Tasting Antinori's Solaia 2014 at West Palm Wines

Mark Lasky at West Palm Wines (Tampa, FL) invited me over to taste the 2014 vintage of Antinori's Solaia. The wine was presented by Erik Saccomani, Antinori Ambassador for the Southeast US. I provide some background on the estate and my impressions of the wine herein.

The Antinori family's current Italian holdings include estates spread over Tuscany and Umbria, with four of the seven Tuscan properties falling within the Chainti Classico DOCG. One of these four estates is Tignanello, the joint home of Antinori's Tignanello and Solaia wines.

Tignanello is located 30 km (19 miles) south of Florence and its 319 ha (788 acres) supports 127 ha (320 acres) of vineyards of which 20 ha (50 acres) is dedicated to the production of Solaia ("the sunny one") fruit. The Solaia vineyard is planted on limestone and calcareous clay rock (albarese) at altitudes ranging between 348 and 400 m (1175 and 1325 feet) on southwest-facing slopes. The vineyards are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (15 ha), Sangiovese (4 ha), and Cabernet Franc (1 ha) with an average vine age of 15 years. The vines are low spurred-cordon trained and are planted at between 5500 and 7200 vines/ha.

Solaia, an IGT-clasified wine, was first produced in 1978, a production run of 3600 bottles with a composition of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc. The wine was not produced in 1980 or 1981 but, beginning with the 1982 vintage, the blend was shifted to 20% Sangiovese with the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc varied according to the requirements of the winemaker. In 2002, the wine was made of an all-Cabernet blend because the Sangiovese was deemed to be of insufficient quality. The standard blend in today's Solaia is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, and 5% Cabernet Franc.

The 2014 Vintage
According to Renzo Cotarella, Chief Enologist,

The vintage was characterized by mild and damp climatic conditions during the winter followed by dry and mild weather in the spring season which assisted a good flowering and berry set. The summer, somewhat unstable and with a little more rainfall than usual, slowed the processes of veraison and ripening of the grapes. During the first couple of weeks of September, warm and sunny days re-balanced the situation.

The Wine

The grapes were hand-harvested and, given the growing conditions, yields were 40% lower than the prior year. Imperfect grapes were shed both in the vineyard and at the sorting table. The varieties were fermented with indigenous yeasts in conical fermentation tanks with the cap managed via punch downs.

Each variety was fermented separately. At the completion of fermentation, the wines were gravity-flowed to barriques for malolactic fermentation and aging. Each wine was aged for 18 months and blended just prior to bottling.

Assessment
On the nose, violets, olives, blackpepper, an oily richness, curry, and a rocky minerality. Not as full and structured on the palate as I have become accustomed to with this labal. Red fruit.Very approachable. Lean. Minerality works its way through to the palate. Thin and short on the finish. This wine is not a good candidate for cellaring.

The mantra is that Solaia is made only in the best years. I am not sure that this was one of the best years.
©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Solaia vintage classification schema: Rationale and translation

Solaia.net presents the totality of Solaia vintages (with the exception of the 2010) within the context of a classification scheme (The Early Years, The Early Classics, The Challenging Vintages, Underrated Vintages, Milestones Part 1, and Milestones Part 2) and the Galloni retrospective tasting utilized this same schema as its flighting mechanism. In neither case was an explanation of the schema given so I approached Niccoló Maltinti, US Antinori Brand Ambassador, with a request for clarification. Niccoló submitted my questions to corporate and the following perspective was provided by Renzo Cotarella, Antinori CEO and Chief Enologist.

In terms of the origin of the scheme, Renzo traces it back to the Galloni sit-down dinner. As he saw it, "it would have been difficult to taste 28 vintages in a row over the course of a dinner."

As it relates to the classification itself, the wines labeled as Classic are the products of generally warm, low-rain vintages where the grapes are handled in the classic manner during vinification. Markers of the Classic style are "pumping over, looser temperature control, and transfer in oak barrels after the malolactic fermentation."

