The Wine Independent (99)

The 2005 Smith Haut Lafitte rouge is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Medium to deep garnet-brick in color, it slips confidently out of the glass with notes of creme de cassis, baked plums, cracked black pepper, and pencil shavings, plus wafts of sandalwood and licorice. The medium to full-bodied palate is plush and juicy, featuring soft acidity and a long, beautifully poised finish. In a sweet spot for drinking now, this can cellar a further 20 years+.

James Suckling (97-98)

This is a very polished and precise young wine with beautiful depth and intensity. Full and sexy. It shows blueberry and black currant character with walnut and chocolate undertones. The tannins have a lovely texture. Joy to taste.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98)

Floral edge, with a ton of crayon and cocoa bean, love the sculpted character, bitter aniseed and fennel, characterful and hard to resist, sappy and juicy with mouthwatering finish, just beginning to flirt with its drinking window. Official organic conversion began in this vintage, with certification coming in 2019. Fabien Teitgen technical director.

Wine Advocate (97+)

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Smith Haut Lafitte charges out of the gate with bold expressions of warm redcurrants, baked blackberries and crème de cassis with hints of spice cake, dried roses, underbrush and pencil lead plus a waft of candied violets. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a fantastic core of densely packed red and black fruits, framed by wonderfully ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed.

Wine Advocate (97+)

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Smith Haut Lafitte charges out of the gate with bold expressions of warm redcurrants, baked blackberries and crème de cassis with hints of spice cake, dried roses, underbrush and pencil lead plus a waft of candied violets. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a fantastic core of densely packed red and black fruits, framed by wonderfully ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

The 2018 Château Smith Haut Lafitte is based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all of which was brought up in 60% new French oak. Its dense purple color is followed by an incredible perfume of blackcurrants, blueberries, camphor, scorched earth, chocolate, and tobacco. It's young and unevolved, yet the purity is off the charts, and it slowly gives up more spice and floral notes with time in the glass. Hitting the palate with full-bodied richness, it's an incredibly concentrated, powerful wine that has plenty of baby fat covering serious amounts of underlying structure and tannins. It has some up-front appeal from an educational standpoint, yet really needs a decade of bottle age and is going to keep for 30-40 years in cold cellars. It comes closest in my mind to a mix of the 2010 and 2016.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

The 2018 Château Smith Haut Lafitte is based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all of which was brought up in 60% new French oak. Its dense purple color is followed by an incredible perfume of blackcurrants, blueberries, camphor, scorched earth, chocolate, and tobacco. It's young and unevolved, yet the purity is off the charts, and it slowly gives up more spice and floral notes with time in the glass. Hitting the palate with full-bodied richness, it's an incredibly concentrated, powerful wine that has plenty of baby fat covering serious amounts of underlying structure and tannins. It has some up-front appeal from an educational standpoint, yet really needs a decade of bottle age and is going to keep for 30-40 years in cold cellars. It comes closest in my mind to a mix of the 2010 and 2016.

The Wine Independent (99)

The 2019 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge comes from terroir composed of 60% gravel and 40% clay and is a blend of around 2/3 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1/3 Merlot with a splash of Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs considerable swirling to unlock notes of blackcurrant preserves, stewed plums, and juicy blackberries, with hints of candied violets, licorice, espresso, and tapenade, plus wafts of crushed rocks and wood smoke. Full-bodied, rich, and opulent in the mouth, it has very firm, super-ripe, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness to support the voluptuous, mineral-accented fruit, finishing very long and achingly perfumed.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Absolutely pure gold and reminding me of the 2009 (or is it the 2010?), the 2020 Château Smith Haut Lafitte sports a dense purple hue to go with incredible aromatics of blackberries, blueberries, scorched earth, wood smoke, and acacia flowers. One of the most concentrated, rich, and sexy wines in the vintage, this massive and extraordinarily opulent 2020 shows the vintage's pure, elegant profile yet backs it up with sensational levels of fruit and texture. Based on 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it already offers pleasure given its wealth of fruit, but it deserves 7-8 years of bottle age and will evolve for 40-50 years. Not enough can be said about the quality of these wines. Bravo to Florence and Daniel Cathiard, as well as to director Fabien Teitgen, for another incredible achievement.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Lastly, and pure perfection in white wine, the 2020 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is based on 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon that was aged in 50% new oak. This massively rich, concentrated, powerful white offers a heavenly nose of honeyed flowers, orange marmalade, lemon grass, and toasted bread, with a building sense of salinity and minerality that shows on the finish. Drink this stunningly rich, layered, concentrated 2020 over the coming two decades.

