A while back I asked Piero Antinori, Renzo Cottarella, Enrico

Chiavacci, and Leo Damiani to organize a vertical of the

American wine, "Col Solare." Someone might wonder at my

request; I would reply that I have always felt that this wine was

unjustly neglected by the clientele of Antinori's wines. A few years ago,

I recall leafing through the 2000 edition of the Veronelli wine guide, and

reading, in the entry dedicated to Antinori, of a wine called Col Solare, produced in partnership with Antinori by the Château Saint Michelle Estate. The 1995 vintage was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, and the 1996 just Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, without Syrah. The year was 1999, and the two vintages were being sold simultaneously, for the first time, in Italy. The passage whetted my curiosity, because I had never tasted either wine. A couple of days later I dined in Florence, with Luciano Ghinassi, in his restaurant, the Buca Lapi. When I arrived, in greeting me warmly as always, he told me he was going to introduce me to a wine he was almost certain I had never heard of.

I shot him a challenging grin and said, "I'm certain you want me to taste Col Solare." His shoulders slumped, because that was the wine, and he replied, "It's almost impossible to come up with a wine you're unfamiliar with."

He brightened when I told him I hadn't tasted it yet. It was my first experience with both the 1995 and 1996 vintages. I must say that I liked it from the outset, and felt it had a great deal of potential. By chance, the next night I went to another of my favorite restaurants, "La Tenda Rossa" in Cerbaia. Silvano Santandrea, the owner, greeted me, saying, "Tonight I'm going to introduce you to a wine." I smiled and asked, "You wouldn't be thinking of Col Solare, would you?" He sighed and asked when I had tried it. "The night before," I said, adding I would be happy to drink more of the 1995.

I met again with Col Solare at Vinitaly, where Leo Damiani, one of Marchesi Antinori's top managers, invited me to participate at a mini-vertical of the 1997, 1998 and 1999 vintages; I accepted with eager curiosity. In that occasion I found the 1998 vintage to be the most complete, and realized that I much liked the wine.

I kept the wine in mind, and after a time asked Enrico Chiavacci and Leo Damiani to organize a Col Solare vertical, from the 1995 to the 2005 vintage. They replied that Renzo Cottarella was also interested, both for professional reasons, and because he had never enjoyed a Col Solare vertical this complete. Antinori's staff quickly ordered all but the 2005 vintage, which they already had in their cellars, from Château Saint Michelle. When they called to set the date of the vertical, I confess I was very pleased, in part because this would be the first really complete vertical of Col Solare, a wine that had impressed me favorably from the outset, to be held in Italy. I must confess that I am in general skeptical of American wines: I often find them to be frankly over-oaked and overripe.

When, in a restaurant, the wine list has foreign wines, I usually steer clear of American wines: if they're white I find them overly oaky and spicy; it's like chewing wood, and if they're red I find them jammy and cloying. Obviously, not all American wines are like this, but it seems to me that the American taste is for oak and overripe fruit.

My tastes are very different. Oak, if present, must be well integrated with the wine, and I prefer fresh ripe fruit with no traces of oxidization. It is not easy to make wines like this. Before continuing with the Vertical, I would like to briefly discuss Château Sanin Michelle.

Château Saint Michelle has been one of the leading estates of Washington, and more precisely the Columbia Valley, since 1934. And why did Piero Antinori decide to invest in Washington? The answer lies in the past: in 1967 the Russian winemaker André Tchelistchell (it's pronounced Célicef) began consulting for Château Saint Michelle, and shortly thereafter began working for Marchesi Antinori too.

André Tchelistchell, considered the greatest winemaker of all time by Gino Veronelli, realized that the Columbia Valley, thanks to its sandy, beautifully stony terrains and its perfect climate, would yield superb wines. He talked enthusiastically if the area to Piero Antinori, who visited Washington in 1992, and was much impressed by the region's wines.

The partnership was officially announced on March 25, 1998.

The first vintage produced jointly by Piero Antinori and Château Saint Michelle was 1995. At the time the estate's winemaker was Mike Januik, who shared the values of Renzo Cottarella, Marchesi Antinori's winemaker and General Manager. Mike Januik worked with the estate through the 1998 vintage. He was followed by Ron Bunnel, through the 2002 vintage. In 2003 Markus Notaro became winemaker, and, with Renzo Cottarella and Doug Gore, is doing excellent work, as is shown by the 2005.

Col Solare is just a tiny fraction of the Estate's production, about 5%, assembled during the final blending.

Selection is ruthless, because the estate expects Col Solare to be a great wine, and not like so many others; it must have a precise identity, consistently high quality, velvety tannins, and perfect flavor balance.

