Deep Cover: The Sun Also Rises!

Not in Pamplona, Spain. In Tuscany! And there’s ONE producer who seems to capture that solar energy every year…with TRIPLE 98s this Tuscan is a beacon of any collector’s cellar.

“Tuscany and many of her great blended reds 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.” – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Can that be said any better?

And the 2022 boasts massive scores galore, a trio of 98s, “full of promise for the future,” as Decanter puts it, hinting at the potential of reaching perfection in time. Worthy of decades of maturation, but who has the patience? It’s so approachable now! Pop one with great friends to celebrate life at your earliest convenience.

If you don’t know the wine, we’ll start at the beginning.

In the world of wine, some names just carry weight. Marchesi Antinori is one of them. As Antonio Galloni of Vinous puts it, “No other producer in Chianti Classico offers everything from delicious, value-priced wines all the way to flagship reds that are among the most iconic wines in the world, in volume and at this level of consistency from year to year.”

For 26 generations they’ve helped define and redefine what fine wine is in Tuscany. And in the late 1970’s they were among the first to, gasp, throw out the traditional rulebook and just make the best terroir driven wine they could.

And they went all in. Within the heart of Chianti Classico, on one of the tallest and most picturesque hills in a region world famous for picturesque hills, lays their Tignanello Estate. The property has a history as long as the Antinoris, but they didn’t acquire it until the 1800’s. Fast-forward, in the late seventies, when new research into quality winemaking was blossoming and new varieties were showing promise, BUT the local authorities demanded adherence to stuffy old winemaking practices, they weren’t having it. They took the sunniest part of the best parcel of this estate and planted it to, gasp again, the French varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. And in 1978 they shared it with the world.

They named it Solaia – “place of the sun” in the local dialect.

Category defining, it stands with Sassicaia, Ornellaia, its Sangiovese-based sibling Tignanello as the first and still the best Super-Tuscans.

So what’s it like? Mic back to Galloni, “The dual flagships Tignanello and Solaia are more finesse than power.” We couldn’t agree more. Through the years the blend has been tweaked, but Cabernet Sauvignon with all its muscle and density remains the wine’s north star.

The wine is suave, stylish, complex, like one of Hemmingway’s bullfighters. It dances across the palate with practiced grace, with powerful flourishes of blackberry and black cherry punctuated by hints of pipe tobacco, cedar, and wild herbs reminiscent of the Tuscan countryside from which it hails. The 2022 shows the concentration characteristic of the vintage’s warmth, put with plenty of freshness to balance it out. If anything, it’s more approachable young than most vintages, but still worthy as a cornerstone of one’s cellar for decades to come.

Now the bad news, just 30 bottles is all we could secure for you. Don’t let the sun set on this opportunity.

98 Points – Decanter “The drought and heat of 2022 pushed vines in Tuscany to their limits, and the outcome in many cases are wines of density and concentration but with a vein of freshness – and that’s exactly what we see here in the 2022 Solaia. It opens with cool aromas of damp earth, woodland berries, red fruit coulis and a waft of balsamic herbs. In the mouth it is immediately very fleshy, almost voluptuous but holding its shape. Balsam-infused black cherry and dark berries are deepened by chocolatey wood, while succulent acidity brings out the top end and leads to a long, bright, energetic and fresh finish which is full of promise for the future. Drink 2025-2042.”

98 Points – James Suckling “More elegant than powerful and more approachable than usual, with stunning concentration and complexity. Aromas of subtle cassis, toast, herbs and a refreshing balsamic touch. Firm on the palate, with a full body, velvety texture and moderate acidity but not at the expense of its great balance. Sleek, polished aftertaste with sweet tobacco flavors. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.”

98 Points – Fallstaff “Powerfully bright and dense ruby colour, light purple shimmer. Opens with intense notes of cedar wood and graphite, then lots of crisp fruit, cassis and blackberry, a little smoke in the background. Displays lush fruit on the palate, lots of blueberry and cassis, opens with almost perfectly integrated tannins, fine texture, lingers for a long time.”