1997 Antinori Solaia

1997 Antinori Solaia

Intensely fruity and complex with a good structure, well-balanced, with soft tannins and a lingering finish. Displays unmistakable varietal flavor while retaining strong regional character.

Critical Acclaim

97 James Suckling

The bottle I opened a few nights ago was gorgeous. It shows alluring aromas and flavors of currants and raspberries with hints of balsamic and mint. It’s full and round in the mouth. It’s so youthful still. Just a baby. Drink or hold.

97 Wine Enthusiast

Top-echelon, with stunning purity and depth of layered fruit both sensuous and intellectually appealing. The dark cherry and plum core is oak-enveloped with rarely seen seamlessness, while the big but supple mouthfeel belies the wine’s profound power and structure. A classic effort marked by perfect fruit-to-acid balance, firm, refined tannins and a seemingly endless finish.

96 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

The unfiltered 1997 Solaia (75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, and 5% Cabernet Franc, from a single 25-acre vineyard) is aged in 100% new French oak. There are 8,000 cases in 1997. The sensational, opaque blue/purple-colored 1997 exhibits a complex nose of cedar, spice box, cassis, and subtle oak. With yields of only 30 hectoliters per hectare, and malolactic fermentation in barrel (a la Tignanello), this wine reveals extraordinary concentration, and a thick, viscous texture, yet no sense of heaviness or ponderousness. It is a thrilling Solaia to consume over the next two decades. If a first-growth Pauillac were made in Tuscany, this would be it! 

95 Vinous

For many years, the 1997 Solaia was super-concentrated. Actually, it still is pretty intense, but over the last few years, some of the baby fat has begun to melt away, revealing a wine with tons of nuance. 1997 clearly belongs in this flight of milestones. This is another memorable Solaia with no signs of fading.