The vineyards are trained to the cordon spur system and planted to European densities, which are rare in Washington. Renzo Cottarella told me of the difficulties he encountered in finding proper exposures for the vineyards, because the sun is very strong and it is important to keep the azimuth from coinciding precisely with the sun's maximum heat. The grapes must be placed so they are not exposed to excessive sun, and in fact the rows run north-southwest, in such a manner that they are never exposed to direct sunlight, which would compromise all the work, and the grapes. The canopies are vertical, without extreme defoliations. Irrigation is circular, as it is in cornfields.

If one flies over the Columbia Valley, one will see desert, and then green circular patches that are vineyards. Renzo Cottarella says that the use of this irrigation technique provides distinctive climatic micro-conditions; temperatures are lowered, making it possible to obtain better balanced wines. The latest developments are the purchase of a 20-hectare parcel of land in Red Mountain, in addition to the rental of several vineyards, and the construction of a cellar, in 2007.

Several years of research have led the estate to conclude that the conditions at Red River are ideal for producing a great wine, one better than those made now. Ambitions never stop growing.

With regards to vinification, Renzo Cottarella says the cellars employ a selection system that includes a machine to separate out green matter with a jet of air. The grapes are selected by hand and put into bins where they are pressed, and then transferred to another tank. Movement is through gravity feed. Low temperature prefermentative maceration is carried out by chilling the must with dry ice, or by using refrigeration coils, which are used less because they can reduce the skins to a pulp.

Vinification is in French oak barrels, with subsequent barrel aging for 18 to 22 months, depending upon the vintage. About 120,000 bottles are produced yearly, and the goal is to reach a production of 180,000 bottles.

Turning to the vertical, it was held July 24 2009 in Palazzo Antinori in Florence. The wines were at the perfect temperature, and two bottles were opened for each vintage. One would have been sufficient, but we wanted to be certain, in the case of corkage, that the second bottle would be as oxygenated as the others. This gives an idea of the significance of this vertical. Indeed, as we hoped, the wines revealed three distinct periods, corresponding to the three in-house winemakers who worked at the estate: Mike Januik. Ron Bunnel, and Markus Notaro. I will return to this point at the end of the vertical.

At the tasting were, for the winery, Renzo Cottarella, Enrico Chiavacci, and Francesco Visani, and, for the magazine, Andrea Cappelli, Bruno Bruchi, and me.

Before we get to the tasting, I want to stress that in my tasting notes, when I speak of the breadth of the tannins I am referring to the tannic sensations I feel on the upper gums. Tannins extending from one extremity of the upper gums to the other have a breadth of 6/6, while the ratio decreases if the tannins are less broad. The broader the tannins the more important they are. It is also possible, of course, to have broad tannins that are not particularly distinguished.

1995

Blend: 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 2% Syrah

The Vintage

The spring of 1995 was warm and sunny in the Columbia Valley, and allowed optimal flowering. Even though cooler summer temperatures slightly delayed the beginning of the harvest, good vineyard management and a rigorous green harvest insured that the bunches left upon the vines ripened perfectly. The harvest began in mid-September, and ended at the end of October.

Alcohol content: 13.5%, total acidity 5.9, PH 3.49.

The Tasting

Ruby with a broad onionskin rim.

The nose is rich and complex, with initial moderately intense spicy black pepper, nutmeg and clove scents followed by powerful mint and licorice root, followed in turn by iodine, black olives, leather, prunes, freshly struck gunflint, eucalyptus, blackberry, black currant, and finally graphite, whose intensity provides the foundations for the bouquet.

On the palate cassis, black truffle, licorice, menthol and black olive offer a delightful welcome. The tannins are initially subdued, but sweet and velvety, and broaden (5/6--), touching the upper gums with delicacy and elegance.

Alcohol and freshness are clearly present, combining with savory notes, minerality and tannins to provide a fine balance to the wine.

The body is not excessive, but overall the wine is pleasing and elegant, with a fairly long intense finish, and cassis and black olive aftertastes.

The wine is surprising, because despite being 14 years old it doesn't show its age at all, either in the bouquet or on the palate. The fruit is fresh, young, and not at all oxidized. Perhaps the wine could have displayed a little more structure and freshness.

                                                                                                                90/100

1996

Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot

The Vintage

The weather in 1996 was unusual. A frigid winter was followed by cool temperatures during the growing season, which resulted in a two-week delay in bud break and flowering. Then, the period of ripening was longer than usual, with the grapes ripening under hot dry conditions in July and August. The harvest produced small grapes rich in extracts and of exceptional quality, with an excellent sugar/acidity ratio, even though yields were slightly below normal.

