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An intense ruby red in color with purple highlights, the nose of the wine is dominated by varietal notes of excellent freshness and an elegant intensity. The 2012 Solaia has a classic style and is characterized on the palate by the pleasurable harmony of flavors created by a fine balance between acidity and tannins and high level fruit which lasts from the initial impact through to the lengthy finish and aftertaste. A grand personality and a great persistence make the finish exceptionally complex and vibrant.
Wine Description
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).
Wine Information
A year characterized initially by a mild and pleasant autumn with normal temperatures and little rainfall. Winter was cold and with adequate rains for the period. Spring began with rather cool and dry weather, to the point that the normal phases of the growing season, first the bud burst and, more importantly, flowering took place slightly later than, on average, recent vintages. Ample precipitation, instead, fell in April and May, fundamental in assisting the vineyard in sustaining the lengthy dry spell which, beginning in June and lasting all the way through the month of August, conditioned the growth and development of the vines, both in terms of the canopy and of the size and weight of the bunches and berries. The long-awaited rains of late August were essential in balancing plant growth, allowing all the different varieties to continue the ripening of their grapes. The months of September and October, both mild in their temperatures and rather rainy, allowed the crop to fully ripen both in terms of sugar and aroma and in tannins and structure as well. The harvest was concentrated in the period between September 25th and October 10th and required careful and precise selection both of the bunches during picking and of the berries during the selection process on the sorting tables in the cellar.