James Suckling (99)

This has so much blossom honey and white flowers with limes and other citrus. Stone and mineral undertones. Subtle passion fruit. A truly complex and great nose. Full-bodied and compact with fruit, phenolics and fresh acidity. Just a touch of sea salt. Very long and persistent. If you close your eyes, it’s like a great red wine. One of the best whites ever to come from here. 90% sauvignon blanc, 5% semillon, 5% sauvignon gris. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2014 Solaia will be released during the second half of 2017. This is a fine-tuned expression that shows a focused sense of detail and careful attention. The quota of Cabernet Franc has been upped by a hair and this makes a big difference, especially in terms of the wine's bouquet. Otherwise, this celebrated Tuscan blend is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese. It opens to dark fruit aromas with crushed mineral, pipe tobacco, pressed flower and toasted spice. Its appearance is midnight black and profound. The wine delivers a sense of sheer excitement and nervousness that will subside with another few years of bottle age. Nonetheless, I think a certain amount of that bright edginess or rigidness will always be part of this cool vintage Solaia. In the mouth, the wine is firm, compact and dense. The tannins are chiseled to the point of sublime integration. Marchesi Antinori made 40% less Solaia in this vintage in order to maintain the quality you taste here.

The Wine Independent (100)

This 2015 Marchesi Antinori Solaia is so charmingly sweet, ripe, and open with very bright and exuberant aromas of cream and blackberries. My impression is that many 2015s in Tuscany in general have absorbed more oak than in some other vintages but this wine wears it so well. The palate is super-harmonious with a gentle ease and flow and the tannins are beautifully integrated and combine with subtle flavors of sweet oak-spice, cream, vanilla and blackberry. There is an elegant acidity and juicy freshness but in this wine the tannins take on a new dimension becoming seamlessly refined. Just beautiful!

The Wine Independent (100)

This 2015 Marchesi Antinori Solaia is so charmingly sweet, ripe, and open with very bright and exuberant aromas of cream and blackberries. My impression is that many 2015s in Tuscany in general have absorbed more oak than in some other vintages but this wine wears it so well. The palate is super-harmonious with a gentle ease and flow and the tannins are beautifully integrated and combine with subtle flavors of sweet oak-spice, cream, vanilla and blackberry. There is an elegant acidity and juicy freshness but in this wine the tannins take on a new dimension becoming seamlessly refined. Just beautiful!

Wine Advocate (100)

I fussed over scoring this wine more than I'd like to admit—tasting through three samples under different conditions at various intervals and testing my impressions blind against wines in its peer group. Most importantly, I tasted this 2016 vintage against the 2015 vintage over and over again. I confess to a few nights of restless sleep as a result. Ultimately, my decision to award 100 points to the 2016 Solaia came on impulse and with the most natural sense of purpose. I had also given the 2015 vintage a perfect score, and intellectually, it seemed impossible not to pick a favorite among these two stunning expressions. I will also state, outright, that the wines are very different, principally because the 2015 vintage shows more overall opulence and sweetness that extends to the pronounced textural richness of the mouthfeel. The 2016 vintage, on the other hand, is more chiseled and sharp with mineral shadings of campfire ash and graphite at the rim of its dark fruit. The mouthfeel is more streamlined and tight at its core, suggesting that the wine will unfold and soften beautifully with time. I feel like 2015 is the Dolce & Gabbana of the situation and the 2016 is the Armani Privé. The personalities of the two wines are distinct, yet my admiration for each is identical.

Vinous (98)

Antinori’s 2018 Solaia captures all of the elegance of this important vintage. The bouquet alone is mesmerizing. It speaks to the stunning beauty and pedigree of Cabernet Sauvignon as grown at the Antinori family’s Tignanello property. Sweet scents of crème de cassis, lavender, graphite, mint, spice and espresso lead into a fine, delineated palate. Bright and energetic, Solaia is decidedly medium in body in 2018, with striking purity and exceptional beauty. I can’t remember ever tasting a young Solaia with this much sheer appeal and balance in the early going. In 2018 Solaia is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese and 7% Cabernet Franc. Production is down to around 60,000 bottles because of strict selection.

James Suckling (98)

This has a complex array of blackberries, black cherries, cocoa, dried herbs, slate, tobacco, olives and charred bark. Some dried roses and iodine, too. Medium-to full-bodied with firm yet refined tannins. Powerful, in an understated way. Long. 73% cabernet sauvignon, 7% cabernet franc and 20% sangiovese. Try in 2025.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98)

A great vintage of the iconic Solaia, full of cloves, sage, graphite, grilled dried herbs, underbrush and roasted cherry pit. There's fruit too, bilberry and cassis, juicy and mouthwatering, both understated and exuberant, ensuring a Tuscan fingerprint despite its majority Cabernet Sauvignon construction. Has grip and length, and effortless charm, reflecting an excellent vintage with low yields after a hot dry summer. Antinori family showing once again why this wine, that comes from 20ha the sunniest slopes of the Tignanello estate, set at 350-400m altitude, is so hard to resist. Winemaking director Renzo Cotarella.

Vinous (96+)

In 2014, the very challenging, wet growing season yielded just a single cask of Sangiovese that I was able to taste a few times before it was bottled. From the beginning, the 2014 was mesmerizing. It is all that and more today. Powerful and yet translucent in the glass, the 2014 presents a beguiling mélange of dark cherry, plum, lavender, spice and leather. I would be in no rush to open the 2014 today, as it is still very young. Soldera has historically done quite well in difficult years. I won’t be at all surprised if the 2014 turns out even better than this note suggests.

