2021 Marchesi Antinori Solaia Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Bottle (750ml)

AG100 "Antinori's 2021 Solaia is another wine that captures all of the potential I sensed when I tasted it some months ago. More than anything else, the 2021 is a fine example of the style Antinori favors these days, an approach that favors finesse more than opulence. Dark plum, mocha, licorice, chocolate, spice, lavender and menthol build effortlessly in the glass. Oak and tannin are impeccably balanced. The 2021 spent 18 months in wood, three months in once-used barrels during the malolactic fermentation and then 15 months in 100% new barrels for the rest of its aging." AG for VM Jul 2024

Antonio Galloni for Vinous writes, "I can’t say I am surprised by how magnificent the 2021s are at the Antinori family’s Tignanello estate, as the wines were superb from the very beginning. Tignanello and Solaia are both marked by extreme elegance that is the result of an optimal growing season and the more refined approach that CEO Renzo Cotarella and his team ushered in with the 2004 vintage. Gentler winemaking, a more refined use of oak in aging and an increase in Cabernet Franc in the wines are among the recent developments here. I can’t recommend these wines highly enough." Published: Dec 2024