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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
When the initial production of Solaia began, the grape source was a parcel within the larger Tignanello vineyard. The same special characteristics as the original vineyard – altitude, soil, and exposure to the sun (which accounts for the name of the parcel and the wine: “Solaia” derives from sole, the Italian word for the sun) are also to be found in a nearby vineyard plot which, since 1997, has been integrated into the original vineyard. The Solaia vineyard, currently, consists of 20 hectares (49 acres) and is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon (15 hectares), Cabernet Franc (1 hectar) and Sangiovese (4 hectares); the vines have an average of fifteen years. Vine density ranges from 5,500 to 7,200 per hectare and a low, spurred-cordon training system is used. Over the years there has been a progressive renewal of the Solaia vineyard. This has been accomplished by utilizing the many years of experience and the more extensive knowledge of the estate’s land to further bring out the personality of Solaia as a wine.
The Marchesi Antinori firm produced this wine for the first time in the 1978 vintage with an initial blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, a blend repeated again in 1979. In the following vintages 20% of Sangiovese was added to the Cabernet grapes and the ratio of Cabernet Franc to Cabernet Sauvignon was changed in order to create a wine which has now become definitive in its various composing elements. Solaia is only produced in exceptional vintages: it was not produced in 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1992. In 2002 the Sangiovese did not achieve satisfactory quality for Solaia: only Cabernet grapes were used. This vintage is known as “annata diversa” (different vintage).
Vuosikerta 1985
Italy Vintage Report by Tb: 1985 more than made up for the weak year that preceded it. An extremely cold winter ensured the vines went into complete hibernation, until a warm, dry spring woke them up, well-rested, giving them the energy they would need for the varied summer weather. The dry autumn paved the way for the harvest of one of the best vintages of the decade, both in Piedmont and Tuscany. Although little cultivated, 1985 was an exceptional campaign and is best remembered for the genesis of modern wine production, particularly in Tuscany. Led by the Super Tuscans, it saw the start of rapid development in the production of modern fine wines. It also produced a wine that has gone down in history as one of the best in the world - Sassicaia 1985.