2020 Marchesi Antinori - Solaia Toskana IGT

Decanter.com – 97 pts – GH: *Baked black fruit, ripe, fragrant and intense on the nose. Bright and sour fruit on the palate, quite a sharp initial tang from the high acidity before rich, sunny, ripe strawberries and raspberries come into play with liquorice, toast and cedar aspects giving the spiced element to the expression and graphite offering minerality. This is a powerful wine no doubt, bordering on too hedonistic at times - a result of the hot and dry summer, it's sensual, rich and flashy but the sense of control and layers of juicy freshness help balance the opulence with refinement. Clearly confident and charismatic, fans of this style will delight with Solaia in 2020. Made by Renzo Cotarella, Stefano Caraneto and Pietro Dogliani.* - 08/2023

Falstaff Magazin – 99 pts – OK, SS: *Tiefdunkles Rubin mit feinem Violettschimmer. Duftige, einprägsame Nase, zeigt Noten nach reifer Brombeere, viel Cassis, etwas Minze, zeigt sich sehr ausgewogen. Geschliffen und klar am Gaumen, zieht ruhig dahin, sehr präzise, öffnet sich mit viel feinmaschigem Tannin, sehr langer Nachhall.* - 02/2024

WeinWisser – 19+/20 pts - TB: *Mit dem Jahrgang 2020 entstand einer der besten Solaia bislang. Der Blend aus Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese und Cabernet Franc erreichte 14.5 Vol.-% und hat eine dunkle, satte Farbe. Süßlich schokoladig, intensiv und leicht gereift, erscheint er in der Nase mit Lavendel und geröstetem Rosmarin, tiefgründig und schmelzig. Satt, cremig, reif und extrem voll, breitet er sich im Mund maximalinvasiv aus und zeigt dabei enorme Rasse und Schliff. Lang, salzig und mit pikanter Schärfe im Nachhall, besitzt er eine sehr druckvolle Struktur mit generösen Gerbstoffen, sowie viel Saft und Körper. Ein schwelgerischer, festfleischiger Solaia, der sich fokussierter und frischer als sonst präsentiert.* - 07/2023

JancisRobinson.com – 17/20pts – TP: *70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Franc. Harvest 28 September to 10 October. Sorted, destemmed grapes were gently crushed. Fermentation in 60-hl truncated cone-shaped tanks. Immediately after racking, malolactic fermentation began in barriques. Ageing took place in new French oak barrels for approximately 18 months. The various lots were aged separately then blended and reintroduced into barrels to complete the ageing process. Dark in colour and dark in profile. Chocolate, damsons and kirsch. The palate is plush, laden with oak spice and fleshy black fruit. The glycerol and sweetness of fruit completely cloak the tannins, giving a very hedonistic texture. Concentrated and full throttle with a very long finish.* - 09/2023

Vinous.com – 97 pts – AG: *The 2020 Solaia is an infant. I expected a more exuberant wine, but the 2020 is built along more classic lines. Black cherry, plum, gravel, incense, smoke, pencil shavings and spice all open effortlessly. As always, Solaia is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine, but it is a Cabernet that is distinctly Italian, with plenty of Tuscan acid and structure driving through the mid-palate and into the finish. The 2020 is a terrific example of the recent stylistic shift at Antinori. In the past, richness and opulence were qualities of a vintage that would have been amplified in the vineyard and cellar. Today, the aim is to capture a more balanced expression of these kinds of vintages, and that very much comes through.* - 08/2023