Alcohol content 13.5%, total acidity 5.5, PH 3.55

The tasting

Ruby red with slight dark red rim.

The nose begins with intense graphite, leather, ripe blackberry and prune, followed by licorice, blond Virginia tobacco, coffee, milk caramels, black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, eucalyptus, mint, cinnamon, iodine, cassis, sawdust, freshly struck flint, and hints of black olive to bring things to a close.

The palate is enticing, with ripe, sweet prunes and licorice.

The tannins, which are initially velvety, become slightly exuberant, bringing a faint burning sensation to the upper gum. Good tannin breadth (5/6--).

Alcohol and freshness are quite evident, and harmonious, even though in the finish alcohol predominates slightly over acidity, making the center of the tongue burn.

Barely sufficient body, with pleasant savory accents and minerality.

Long finish, with ripe prunes.

An interesting wine, even though its alcohol is evident on both nose and palate. With respect to the 1995, the tannins are a less elegant, and less graceful.

I also note that, with respect to the 95, oak is more evident in this vintage, probably because it didn't meld completely with the wine. I very much liked the richness of the nose. Overall, a pleasant wine, though not quite as nice as the 1995.

                                                                                                                 89/100

1997

Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 3% Syrah

The Vintage

The year began slowly, with a cool spring that delayed bud set and flowering. During July and August a long hot dry interval allowed the grapes to make up for lost time. In September moderate temperatures slowed ripening, and indeed the fruit was on the vines for longer than usual. The harvest began at the end of September.

Alcohol content 14%, total acidity 5.7, and PH 3.61.

The tasting

A slightly mature ruby red, with garnet reflections and onionskin rim.

The nose begins with intense chocolate and cold coffee aromas that bring to mind Pocket Coffee, a popular coffee-filled Italian candy. It continues with intense leather, prunes, blackberry, mint, graphite, cassis, black pepper, nutmeg, and finally hints or resin.

The palate opens with intense cassis, mint and licorice; there is an acidic-tannic axis that attempts to overcome the alcohol, and in part succeeds.

Savory notes and minerality are balanced.

The body is not that full.

The tannins are initially sweet, velvety, and broad (5/6), but in the finish become more aggressive, burning the upper gums somewhat.

Good finish with cassis and licorice aftertastes.

It's better on the nose than on the palate; the tannins are skittish and rather green; we are far from the tannins of the 1995.

                                                                                                                 88/100

1998

Blend: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 4% Syrah

The Vintage

The climatic conditions were almost perfect, with ripe grapes.

The spring sky was clear, with moderate temperatures; the summer months were warmer than usual and this resulted in the grapes' being smaller, and there being fewer grapes per bunch than usual.

At the end of August temperatures decreased slightly, allowing slow ripening that yielded aromas and concentration.

Alcohol content 13.5%, total acidity 7.5, and PH 3.65

The tasting

Deductive ruby with garnet rim.

The nose is complex with great depth, beginning with very intense cold coffee and graphite, followed by intense cherry, prune, mint, leather, wet tea bag, blackberry, eucalyptus, cassis, and black pepper, and moderate nutmeg, black olive, cloves, finishing with delicate cut grass.

The palate reveals pleasing savory minerality supported by cassis, followed by black olives and licorice.

The structure is deft and powerful from the outset.

The tannins are velvety, broad (5/6), and powerful.

A well structured wine that envelopes the palate with alcohol, freshness, and well-balanced tannins.

The finish is long, with cassis and black olive notes.

It was the best of the wines tasted up to that moment, both because of its body and because of its balance.

The wood is quite evident in the bouquet, as is indicated by the strong cold coffee aromas, though on the palate it is fortunately well bonded to the wine.

In conclusion, a fine wine that, fortunately, does not follow the American trend, revealing fruit that is jammy

                                                                                                                92/100

1999

Blend: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Syrah, and 2% Malbec

The Vintage

Anyone who doubts the positive influence of "hang time" need only look at the 1999 vintage in Washington's Columbia Valley. That which started out as a worrisome vintage turned out to be memorable, with grapes blessed by intense, ripe aromas and fragrances, and excellent balance.

Since the summer temperatures were lower than usual, the green harvest was quite vigorous, to guarantee that the grapes left on the vines would ripen fully. At the end of August it warmed markedly, and remained warmer throughout September and October. The harvest was well balanced, with grapes blessed by intense, complex aromas.

Alcohol content 14.4%, total acidity 5.9, PH 3.62

The tasting

An elegant ruby red with slight garnet on the rim.

