This just can’t be. Flirting with perfection, with only Ornellaia (around $250 a pop) and Masseto ($750+) rated higher by James Suckling from Tuscany’s miraculous 2016 vintage, and we can offer this stunner to our Operatives for how much? At what you will be paying per bottle here for one of the greatest Bordeaux blends made not only in Italy, add France, and Napa and hell, the world, you can’t even get a Bistecca Alla Fiorentina at a fancy trattoria?! Mamma mia!!!

Pitch black almost all the way to the narrow circumference showing a bright ring of crimson. Brooding with the darkest of black fruits, blackberries, violets, chocolate, vanilla, and smoke. Outstanding depth of a tight tannic grip, unfolding to seemingly endless layers of complexity. Is there a finish? Does this even quit? Echoes for as long as we have the patience to count, losing track of time. Perhaps too big, and too young for a lot of palates to drink now to be honest, unless you can let it breathe for a full day.

One last key fact to put things into perspective with the league Solengo belongs to. It’s counterpart Sassicaia (also around $250) was Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of the Year in 2018, when Argiano’s owner was still working with Sebastiano Rosa, the nephew of Sassicaia’s owner! With the dream team in place, and with the legacy of none other than Giacomo Tachis, the father of Super Tuscan wines, who is credited for creating Sassicaia in the first place, the goal was to elevate Solengo to new heights. Well, dear Operatives, they more than accomplished that, way before the prices this wine will fetch in the future!

Secure as much as you can as this is the REAL DEAL, in case you can’t pull the trigger to pile up by the case, and it highly qualifies as an investment-grade collectible, if you can hold yourself back from drinking them all. So when your lucky kids do end up inheriting some, and they auction a few bottles when their eyes open to how well fine and rare wine can appreciate, they should be able to afford a getaway to Italy with what they can make back on this. Seriously. We expect it to sell out in a matter of hours. We can’t replicate this opportunity, so apologies in advance, we don’t expect more to be seen again at this price once gone.

Here is what the wine press has to say:

99 Points – James Suckling - “Tuscany remains the strongest beacon for the great wines of Italy around the world, and as a symbol for outstanding quality wines, it is only going to get stronger with the 2016 vintage. Very complex aromas of fresh flowers, blackberries, and black licorice follow through to a full-body, integrated tannins and a long and linear finish. Focused and racy. The tannins are so polished. This is a fantastic red with balance and intensity. Full-bodied, deep and balanced. Shows beautiful harmony and class. Happy to taste this! Better in 2022, but already such a joy to try.”

95+ Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate - “These are exciting times for Argiano now that a major overhaul of the main villa (a stunning example of Tuscan Renaissance architecture) is complete. The main building was refurbished and so was the winery, with improvements to both the fermentation and cellaring areas. Seven new oval cement fermenters have been added and these will be used to process the estate’s best batches of Sangiovese. The barrel room now benefits from new oak casks. Out in the vineyards, Argiano has finished an internal mapping project to outline the estate’s diverse micro zones. I look forward to tasting the results of these new investments and experimentations in the future Brunello releases. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Petit Verdot (25%), Merlot (20%) and Sangiovese (5%), the 2016 Solengo is a terrific wine and I enjoyed my sample down to the very last drop that I coaxed from the bottle with happy enthusiasm. This is a full-bodied red (but not in an exaggerated manner) with plump and fruit-forward aromas of dark cherry, blackberry, plum, spice and sweet tobacco. The wine is balanced with excellent depth and mouthfeel momentum. I highly recommend this wine from both the 2015 and 2016 vintages, which are both terrific. Drink 2020-2035.”