franc, at roughly five percent, is the aromatic lift and finesse, a French variety long used by Antinori to refine perfume and mid palate complexity, and all three varieties are vinified separately and matured in French barriques before careful blending for the final bottling.

Quick facts

• ☀️ Solaia’s name means “the sunny one,” named for the vineyard’s uniquely southwest exposure that gets the most sun on the Tignanello hill.
• 📅 The 2022 harvest for Solaia was staggered by variety, with Cabernet Franc picked in late September, Sangiovese a few days later, and Cabernet Sauvignon not until early October.
• 🪨 Solaia sits on Pliocene alberese and galestro soils rich in marine fossils, a geological detail winemakers credit for the wine’s mineral backbone.
• 🔀 When Solaia debuted in 1978 it was a mostly Cabernet blend; by later vintages Antinori reversed the Tuscan norm by adding Sangiovese to give the wine its unmistakable Italian signature.
• 🍾 Antinori only releases Solaia in exceptional years, skipping vintages that don’t meet the estate’s standards, which turned the label into one of Italy’s most collectible ‘wait-for-it’ wines.

Palate profile

Producer

Marchesi Antinori, established in 1385 by Giovanni di Piero Antinori, is one of the world's oldest family-owned wineries, now led by the 26th generation. The family has been instrumental in the 'Super Tuscan' revolution, notably with their Tignanello wine introduced in 1971. Their state-of-the-art winery in Bargino, Tuscany, inaugurated in 2012, seamlessly blends innovative architecture with the surrounding landscape. Beyond winemaking, the Antinori family has a longstanding tradition of supporting the arts, exemplified by their Antinori Art Project, which commissions contemporary artworks for their estates.