The bouquet combines elegance and power, revealing intense cold coffee and graphite, supported by licorice root, cyclamen root, black pepper, nutmeg, Lebanese cedar, cassis, and light blackberry, cherry, prune, cloves, and leather, drawing into hints of black olive.

On the palate it's powerful, savory, and mineral, with ripe fruit, in particular blackberry jam, and licorice. The tannins are quite fruity, sweet, and broad (5/6), and are velvety on the attack, but then dry somewhat.

The freshness works with the tannins to dominate alcohol, making the wine quite well balanced.

Long intense finish with mint and licorice aftertastes.

It is quite obvious that something changed with this vintage: with respect to the preceding vintages, which had moderately ripe fruit, here we fine fruit that is quite ripe. With this vintage Château Saint Michele's in-house winemaker changed. The wine is pleasant, but has settled some on its laurels, and brings to mind a jolly gent.

Overall, it is pleasant, but I think it will be less long-lived than the 98 or the 95.

                                                                                                                 90/100

2000

The blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 4% Syrah

The vintage

The 2000 vintage produced grapes with exceptional aromas and fragrances, and great structural complexity.

During the growing season, unusually early mild temperatures resulted in opening of the buds.

Alcohol content 14%, total acidity 6.1, PH 3.6

The tasting

It presents with a beautiful intense ruby.

The nose reveals boisé notes of cold coffee, black pepper and nutmeg that anticipate leather, dry hay, gunflint, graphite, blackberries, mint, prunes, peaches, and cassis, finishing iodine accents.

On the palate it is moderately savory and mineral, and medium bodied.

The tannins are sweet, broad (5/6 --), and initially velvety, becoming more angular and burning the upper gums with time.

Alcohol and freshness are not perfectly balanced, also perhaps because of the relatively lesser tannins. Long intense finish, with licorice aftertastes. It's more interesting on the nose than on the palate.

                                                                                                                 89/100

2001

The blend: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 6% Syrah and 2% Malbec

The vintage

2001 produced mature, aromatic wines with well-structured soft tannins. Bud set was in mid-April, roughly a week later than in a typical year, with cool temperatures during flowering that reduced the number of grapes per bunch. April and May were variable, with warm and cool intervals.

The summer was consistently hot.

The harvest began at the beginning of September, wile the last grapes were harvested in mid-November. The longer "hang time" resulted in well balanced, elegant grapes, with the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah emerging as the stars of the harvest.

Alcohol content 14.2%, total acidity 5.5. and PH 3.78

The tasting

Dark ruby red with bright garnet rim.

The nose reveals slight greenish accents followed by India ink, blackberries, mint, leather, licorice, and graphite, closing with fruity prune accents.

On the palate there are slight fruity mentholated accents that bring to mind mint-flavored Fernet Branca (an Italian liqueur).

The body is lacking. The tannins are soft, and initially fairly broad (4/6), but dry quickly.

Neither alcohol nor freshness are marked, but they are well balanced.

The finish is brief, displaying blackberry, prune and slight boisé accents.

The vintage was not particularly successful, but I do want to retaste the wine in the future.

                                                                                                                 85/100

2002

The blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 20% Syrah

The vintage

Spring began with cool temperatures that delayed bud set and the harvest of the grapes. The constant, ideal temperatures that began in mid-summer and carried though until the beginning of autumn (up to 104 F) were perfect for the ripening grapes. The bunches were compact, with fully ripe grapes that were also small, especially the red varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Alcohol content: 14.4%, total acidity 5.8, PH 3.7

The Tasting

Deep, intense ruby.

The bouquet reveals intense graphite and leather, mingled with mint, eucalyptus, prunes, slight musty orange peel, dry hay, candied cherries, sweet pipe tobacco, and finally a pinch of black pepper.

The palate reveals beautiful fresh prunes and blackberries. The wine is moderately savory and mineral, and medium bodied.

The tannins are sweet, broad (5/6), and initially velvety, but become somewhat aggressive and burning on the upper gums.

Alcohol and freshness are well balanced, with freshness predominating over alcohol.

The finish is long, with prune and licorice aftertastes.

An interesting, pleasant wine that has yet to absorb the wood (which contributes musty orange peel); it will be interesting to taste it in a few years.

2003

The blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot

The vintage

2003 began with the peculiar opening of the buds in the beginning of April. Flowering followed, at the beginning of June. Hot dry temperatures from here on helped guarantee uniform ripening of the grapes throughout the season. The high temperatures at the end of the summer set the conditions for perfect ripeness. Moderate rains in August and September cooled the vineyards, and lengthened the ripening. Overall, 2003 was one of the finest vintages, especially for red wines.

