Reviews
-Wine Spectator -
-Vinous -
-Wine Enthusiast -
-Robert Parker's Wine Advocate -
Technical Details
- 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Franc
- Renzo Cotarella
- Italy
- Tuscany
- Tuscany
- Tuscany
- Solaia Vineyard
- Sustainable Practices
- New French oak
- Temperature-controlled fermentation using délestage and overpumping to maintain the natural aromas of each grape variety and the intense color
- 12 months in new French oak
- 14%
- 6,250 cases
Marchesi Antinori Solaia Toscana 2006
Sustainable Practices
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Save more than $200 on a genuine Super Tuscan masterpiece and icon! But we have less than ONE case in our grips, so don’t overthink it…
Marchesi Antinori Solaia Toscana 2006 belongs to that small circle of Super Tuscans that rewrote the rules of Italian wine. Named for "the sunny one," the vineyard occupies the sunniest part of the Tignanello estate's hillside, its stony alberese and galestro soils sitting at 350-400 meters and coaxing intensity out of a Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend rounded out by Sangiovese and a hint of Cabernet Franc.
First made by the Antinori family in 1978 as an 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc bottling, the wine evolved as Sangiovese was later folded in and the varietal ratios were fine-tuned until the current blend was settled upon. True to its reputation for restraint, Solaia is produced only in exceptional vintages – skipped, for instance, in 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, and 1992 – which makes each release feel like a genuine treasure. And the 2006 lands squarely in what many consider a golden run for the label.
In the glass it shows confident black currant and crushed dark cherry giving way to blackberry jam, then the slow burn of espresso, licorice, grilled herbs, and sweet vanilla and chocolate. On the palate it manages the trick great Cabernet blends aspire to – soft, velvety, and penetrating, with succulent blackberry, cassis, chocolate, and tobacco – while staying powerful and tannic yet smooth, with a long, drawn-out finish. Twenty years in, it has grown into itself with time masterfully – complete harmony and smoothed-out integration in this bottle.