Marchesi Antinori, Solaia, 2023

"Solaia sings in 2023. It's supremely vertical with already-integrated sandy tannins, its tall frame adorned with crunchy, sapid forest berries, chocolate, menthol, iodine and floral top notes. Generous and finessed, it's drinking surprisingly well at this early stage and will continue to prosper for the next two decades at least."

"The 2023 Solaia has gained a measure of weight since I first tasted it a few months ago. Inky dark fruit, creme de cassis, blackberry, graphite and dried herbs soar from the glass. Cabernet Sauvignon speaks with notable eloquence and character. There's gorgeous purity and restraint here. "

"A big Solaia with lots of fruit and spices as well as mint and spearmint. Aromatic. Full-bodied with lots of fruit and chewy tannins. Muscular and juicy for a modern Solaia. Needs three to four years of age to come together. Best after 2028."

"From a vintage characterised by a cold and dry winter, a cool yet very wet spring and early summer bringing considerable mildew risk before the onset of very hot and dry conditions. A typically brilliant wine from Solaia, indeed perhaps the single greatest recent vintage that I have had the pleasure to taste, which is all the more impressive given the challenges of the vintage. This is vivid and pure, intense and yet gracious and lifted. There’s a classically Italian hint of salinity and sweet spice, but all in moderation, allowing the subtler wild herbal and floral aromatics to soar. But there’s staggering complexity here too with a touch of blood orange quite prominent too alongside notes of leather and a little cedar. The fruit is dark and plush, with plenty of black cherry, the texture velvety and caressing and the ‘Cabernet’ grip of the ultra fine-grained tannins really sculpts the wine, massaging it and drawing it out over a very well-defined spine. A wine of extraordinary length and fabulous potential. In short, it’s brilliant!"