The 2010 Solaia rounds out this flight in style. Swaths of tannin give the 2010 a real sense of explosive energy and vibrancy that only builds with time in the glass. A whole range of dark aromas and flavors give the 2010 its brooding, inward personality. Tasted from magnum, the 2010 is very young, but its pedigree is unmistakable. Sept 2020

The 2010 Solaia is less immediately giving on the nose than the Tignanello of the same vintage, taking time to reveal nuances of grilled herbs, black raspberry and currants beneath the cedar and spice. As it opens, it builds in intensity reaching a crescendo on the long powerful finish. There is plenty of dense fruit to back up mouth filling tannins, which are remarkably sophisticated and a testament to the ongoing fine tuning at this Antinori property. Drinking Window: 2020 - 2040
Tasted by: Michaela Morris
Part of Top Super Tuscan wines

Wine Advocate August, 2013

The 2010 Solaia puts on an incredible show that hits all the senses and keeps your unyielding attention for as long as there is wine in the bottle. There are various ways to describe the bouquet. First, is the wine’s sweet side, as this beautiful 75-20-5 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc delivers ripe cherry, black currant, baking spice and dark chocolate. After that, the wine becomes redolent of tobacco, balsam, bay leaf, rum cake and dark licorice. The bouquet is all encompassing and complete. A firmly structured backbone is padded generously by the fleshy richness of its consistency. This is a gorgeous wine that will age for decades. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2040.

The 2010 Solaia puts on an incredible show that hits all the senses and keeps your unyielding attention for as long as there is wine in the bottle. There are various ways to describe the bouquet. First, is the wine’s sweet side, as this beautiful 75-20-5 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc delivers ripe cherry, black currant, baking spice and dark chocolate. After that, the wine becomes redolent of tobacco, balsam, bay leaf, rum cake and dark licorice. The bouquet is all encompassing and complete. A firmly structured backbone is padded generously by the fleshy richness of its consistency. This is a gorgeous wine that will age for decades. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2040. The past 12 months mark one of the most exciting times in the long, long history of Antinori. Marchese Piero Antinori and his daughters inaugurated their monumental winery in Bargino, about 20 minutes from Florence in late 2012 after a series of last-minute preparations and sleepless nights. Winery doors officially opened to the public in 2013. It would be impossible to exaggerate to grandeur of this sprawling, multimillion-dollar underground edifice. Angelo Gaja told me at the opening that Antinori’s new winery is the most revolutionary event in modern Italian wine. I agree. With a museum, restaurant and tasting area, it represents Italy’s most ambitious effort yet to make wine the ultimate destination. Importer: Ste. Michele Wine Estates; www.ste-michelle.com

With intense black olive and tapenade aromas, this wine remains almost entirely knitted down and is still a long way from lift-off. But everything is in place for it to be exceptional. The tannins are beautifully ripe, building up through the palate to give shoulders and heft to the spiced blackberry, pepper and fig notes. You can feel the warmth of the Tuscan sun through the exoticism of the spice structure, with fresh Cabernet elegance pulling everything upwards on the finish. A great wine from a growing season that was long and relatively cool until harvest, when hot sunny days lasted through October.

Quality 911 | Brand 980 | Economics 781 | buzz brand
Quality: Predicted life of 26 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group for the 2010 vintage, which averages 11 years Brand: Strong restaurant presence, featuring on 30 of the world's top wine lists, including CÉ LA VI Economics: Above its peer group average price of £65 for the 2010 vintage Production:

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017

Aged 18 months in new French and Hungarian oak. Dense, chewy and intense. Beautifully handled oak, adding a slight smoky spice, like roasting coffee. Dry and long but with incredibly well-stitched tannins. Frustratingly young, but entirely convincing. (RH)

A very good vintage in Chianti Classico. Wet, snowy winter and spring. Late flowering. Good diurnal variation, cool August. Perfect September and one of the longest harvests with Cabernet Franc picked from 21 September, Sangiovese at the beginning of October and Cabernet Sauvignon mid October, so 23 days in total. Very deep blackish crimson. Lifted and mineral. Super-smooth and fresh on the palate. Lightly and appetisingly inky. Long and very racy. Very different from the 2006. (JR)