Antinori: Tignanello and Solaia Revisited 

My recent visit to Antinori’s Tignanello property in Chianti Classico provided an object lesson in the challenges of understanding the complexities and nuances of Tuscan terroir, something that can be extrapolated to many other regions within Italy as well. I saw vineyards where the two major terrains in these hills, galestro and alberese, alternated in groups of three to four rows within the very same plot. As a result, vines that were separated by no more than a few meters were at slightly different points in their vegetative cycles, meaning that work in the vineyards must literally proceed on a row by row, and sometimes, plant by plant basis.

Back in the winery, oenologist Renzo Cotarella prepared a comprehensive tasting of Antinori’s two flagship wines, Tignanello and Solaia, with vintages going back to 1993, the first vintage he made on his own here. Tignanello is a Sangiovese-based wine with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, while its big brother Solaia is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are predominantly in French oak although Hungarian and American oak are used as well.

To set the context, we started with the 2007s in their separate component wines, after which we tasted the 2006s in their final blends prior to bottling. Antinori’s 2007s are highly promising reds with superb ripeness and rich aromatics. 2007 was a long growing season that culminated with cool nights in the fall. I tasted two Tignanello Sangioveses, both of which were beautiful. The wine from the older vineyard offered greater richness and dark, more balsamic nuances while the wine from the younger vineyard showed a fresher and perhaps slightly more mineral character. The Tignanello Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc were both varietally expressive, with superb richness, well-articulated bouquets and plenty of muscle.

I am convinced the Solaia vineyard is one of the greatest sites in the world for making wine. The same three varieties used in Tignanello take on a whole different voice here with more dramatic, baritone overtones and darker flavor profiles. The Sangiovese was superb and remarkably complete on its own. This sample showed more complexity and freshness than the Sangiovese planted in the Tignanello vineyard. The Cabernet Sauvignon was sweet, layered and intensely perfumed, while the Cabernet Franc showcased notable heft and structure.

Both the 2006 Solaia and Tignanello were impressive as well. This is a decidedly ripe vintage which Cotarella compares to 1997. The 2006 Tignanello (from tank) was packed with jammy, super-ripe fruit and revealed an especially large-scaled, sweeping personality with tons of harmony. The 2006 Solaia (from barrel) was similarly long, sweet and richly-textured, but with the additional level of sheer density and muscle that is such a big part of the wine’s character.

The wines from bottle were equally impressive. While most of the wines from important vintages lived up to expectations, I was pleasantly surprised by the extremely positive evolution of the wines from smaller vintages, which proves yet again that quality-minded estates will almost always make a respectable wine, even in lesser years. One of the biggest changes at Antinori in recent years has been a major upgrade in the way the wines are handled in the cellar. 2004 was the first vintage in which the lots for Tignanello and Solaia were aged separately, with the final blend taking place at the end of the aging period, whereas previously the blend had been assembled just after the completion of malolactic fermentation. Given that wines develop and age in ways that sometimes surprise even the most experienced winemakers, waiting until the wines have had a chance to spend some time in barrel leaves the producer with much more certainty as to the quality and consistency of the final wine. In difficult vintages such as 2005 the ability to exclude barrels that have not developed as expected from the final blend can have a profound impact on quality.

The 1993 Tignanello reveals gorgeous notes of cedar, tobacco and sweet herbs that waft from the glass, along with slight notes of oxidation that are also present. This is a medium-bodied Tignanello and at this point the wine’s structural components appear to be dominating over the fading fruit in the wine’s balance. Despite its slender personality, this is a delicate, elegant wine, but it is best enjoyed sooner rather than later. 91/Drinking window: 2008-2012. The 1997 Tignanello is at a fascinating adolescent stage, it is neither primary nor fully resolved but somewhere in the middle. The wine’s candied, super-ripe fruit is made more complex by subtle notes of smoke and sweet licorice. The aromas appear to be somewhat muted, a characteristic that is perhaps highlighted by the presence of slight barnyardy notes that suggest brett may have been an issue in this vintage. Readers who can tolerate the wine’s imperfections will find much to enjoy over the next few years. 91/Drinking window: 2008-2017.

