1 BOTTLE X 75cl

Climate
The 2021 vintage in Chianti Classico will be remembered for the long and patient season: a year capable of giving power and grace. The winter was not too cold and characterized by rains until the end of March. The start of spring favored an early budding of the vines which however subsequently slowed down their vegetative cycle due to the generally cool and dry climate of April. May and June were regular, not too hot and with some rains that guaranteed excellent flowering and fruit set on all the varieties present in the Solaia vineyard. The summer was generally hot and dry, especially in August, a month characterized at the end by some rains that allowed the plants to best start the ripening process.
September and October were ideal: sunny, not too hot, breezy and characterized by cool nights, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly. Overall, 2021 is to be considered among the best vintages ever. The harvest operations, slightly later than average, began in the last days of September for Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese and concluded on October 21 with Cabernet Sauvignon.

Total annual rainfall: 707.8 mm
Average temperature 1 April - 21 October: 19.2 °C
Rainfall 1 April - 21 October: 251.6 mm

Winmaking
The attention was high, both in the vineyard during the harvest and in the cellar, where the grapes were destemmed and the berries, before being delicately pressed, carefully selected on the sorting table and then transferred by gravity into the tanks. It is in fact essential that only perfect berries reach the 60 Hl truncated cone-shaped vinification tanks. During fermentation and maceration, maximum attention was paid to maintaining the correct balance between the fruit and the quality of the tannin in order to give the wine sweetness and fragrance as well as identity and character. Immediately after racking, malolactic fermentation began, which, in barrique, enhanced the complexity and pleasantness of the wine. The refinement process took place in new French oak barrels for about 16
months. After an initial period of refinement in separate lots, these were assembled to complete the evolution in wood.

Historical Data
Solaia is a vineyard of about 20 hectares facing south-west between 350 and 400 meters above sea level on a rocky calcareous soil with alberese and galestro rock, located at Tenuta Tignanello. The Antinori family produced this wine for the first time with the 1978 vintage; the initial blend was 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, which was repeated in 1979. In subsequent years, 20% Sangiovese was introduced and some corrections were made in the ratio of Cabernet Sauvignon to Cabernet Franc, until arriving at the current composition. Solaia is only produced in exceptional years and was not produced in 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1992.

Tasting notes
Intense ruby ​​red in color with purple reflections, Solaia 2021 strikes the nose for its complexity: intense notes of small ripe black fruits, such as blackcurrant, blackberry and purple plum, combine with fresh sensations of mint, myrtle and spicy nuances of white pepper. The sweet aromas of icing sugar, cocoa powder and licorice are perfectly integrated.
On the palate the entry is rich, persuasive, vibrant and characterised by an excellent and balanced structure: silky tannins accompany a long finish characterised by a very persistent aftertaste, with hints of dark chocolate.