Alcohol content: 14.1%, total acidity 5.3, and PH 3.69

The tasting

Beautiful intense ruby.

The nose reveals complex set of aromas: slight cyclamen root, with leather, iodine, prunes, graphite, licorice root, cut grass, mint, cherry, and finally hints of starch.

The palate reveals boisé accompanied by cassis and licorice.

The tannins are sweet, broad (4/6++), and initially velvety, though they become more aggressive and burn the upper gums.

Good savory notes and minerality. Medium bodied. Alcohol has not integrated completely with the body; the overall balance suffers from this, and alcohol and freshness alternate in the flavor profile.

A moderately long finish that's rather bitter, because of the wood; when I asked they said the wine had been more heavily oaked than others.

I also noted that it was not too persistent.

                                                                                                                 87/100

2004

The blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

The vintage

2004 began with an early, hot dry spring. Bud break was earlier than expected. During flowering the temperatures were mild, and it was dry.

The valley was quite hot during the summer, with high temperatures in late July and early August. These temperatures continued through the harvest, though there were significant rains in October.

Ripening began in the beginning of August, and the harvest of the red grapes began in mid-September.

Alcohol content 14.8%, total acidity 5.8, PH 3.69

The tasting

Eelgant ruby red with eggplant purple rim.

The bouquet brings to mind a painting, in which the colors are the aromas, with intense cherry and prune fruit, followed by graphite, leather, black pepper, nutmeg, mint candies, slight Williams pears, gunpowder, with slight hints of musty dried orange.

The palate partially matches the nose, and indeed displays leather and gunpowder. A fairly well balanced wine with sweet, fairly broad (5/6--) tannins that are initially velvety, but then burn the upper gums.

Alcohol and freshness are well evident, and nicely balanced.

A savory, mineral wine, with nicely balanced sweetness. The body is not excessive, but rather nicely measured. Aftertastes of boisé and musty orange peel that bring the nose to mind, and long finish with graphite.

A very young wine that will certainly improve as it absorbs the wood, both on the nose and on the palate.

                                                                                                                90/100

2005

The blend: 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc

The vintage

The 2005 vintage was cooler, and towards the end of the summer a drop in temperatures cooled the vineyards, allowing the grapes to further develop their aromas.

Mild temperatures during the harvest resulted in ripe red grapes of all the varietals, which displayed intense aromas and lively acidities.

Alcohol content 14.5%, total acidity 5.9 and PH 3.68

The tasting

Beautiful, intense ruby.

The nose is beautiful, though, given its youth, it has yet to develop completely. It reveals intense graphite, leather and prune, with oil paint as it opens, gaining notes of mint, blackberry, hops, and starch, finishing with pleasant cherry and graphite.

Beautiful on the palate, and fruit driven, with powerful prunes supported by silky sweet broad (5/6) elegant tannins that gie ample space to well balanced savory and mineral accents.

Long finish with fresh prunes.

An interesting wine, and the best of the vertical; it will certainly improve on both nose and palate with time.

                                                                                                                 93/100

Looking over the notes of the vertical, the three different periods, each with a different winemaker, are quite evident. I think Mike Januik established an excellent relationship with Renzo Cottarella, as is shown by the 1995 and 1998 vintages. 1995 displays incredible youth, with a very complex bouquet, and has silky, elegant tannins.

1998 is more complex on the palate than the 95, and is again very young, with a long future.

During the second period, from 1999 to 2002, Ron Bunnel was the winemaker; this was, I think, a transitional period, one of, with the exception of the 99, lesser wines that were less well balanced, with more aggressive tannins and riper fruit. Very different from the first interval. The third, and current interval began with the 2003 vintage; winemaker Markus Notaro and Renzo Cottarella have continued along the path Mike Januik took with Renzo Cottarella. 2003 served to determine the goal to be reached, while 2004 provided a preview of the 2005, which establishes the course to be followed in the future.

The 2005 vintage has a beautiful, very young bouquet that will reach its peak with time. The fruit is fresh and pleasant, and the wine is nicely balanced, with silky, elegant tannins. Piero Antinori told me he finds the 2006 superior to the 2005, and I eagerly await the opportunity to taste it!

This vertical clearly reveals the potential of the winery, the richness of the terroirs, and the savory minerality present in all the vintages. The cultivation of the new vineyards will certainly produce great results. We need only wait to see what Renzo Cottarella and his collaborators achieve; given the many fine wines he has made with Marchesi Antinori we await the future with confident optimism.