Vinous (96+)

In 2014, the very challenging, wet growing season yielded just a single cask of Sangiovese that I was able to taste a few times before it was bottled. From the beginning, the 2014 was mesmerizing. It is all that and more today. Powerful and yet translucent in the glass, the 2014 presents a beguiling mélange of dark cherry, plum, lavender, spice and leather. I would be in no rush to open the 2014 today, as it is still very young. Soldera has historically done quite well in difficult years. I won’t be at all surprised if the 2014 turns out even better than this note suggests.

Jancis Robinson (18.5)

Very aromatic. Polished fruit, smooth tannins and then exceptionally persistent. Wonderfully transparent healthy juice with a hint of southern Tuscan dustiness on the finish.

Jancis Robinson (19)

Glorious! Such life and length. Notably aromatic. Superb. Just a perfect, vibrant expression of what this estate can deliver: precision, fruit, freshness and a uniquely transparent expression of ripe, southern Tuscan Sangiovese.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The elusive and highly collectible Soldera Case Basse 2018 100% Sangiovese is already available in certain markets yet ultimately proves very hard to buy. I suspect it is easier to locate in the United States than in Italy. No matter, Soldera advocates will be very pleased with this latest release that maintains enormous Sangiovese character and brightness despite the uneven growing season (that saw a wet and cool spring and a hot summer). The legendary Gianfranco Soldera died the morning of February 16, 2019, from a heart attack while driving along the bucolic, vineyard-lined road near his winery. That means this is the last vintage manned directly by Soldera, a man who remained extremely active in the vineyards and the winery until the very end. His send-off to us is a delicately nuanced wine with cassis, wild berry, rosemary, pencil shaving and blood orange. This is a beautiful wine that pays tribute not only to Gianfranco Soldera but to his non-interventionist vision of Italian wine that has influenced so many younger vintners in his wake.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The elusive and highly collectible Soldera Case Basse 2018 100% Sangiovese is already available in certain markets yet ultimately proves very hard to buy. I suspect it is easier to locate in the United States than in Italy. No matter, Soldera advocates will be very pleased with this latest release that maintains enormous Sangiovese character and brightness despite the uneven growing season (that saw a wet and cool spring and a hot summer). The legendary Gianfranco Soldera died the morning of February 16, 2019, from a heart attack while driving along the bucolic, vineyard-lined road near his winery. That means this is the last vintage manned directly by Soldera, a man who remained extremely active in the vineyards and the winery until the very end. His send-off to us is a delicately nuanced wine with cassis, wild berry, rosemary, pencil shaving and blood orange. This is a beautiful wine that pays tribute not only to Gianfranco Soldera but to his non-interventionist vision of Italian wine that has influenced so many younger vintners in his wake.

Vinous (98+)

The 2019 Sangiovese captivates with an array of exotic spices, dried orange peels, incense, hints of worn leather and radiant black cherries. Lifted, precise, ethereal and weightless yet impactful, it sweeps across the palate, lifted and refined. It features aromas of mineral-laced wild berry fruits, taking on a beguiling savoriness toward the close. Nuances of sour citrus combine with sage and cedar dust over a web of fine-grained tannins. It comes across as a classic, finishing with a pleasantly bitter tinge of clove and a bite of sour citrus. This is pure magic. The 2019 embodies all the best attributes of this fantastic vintage.

Vinous (98+)

The 2019 Sangiovese captivates with an array of exotic spices, dried orange peels, incense, hints of worn leather and radiant black cherries. Lifted, precise, ethereal and weightless yet impactful, it sweeps across the palate, lifted and refined. It features aromas of mineral-laced wild berry fruits, taking on a beguiling savoriness toward the close. Nuances of sour citrus combine with sage and cedar dust over a web of fine-grained tannins. It comes across as a classic, finishing with a pleasantly bitter tinge of clove and a bite of sour citrus. This is pure magic. The 2019 embodies all the best attributes of this fantastic vintage.

Indulge in the exquisite taste of Sopravvento, Changes!, VdT 2019, a captivating expression of fine winemaking. Iconic for its innovative winemaking techniques, finely honed in the Sopravvento winery nestled in the lush landscapes of Italy. Crafted in the desirable 2019 vintage, this wine illustrates the commitment to quality the winery prides itself on.

The Sopravvento, Changes!, VdT 2019 is a remarkable blend of grapes grown in Italy’s nutrient-rich soil, their deep-rooted vines absorbing the essences of their surroundings, and thereby imbuing the character of this exceptional wine. This wine is made using traditional vinification methods, showcasing a profound depth of flavour and complexity.

A respected name in the domain of fine wine, Sopravvento has a long tradition of crafting sublime nectars. Each sip of Sopravvento, Changes!, VdT 2019 unveils the winery's passion and dedication to the production of impeccable wines. A must for true connoisseurs, this wine is an enriching tasting experience that leaves a lasting impression.