So who turns down a chance to taste two iconic Italian wines? Certainly not me! Generally I’m begging to get a tastes, especially given the prices of these two, both of which are firmly in the three digit region. The two wines specifically are the 2005 Solaia and the 2005 Sassicaia. Here are my tasting notes on each and based on this tasting, I won’t be turning down any future tasting opportunities for these wines either!
Antiori 2005 Solaia – This is a serious wine. Nose was slightly muted but deep in ripe fruits, berries, dark chocolate, coffee, and spices. There was a whole lot of things going on there. On the palate, it was perhaps a bit more reserved, great structure, good acidity, nice dose of minerality (kinda like licking a stone really). It’s got a slight sweetness to it and smooth but drying tannins. The wine has a serious tone to it and it’s not overdone. It’s well balanced and has a nice long finish.
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2005 – This wine is very different than the Solaia which I tasted back to back (yes it was a good afternoon) as would be excepted as Solaia is based on Sangiovese and the Sassicaia is Cabernet Sauvignon based. The Sassicaia is the extrovert of the two. More primal in nature, medium plus body, lush, sweet dark fruits, slight smokiness, and tobacco. Having said that, it is not a fruit bomb of a wine and shows much finesse. This bottle definitely is showing tight and definitely needs some time to open it up. When offered seconds, my hands could not have stretched out faster.
