TENUTA ROMANA | Soliditas | Toscana | 2020
merlot | sangiovese

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Tenuta Romana is the realization of a dream for Marius G. Iosif – a young italian entrepreneur whose family history is deeply rooted in winemaking and wine trading. He founded the winery in the heart of Tuscany with a clear vision: to create authentic, passionate, and high-quality wines. His philosophy is simple but profound: “Only those who harvest the best can vinify greatness.”
Today we are going to review an impressive Super Tuscan wine from Italy‘s most celebrated wine region, the mighty Tuscany – Soliditas Toscana 2020 by Tenuta Romana. This wine is a modern Super Tuscan – a bold blend of 70% merlot and 30%  sangiovese, where merlot forms the wine’s main body and structure, whereas sangiovese adds up-front richness and builds a leaner and a more dynamic finish. The winemaking process is all about precision: grapes are hand-harvested at peak phenolic ripeness to maximize flavour concentration. After a rigorous manual selection, the fruit undergoes gentle pressing and controlled fermentation. In order to soften the tannins and add a layer of extra complexity to the final blend, but at the same time to preserve the varietal character of each grape variety, the final wine has been aged in small oak barriques for 4 months, with additional bottle ageing time before it was deemed ready for the market release.

The Toscana region has long boasted an impressive reputation in the world of great wines, earning its prestige as one of the most promising and creative production areas in the world of wine as a result of a number of forward-thinking producers that experimented with international grape varieties modern winemaking techniques. It is home to some of the world’s most famous wines known as ‘Super Tuscan‘.

Super Tuscan wines emerged in the late 1960s, when a handful of pioneering winemakers in the region rebelled against the restrictive rules of traditional italian appellations. By blending Sangiovese with international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, and by adopting modern barrel aging techniques, they created bold, innovative wines that quickly gained global acclaim. These ‘rule-breaking’ wines became known as Super Tuscans.

color: deep & opaque ruby color
clarity: hazy crimson shades at the rim

In the glass, this wine presents a deep and opaque ruby color, appearing almost impenetrable at its core. This profound density gives way to hazy crimson shades at the rim – a visual cue to the wine’s concentration.

intensity: pronounced & expressive
fruit character: overripe & dehydrated

The nose reveals a pronounced and expressive medley of overripe black fruits reminiscent of the ‘appassimento‘ style. The foreground is a complex interplay of earthy and dark fruit notes: blackcurrant, dark cherry, black plum, and blackberry, interwoven with earthy tones of pencil lead, black soil dust, crushed granite, and charcoal. Rich undertones of prune and dried cassis add an extra layer of jammy intensity. In the background, a subtle spiciness emerges with notes of peppercorn and nutmeg, elegantly supported by oak-derived hints of toasted oakwood, licorice, and dried black cherry, creating a multi-layered and deeply inviting aromatic profile.

sweetness: off-dry | acidity: high | alcohol: medium+ | tannin: high | balance: good
finish: long | aftertaste: seedy-sweet

On the palate, the wine fully lives up to its name, delivering a bold, nuanced, and incredibly dense mouthfeel. The texture is luscious and multi-layered, with a touch of off-dry sweetness that is perfectly counterbalanced by a crisp and bright acidity. Ripe and seedy tannins provide a pleasant astringency and a well-defined structure, while a nicely integrated touch of alcoholic warmth adds to the wine’s full body. The experience leads to a long and persistent finish that leaves a memorable seedy-sweet aftertaste.

maturity: in its prime | drink now or within the next 2 to 3 years
verdict: great | a benchmark wine | a wine that has all the traits to become legendary

Overall, this is a very nuanced and extracted Super Tuscan wine that successfully channels the power of a new world style wine with some hints to the terroir-driven character of its Tuscan roots. It is a lush, luscious, and complex wine – a real a crowd-pleaser  – full of depth, richness and structure. The restrained use of oak allows the overripe fruit shine. This is a wine in its prime form, ready to be enjoyed today, yet it possesses the backbone to age gracefully for another 2 to 3 years, during which it will surely gain further aromatic complexity.

The wine’s powerful structure and rich flavor profile call for equally robust and flavorful dishes. It would form an exceptional complementary pairing with Tuscany’s culinary icon: ‘Bistecca alla Fiorentina‘. The wine’s firm tannins and crisp acidity would slice through the rich marbling of the Chianina steak, while its savory, earthy notes would echo the char of the grill. The deep black fruit flavors will stand up to the intense, beefy character of the meat, creating a dining experience that is both hedonistic and authentically Tuscan. Cheers!
TENUTA ROMANA | Soliditas | Toscana | 2020
variety: merlot | sangiovese
country: Italy
region: Toscana
rating: 94.1

The name ‘Soliditas’ is latin for ‘density’ – a perfect descriptor for this wine’s concentrated and powerful character. As a ‘Super Tuscan’, this wine belongs to a rebellious category that emerged in the 1970s when pioneering winemakers began blending international varieties like Merlot with native grapes like Sangiovese, defying the strict local wine laws. While this meant they were classified under the supposedly lesser ‘IGT’ designation, the exceptional quality of these wines quickly earned them global acclaim, proving that true greatness in a wine is defined by its taste, not just by its appellation status.

© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation. Cheers!