Tenuta Tignanello - Solaia - IGT Toscana - Rouge - 2018

Wine:

Solaia is the jewel in the crown of the Antinori family's world-class vineyard. This 10-hectare cru, located at an altitude of 400 meters in the heart of Chianti Classico, is set on a very specific limestone bedrock. The first vintage, produced in 1978, paved the way for the "Super Tuscans". Produced only in the best vintages, IGT Toscana Solaia Rouge 2018 is one of Italy's finest wines, and a contender for the title of best wine in the world. It is made to the same exacting standards as the grands crus classés, with everything carefully thought out and orchestrated, from harvesting to ageing in new French oak. The result is worthy of the effort: this vintage, in particular, offers a silky texture and a very elegant style, far removed from the highly concentrated structures of the past. The fruit is pure, expressing subtle perfumes of blackcurrant, flowers and graphite, as well as a spicy touch of ageing, and the tannins creamy. The majority Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with an ever-increasing share of Cabernet Franc (7% this year) and Sangiovese, produces a marvellous wine of perfect balance and dazzling sensuality. The quintessence of Tuscany, capable of thrilling connoisseurs and neophytes with the same emotion. Rated 97+/100 by Parker.

Vinification:

Harvested by hand. Malolactic fermentation in barrels Aged for around 18 months in French oak barrels in the estate's 16th-century underground cellars.

Color:

Deep ruby red.

Nose:

Wonderful, fine, pure aromas of red and black fruit, blackcurrant and blueberry, with subtle notes of dried flowers and eucalyptus.

Palate:

Silky-smooth and elegant, this cuvée delivers soft, perfectly integrated tannins with a fruity, gourmet structure and a long, spicy finish.

Temperature:

Serve between 14 and 16°C.

Food and wine pairing:

Italian-style porchetta, Vitello Tonnato, pink duck breast and chanterelle mushrooms, creamy black truffle risotto...

Cellar aging:

From now until 2050

The jewel in the crown of Italian viticulture, Antinori is one of the trump cards of the world wine scene. Its highly prized cuvées are making the headlines and seducing wine lovers the world over. The originators of "Super Tuscans", these structured reds incorporating Bordeaux grape varieties, the Antinori family pursues its quest for excellence with undiminished ambition.

An emblematic Tuscan estate in the heart of Chianti, Tenuta Tignanello is the heart and soul of the Antinori family, which has owned it since the 19th century. Its 130 hectares of hillsides, clinging to rocky limestone soils, produce some of the most sumptuous wines on the planet, and the most envied in Tuscany.

It was here that the first barrel-aged Sangiovese was born, Tignanello, the first to be blended with Cabernets in the early 1970s and downgraded to table wine for breaking the rules of the Chianti appellation. This pioneering "super Tuscan" is undoubtedly one of the world's most prized wines, on a par with Solaia, whose land and heritage it shares. For Solaia is an indisputable myth, an elite bottle that thrills connoisseurs and collectors alike, and whose quality and value have nothing to envy our Grands Crus Classés or the finest estates in Burgundy.