The wines classed as Underrated "are the vintages that most of the tasters, especially American journalists, usually underestimated." These wines were co-located in order that tasters could "appreciate their absolute power and potential" rather than to compare them to "other unquestionably better vintages." Marchesi Antinori, according to Renzo, feels strongly that these wines were totally underestimated by the press and he picks out the 2008 vintage as an example. This wine, according to Renzo, is considered one of the greatest Solaia vintages ever by the winemaking team (It should be noted that the1990, 1997, and 2010 have received better critic scores.).

The Challenging vintages are those where the vagaries of the weather significantly affected the quality of the offering. One of the most striking examples is the 2002 vintage where the volume of rain resulted in poor Sangiovese harvests and the exclusion of that varietal from the blend. This vintage is labeled Annata Diversa to so signify. Some vintages were so challenging (1980 and 1981, for example) that no Solaia wine was produced in those years.

Milestone wines, according to Renzo, "are those vintages in which Solaia represents for us a benchmark not only in terms of quality but furthermore stylistically."

The placement of Solaia vintages into the classification schema is shown below.

In his article, Galloni mentioned that the Solaia's of the 1990s were Bordeaux-inspired while the wines of the 90's sought ripeness and concentration. He sees the wines of the 2000s as going back to its roots. The style of wine seems to have not dictated the placement in the above categories. There is an equal distribution of early classics between the '80s and '90s while wines from the '90s are 40% as likely to be underrated as are wines from the 2000s. What is apparent from the above though, is that Solaia, based on its own estimation, has been making consistently high quality wines all through the 1990s and 2000s: three of the 1990 vintages are classed as Milestone wines and two as Early Classics while six of the 2000 vintages are classed as Milestone wines.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

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.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Solaia vertical tasting: The winery and the wine

"Of all the super-Tuscans, no wine today has higher prestige than Solaia, which was created ... by the ... powerful and visionary house of Antinori." So said David Rosengarten writing in the Huffington Post (6/21/13) on a NYC Solaia vertical tasting. While I do not agree with David on his placement of Solaia on the top of the prestige heap (I am pretty partial to Masseto), his point of the importance of Solaia in that space is well taken; and it is that regard that I am putting together a Solaia vertical tasting in Orlando on January 25th. I will be reporting on the results of that tasting on the blog but wanted to provide relevant background material ahead of time. Hence this post.

According to the company's website, the Antinori family has been associated with wine since at least 1835 when Giovanni de Piero Antinori became a memebr of the Florentine Winemakers Guild. The family's current Italian holdings include seven estates spread over Tuscany and Umbria, with four of the seven Tuscan properties falling within the Chainti Classico DOCG. One of these four estates is Tignanello, the joint home of Antinori's Tignanello and Solaia wines.

Tignanello is located 30 km (19 miles) south of Florence and its 319 ha (788 acres) supports 127 ha (320 acres) of vineyards of which 20 ha (50 acres) is dedicated to the production of Solaia ("the sunny one") fruit. The Solaia vineyard is planted on limestone and calcareous clay rock (albarese) at altitudes ranging between 348 and 400 m (1175 and 1325 feet) on southwest-facing slopes. The vineyards are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (15 ha), Sangiovese (4 ha), and Cabernet Franc (1 ha) with an average vine age of 15 years. The vines are low spurred-cordon trained and are planted at between 5500 and 7200 vines/ha.

Solaia, an IGT-clasified wine, was first produced in 1978, a production run of 3600 bottles with a composition of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc. The wine was not produced in 1980 or 1981 but, beginning with the 1982 vintage, the blend was shifted to 20% Sangiovese with the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc varied according to the requirements of the winemaker. In 2002, the wine was made of an all-Cabernet blend because the Sangiovese was deemed to be of insufficient quality. The standard blend in today's Solaia is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, and 5% Cabernet Franc.

The Solaia winemaking process is illustrated below.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme