Solaria–Patrzia Cencioni is an estate winery in Località Capanna in Montalcino in Tuscany, Italy. It makes wines under the Rosso di Montalcino DOC and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, and the Sant’Antimo DOC. Solaria was founded in 1989, as Cencioni e Pallari, when the first vineyards were planted. When Patrizia Cencioni took over the business she renamed it Solaria. Solaria’s origins can be traced back to the old winery started in the 1950s by grandfather Giuseppe Cencioni, one of the founders of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino.

Owner: Patrizia Cencioni [very much hands-on]. Her Patrizia daughters are Annalisa Matteucci (exports) and Arianna Cencioni (hospitality).

Estate vineyards: 8ha of Brunello (4,000 vines/ha), 0.5ha of Sant’Antimo (including Cabernet) and 7ha of olives. Planted from 1989 and extended since.

Terroir: The estate comprises over 50 hectares of hilly land on the south and east sides of the Montalcino hill (the name Solaria brings two symbols of this area, the wind and the sun, to mind) at 300 metres. The estate is on a natural plateau in the south-east flank which slopes from the Montalcino hill, 300 meters above sea level. The estate is sheltered from the cold east winds by Monte Amiata and from north winds by the Montalcino hill.

Soil: The subsoil comprises tuff and clay (‘tufaceo-argilloso ricco in scheletro‘) which are coarse

Winemaking: Hand picked.

Red wines

Rosso di Montalcino DOC: Rosso di Montalcino ages 8 months, partly in 1,000-litre Franc oak barrels and partly in 2,000 litre Slavonian oak barrels. | 2012 10,000 bottles. Modernist cool nose, menthol and whole berries, quite tight on palate, bit extracted maybe, but crunchy and populist (Anteprima 2014). | 2013 10,000 bottles. Slightly funky tanky, sweet, bit jammy (Anteprima 2015).

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG: Aged in 25 and 40 hectolitre Slavonian oak vats as well as in 225-litre barrels. |  2000 Nice soft red fruit, easy oak, well made, resh, ripe, good (at Anteprima 2005. | 2009 18,000 bottles. Nice ruby garnet colour, fruity, perhaps a bit simple but savoury, but seems ripe, appetising and commercial (Anteprima 2014). | 2009 14.5%. L3/13. Tired nose lacking fruit. Colour looks to be fading too. Sweet simple fruit on palate with a dry and harshish end; simple licorice at the Consorzio Tues 27th May 2014 with Ian d’Agata and others. | 2010 18,000 bottles. OK, a bit short, simple tannin, just about well judged, light fruit so risks drying out = early appeal Anteprima 2015). | 2014 Smooth plummy fruit, lightish without being totally ephemeral but more of a Rosso than a Brunello, but perfectly pleasant (Anteprima 2019).

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 123: 2001 Bottled. | 2006 Bottled

Sant’Antimo Rosso DOC, Solarianne: Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. 4,000 vines/ha. 18 months in new oak barrels. The label changes every year with a different painting by an artist from Siena. | 1998 Mainly Cabernet Sauvignon.

Contact

Solaria (Montalcino)

Loc. Capanna, 102

I-53024 Montalcino (SI), Italy

Tel+39 0577.849426 | Website: www.solariacencioni.com