Marchesi Antinori 'Tignanello' Toscana IGT 2019

Winery Notes
Tignanello was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, the first contemporary red wine blended with untraditional varieties (specifically Cabernet) and one of the first red wines in the Chianti Classico region that didn’t use white grapes. Tignanello is a milestone. It’s produced with a selection of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

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Tasting Notes
The 2019 Antinori Tenuta Tignanello Toscana red wine is an intense ruby red color. Complex notes of red fruits give rise to delicate aromas of apricots and peaches with sensations of vanilla, dried flowers, chocolate and spice. Its bouquet is complemented by notes of coffee, caramel and Mediterranean herbs. On the palate, the wine is rich and vibrant with silky tannins. Its lengthy finish and aftertaste bring back coffee and chocolate notes perceived on the nose.

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Vintage Notes
2019 was a normal growing season in the Chianti Classico region, with no major weather events. Winter was cold and dry, preceding a cool spring with ample rain in the months of April and May. Summer was hot, with with slightly more precipitation than past years. This ensured a normal growth cycle of both the vines and grape clusters. Ideal growing conditions from the end of August through October allowed all grape varieties to reach optimal ripeness. Harvest began in the second half of September with Sangiovese and concluded with Cabernet on October 16th.

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Vineyard Notes
The original Super Tuscan, Tignanello, is produced exclusively from a 140-acre vineyard site at Antinori’s Tignanello Estate. The vineyards are southwest facing, with calcareous rocky-marl and limestonesoils with tufaceous elements, locally called alberese rocks. They are plantedbetween 1,150 and 1,312 feet above sea level.

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Winemaking Notes
In the cellars, the grapes are gently de-stemmed and individual berries are selected on the sorting table to ensure that only fully ripe berries go into the fermenting tanks. During the fermentation and maceration, the must is slowly transformed into wine, with a focus on obtaining freshness of aromas, extraction of color, and supple tannins. After the wine is separated from its skins, it undergoes complete malolactic fermentation in small oak barrels. The aging took place in French and Hungarian oak barrels and lasted for 14-16 months. During this time the various lots of wine, each fermented separately based on grape variety nd vineyard block, remain in barrel. The lots are then tasted barrel by barrel and assembled into the final blend a few months before bottling. The wine aged for an additional 12 months before release.