15-Vintage Solaia tasting, 1982 - 2009

Last night's tasting demonstrated that, when mother nature cooperates, Solaia is one of the world's foremost Cabernet Sauvignon's and, definitively, one of the leading Super Tuscans. The tasting (previewed in a prior post) was held at K Restaurant, whose chef, Kevin Fonzo, is considered one of the best in the Orlando area.

The evening's plan called for hors d'oeuvres, followed by the formal tasting, and then dinner. I arrived at the venue 30 minutes before the scheduled start time in order to check out the setup, ice-down the drinks that would accompany the hors d'oeuvres, and extract the corks from the bottles. No wines were decanted and, with two exceptions, the corks were in fine fettle.

Used with permission

Attendees began filtering in during the cork-extraction process. The group was comprised of regulars (Steve, Ron, and me plus our spouses), Niccolo' Maltinti (US Brand Ambassador for Marchese Antinori), Tobias Fiebrandt (General Manager, Weingut Josef Leitz, a Rheingau-based winery), and the Frontarios.

The wines that actually made it into the tasting are shown below. The booklet above shows that the series extended to 2010 but I messed up and brought two bottles of 2009, rather than one '09 and one '010. My wife shot daggers at me with her eyes before proceeding to throw me under the bus.

Vintage	Avg Price($)*	JS	AG	WE	WA	WS	ST
1982(1)	299.00					91
1985(2)	394.00				95	94
1987(3)	219.00					88
1989(3)	239.00
1990(2)	335.00					97
1991(3)	191.00					90
1993(3)	210.00
1994(2)	210.00					93
1997(5)	386.00		96	97	96	98	96
1998(4)	216.00				93	93	93
1999(5)	216.00				94	94
2001(5)	244.00				96	93
2002(3)	168.00
2008(4)	249.00		96	96	96	96
2009(6)	249.00	96	96			95	93

JS = James Suckling () Categorization scheme employed by Solaia:

AG = Antonio Galloni (1) The Early Years

WE = Wine Enthusiast (2) The Early Classics

WA = Wine Advocate (3) The Challenging Vintages

WS = Wine Spectator (4) Underrated Vintages

ST = Stephen Tanzer (5) Milestones Part 1

                                                              (6) Milestones Part 2

*Wine-searcher.com

Data sources: Antinori.it, Vinopedia, Wine Spectator, Wine.com, Solaia.net

Steve described the pre-tasting period thusly: "We began with a 1966 Moet & Chandon I've had in my cellar for twenty years. As with most really old Champagnes, the effervescence was gone, but great acidity made the wine quite an interesting old Chardonnay, with a caramel and fig finish... Keith's Jacques Selosse Initiale proved a great palate awakener after that, with a toasty nose, crisp fruit flavors and a lychee finish." These wines were ably accompanied by deviled eggs (with and without bacon toppings) and raw oysters.

I had organized the tasting into flights based on the decade of wine production, a different approach from Antonio Galloni who, in his retrospective, grouped the wines based on the Solaia classification scheme (see table above). His approach, in my humble opinion, misses the rhythm of the vintages and does not allow the taster to observe temporal effects on the wine. But, he is being paid to do this stuff; and I am not.

I called the group to order, made a few opening remarks, and then turned the floor over to Niccolo' to provide an overview of the winery and the wine. In a very precise and incisive overview, Niccolo' noted that the origin of this wine was based on a surfeit of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in 1978 and the solution was to bottle the juice; to the tune of 3600 bottles. Sangiovese was first added in 1982 to aid in balancing the Cabernet Sauvignon's sweetness, to add backbone, and to render the wine more Tuscan. He pointed out that in the first 10 to 15 years of production, they had no idea that this wine would grow to be the icon that it has become. But with that understanding, the Antinori vision has solidified around a wine of finesse, elegance, and longevity, leveraging the "fact" that, in Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon "speaks with a Tuscan accent."

We rolled into the tasting at the conclusion of Niccolo's presentation. We tasted from the youngest to the oldest flight and, within flights, from the youngest to the oldest wine. In the first flight the 2009 was bright and fresh and balanced. It was drinking well now but also exhibited great aging potential. It had a minty chocolate sweetness and smooth tannins along with a silky, long finish. 2002 had been a challenging year for Solaia with rain resulting in a lack of ripeness for Sangiovese. The final blend was 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. The words Annata Diversa appears on this label to signal that no Sangiovese is included in the blend. This wine showed green beans, tea, and peat bog on the nose, was unspectacular on the palate, and had a very short finish. The 2001 was, according to Niccolo', the wine in this flight that was most representative of what Solaia strives for. The wine had great structure and drier, more pungent tannins. According to Steve, it brought Rutherford dust to mind. This was most definitely the wine of the flight. In Solaia's classification, this wine is a Milestone wine.

In the 90s flight, the 1990, 1993, and 1998 were slightly pruney, disaggregated, and short of finish. The 1999 was "smooth" and "opulent" with a sawdust character. Niccolo' and I tagged the 1997 as a beautiful wine, endowed with refinement and elegance and with a drinking window that is still wide open. Steve characterized this wine as tannic and thin. The 1994 was slightly over-extracted but countered that with good acidity and vibrant tannins. Steve identified a roasted nose along with mint and vanilla. Mint and herbs on the nose of the 1991 (Steve) accompany good structure and structure. The group's favorite in this flight was the 1999.

The wines in the 80s flight were corked (1985), tight (1987), and short of finish (1989). The 1982 stood head and shoulders above its flight partners. Coffee bean, mint, vanilla, and Georges de Latour on the nose and palate. Long, sweet finish. The wine of the flight and of the night.

At the conclusion of the tasting I solicited comments from the group on the event and the wine. Everyone was happy that they contributed to the exploration of this wine. Ron, based on what he experienced, will be buying this wine in the future. Steve was struck by the fact that the youngest wines were drinkable and the oldest showed no signs of age. He thought he detected some stylistic shifts along the way with the 2000s drinking better than their predecessors and the 1982 being right up his alley. Niccolo' concurred saying that he also found the wines more approachable after 2000.

I came into the tasting a Solaia fan with a number of vintages in my cellar. My go-to wines are the 2001 and 2004, largely due to their elegance and structure. I was slightly disappointed by the approachability of the 2008 and 2009 and hope that this is not a market-facing strategy which may have long-term, detrimental effects to the wine. I will continue buying this wine until my wife tells me to stop.

Post the tasting, our attention shifted to dinner and the wines brought for that purpose. The courses were as follows: ceviche; corn chowder; fish on a bed of savory corn; duck on a bed of risotto; and a wagyu beef with truffle oil and mashed potatoes. Selected wines that accompanied these dishes are displayed immediately below and the night's total haul follows.

Chef Kevin Fonzo, Tobias, Ron, author, and Niccolo'

All in all a wonderful evening. And I can get right back on the horse with that extra bottle of 2009 that I brought to the tasting in error.

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