2011 Solaia, Antinori, Tuscany, Italy

We often taste wines which leap out of the glass, but 2011 Solaia does this with a vengeance. The nose has a beautifully crafted wall of complex blackcurrant and juicy dark fruit from the pure, ripe Cabernet Sauvignon. Laced within this are light, deft touches of subtle cherry and dark plum fruit from the Sangiovese. This purity is clear on the palate to see again where further complexity comes from the refined and framing oak.

As the palate’s fruit seamlessly moves into the structure and body of the wine, there are notes of coffee, fine chocolate, and a whole span of herbs and spices—nutmeg, cloves, sage, and rosemary, to name a few. There is no doubt that this is a bold wine if you take it as a whole, but there is a very uncommon level of refinement and subtly here.

2011 Solaia can be drunk now, given the finesse and subtlety of the tannins, but I feel that if you can leave this in the cellar even for 2 or 3 years, there will be added layers of complexity, ensuring that this is a very special wine indeed.

Berry Bros. & Rudd