For many years, the 1997 Solaia was super-concentrated. Actually, it still is pretty intense, but over the last few years, some of the baby fat has begun to melt away, revealing a wine with tons of nuance. The 1997 clearly belongs in this flight of milestones. This is another memorable Solaia with no signs of fading. -- Antonio Galloni

A friend from Mexico City asked me by email if I recently tasted the 1997 Solaia and I realized that I hadn't. I think some bottles suffer from bad corks but perhaps I am wrong. The bottle I opened a few nights ago was gorgeous. It shows alluring aromas and flavors of currants and raspberries with hints of balsamic and mint. It's full and round in the mouth. It's so youthful still. Just a baby. Drink or hold.

Dark ruby red color. Currant, Christmas cake, mint and spices. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a long, long finish. This is balanced and refined. It's layered and beautiful. This is still tight and not giving much. A few more years will yield a lot. Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese.--1997 Italian blind retrospective. Best after 2009. 7,000 cases made. (James Suckling)

The unfiltered 1997 Solaia (75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, and 5% Cabernet Franc, from a single 25-acre vineyard) is aged in 100% new French oak. There are 8,000 cases of the 1997. The sensational, opaque blue/purple-colored 1997 exhibits a complex nose of cedar, spice box, cassis, and subtle oak. With yields of only 30 hectoliters per hectare, and malolactic fermentation in barrel (a la Tignanello), this wine reveals extraordinary concentration, a thick, viscous texture, yet no sense of heaviness or ponderousness. It is a thrilling Solaia to consume over the next two decades. If a first-growth Pauillac were made in Tuscany, this would be it!

Although the Solaia 1997 did not wow me as it did in Switzerland many moons ago, this is still a very impressive wine. A limpid garnet core with ruby rim. The nose is closed with blackberry, Morello, spice and with aeration, violets. Good definition but you know there is more to come in the future. The palate is full-bodied tannic, very well balanced but still not completely resolved. Very concentrated with huge grip and length, this remains unapproachable, but the length is extraordinary. Drink 2015-2035.