Sassicaia and Solaia?!
Sassicaia and Solaia?
Can someone tell me more about these wines?
Answers:
The two wines you mentioned plus one named Ornelaia caused quite a stir when they began garnering huge reviews, and subsequent huge prices in the mid-eighties.
The interesting thing is that the wines are made in Tuscany where the laws for the grapes used in the traditional wines (Chianti) are very strict.
The three 'outlaw' wines have Cabernet Sauvignon as a component which at the time was unorthodox for the region. They were also aged in new, small French oak barrels, another revolutionary technique for the area.
The wines could not be labeled "Chianti" so a new category was born- "Super Tuscan".
The wines started a winemaking trend of blending Sangiovese, the traditional Chianti grape, with Cabernet Sauvignon (and sometimes Merlot as well). People began paying hundreds of dollars for wines with the lowly pedigree of "Vino di Tavola" or Table Wine.
This is true now in California as well with the Meritage wines: Opus One, Phelps Insignia (the first), Pahlmeyer, etc. all lableled as "Table Wine"
It goes to show that it's what's in the bottle that counts, not what's on the label.
Solaia-2003-Antinori
95 Points Wine Spectator
Black pepper, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, plums and bottled fruit aromas follow each other continually in Solaia 2003. The wine is strikingly elegant with nicely blended tannins supporting the sensation of sweetness and weight. The tasting does not reveal harshness, and the balance shows distinctive sweetness from the riper grapes. Hints of liquorice and coffee return in the impressively long finish~~~~~~~~~~~~Sassicaia's first vintage was released to universal acclaim in 1968. Sassicaia is now widely accepted as one of the world`s greatest Cabernet Sauvignon wines and made history recently, being the first single wine to be granted its own DOC. The wines of Sassicaia combine intense notes of cassis and cedary elegance, with extraordinary power and length.
Great wines, but overpriced. For that price range, there are many great barbaresco for the picking. See the following links for info.