The estate’s 1999 Tignanello is a wine in which the Sangiovese plays a leading role. Classic notes of tobacco, dried cherries, spices, leather and underbrush all emerge from this sweet, layered offering. This richly textured generous Tignanello has put on significant weight in bottle and shows remarkable overall balance. In 1999 Tignanello comes across as more complete than Solaia. 94/Drinking window: 2008-2017. In 2001 Tignanello captures a super-concentrated and dense expression of fruit that has been achieved with some loss of aromatic complexity and overall finesse. This is a super-ripe style with tons of dark fruit, smoke and toasted oak in a heavily extracted style that veers on excess. There is remarkable power here, but not the level of balance that is typical of the very finest vintages. 92/Drinking window: 2010-2016.

The estate’s 2004 Tignanello is a modern-day classic. Suggestions of macerated cherries, menthol, sweet spices, licorice and French oak meld seamlessly into a perfumed silky-textured core of ripe fruit. The tannins remain incredibly fine throughout. The wine’s vibrant color and fresh flavors suggest it will age gracefully over the next decade. This is a remarkably refined Tignanello. 94/Drinking window: 2009-2019. The 2005 Tignanello is not terribly dissimilar to the 2004 in style, although it is unquestionably a smaller-scaled wine. There is notable clarity and precision in the wine’s red fruit, smoke, minerals, tobacco and spices. The signature Tignanello elegance is there, the only question is whether there is enough sheer density to stand up to the wine’s structural components. Today my impression is that there is not, but I still have high expectations for this vintage considering how wines from far lesser years have developed. 95/Drinking window: 2010-2020.

The 1994 Solaia is a revelation. Though a small-scaled wine, this Solaia reveals extraordinary harmony in its roasted coffee beans, leather, spices and dark fruit, with surprising freshness and elegance. Well-kept bottles should continue to drink well for several years. By any measure the 1994 Solaia is a huge overachiever in this vintage. 92/Drinking window: 2008-2014. The 1997 Solaia is awesome. Sweet, open aromatics lead to a rich, full-bodied expression of dark cherries, plums, menthol and spices. This sensual, full-bodied wine remains youthful and full of life. This is a great Solaia. 96/Drinking window: 2008-2017.

The 1999 Solaia is packed with fruit but its intensity drops off a bitt on the mid-palate. Despite the wine’s sweetness, the 1999 remains a surprisingly austere Solaia and in this vintage Tignanello offers better balance. 94/Drinking window: 2008-2018. Deep, dark sensations of smoke, tar and scorched earth emerge from the powerful 2001 Solaia. This fresh, vibrant offering is packed with dense ripe fruit. This is an especially rich, heavy style of Solaia that lacks the subtlety and grace of the finest vintages. Still, in 2001 Solaia is a more complete wine than Tignanello. 94/Drinking window: 2011-2021.

The 2004 Solaia is breathtaking, as it so often is. Soaring aromatics lead to a sweet, layered expression of dark fruit. The wine possesses super clarity and precision with a gorgeous inner tension that carries all the way through to the long finish. The tannins remain incredibly finessed and silky. This is a more restrained, elegant style than the full-throttle 2001. 2004 is the first vintage in which the component wines were aged separately, rather than together, as had been the custom in previous vintages. 96/Drinking window: 2012-2024. The 2005 Solaia is a fresh, primary wine loaded with the essence of super-ripe blueberries, blackberries and sweet toasted oak, all laced with an attractive inner perfume. While the 2005 doesn’t quite match the very finest vintages, it is a remarkable effort in this tricky vintage. 93/Drinking window: 2012-2023.

-- Antonio Galloni