2014 Solaia, Antinori, Tuscany, Italy

78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Sangiovese, 7% Cabernet Franc.

Strong fruit cake aroma, vivid cassis on the palate, and lots of tasty chocolate on the finish. It's early days for this, but it has plenty of promise in terms of flavour intensity, if not yet complexity. 

Drink 2019 - 2029

In keeping with the year's style, the 2014 Solaia is pretty, gracious, and understated. Scents of dark cherry, plum, tobacco, and liquorice run through this attractive, expressive Solaia. Though it needs time to show everything it has, the 2014 is a very pretty wine in the making and another strong effort from Antinori in this very challenging year. Production is down a whopping 40%.

Drink 2020 - 2034

It is dense and fruity red with chocolate, dark berry, and cedar character. Full and chewy with a flavorful finish. This is extremely well done for the vintage. It needs two or three years to soften.

Better in 2020

Marchesi Antinori made 40% less Solaia in this vintage to maintain the quality you taste here.

This fine-tuned expression shows a focused sense of detail and careful attention. Hair has upped Cabernet Franc's quota, which makes a big difference, especially in the wine bouquet. Otherwise, this celebrated Tuscan blend is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese. It opens to dark fruit aromas with crushed minerals, pipe tobacco, pressed flowers and toasted spice. Its appearance is midnight black and profound.

The wine delivers a sense of sheer excitement and nervousness that will subside with another few years of bottle age. Nonetheless, a certain amount of that bright edginess or rigidness will always be part of this cool vintage Solaia. In the mouth, the wine is firm, compact and dense. The tannins are chiselled to the point of sublime integration.

Drink 2019 - 2035