2021 Marchesi Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT

"The 2021 vintage is considered to be one of the best vintages ever." ~Marchesi Antinori's Winemaker Tasting Notes

Tignanello is the original Super Tuscan. This world-renowned wine was the first Sangiovese to be aged in small oak barrels, the first Italian red wine in modern times to use a non-traditional grape variety (Cabernet) in the blend, and among the first Italian red wines made in Chianti appellation with no use of white grapes. The wine is only produced in exceptional vintages and it is considered one of the blue chips in all of Italy.

The Antinori family has been committed to the art of winemaking for over six centuries since 1385 when Giovanni di Piero Antinori became a member, of the “Arte Fiorentina dei Vinattieri”, the Florentine Winemakers’ Guild.

Tignanello, is produced exclusively from a 140-acre vineyard site at Antinori’s Tignanello estate which is planted between 1,150 and 1,312 feet above sea level. Tenuta Tignanello estate is located in the heart of the Chianti Classico appellation. As you can imagine, given the fact that Tignanello is one of the world’s greatest wines, this estate is placed on an extremely blessed terroir, on soft hills with soils deriving from Pliocene marine marls with limestone and shale.

The two most iconic labels from the from the Antinori family are produced from the Tignanello vineyard, Solaia and this amazing Super Tuscan. This vineyard is planted with Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. These two wines are called "among the most influential wines in Italian winemaking history".

79% Sangiovese, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc. Tignanello is an intense ruby red in color with purple highlights, with pleasant notes of red fruit and sweet spice on the nose. The palate is fresh and vibrant with supple and balanced tannins. The harmonious finish and aftertaste are long and persistent.

First made in 1971, this legendary Italian wine now celebrates its 50th birthday. Happy Birthday, Tignanello! The Marchesi Antinori 2021 Tignanello (made with 79% Sangiovese, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc) pulls on all the heartstrings. To be released in May, the wine shows a quintessentially pretty taste profilewith tart fruit flavors, redcurrant, tea leaf, heritage rose, crushed white pepper, licorice, nutmeg, clove and chopped mint. It opens slowly to reveal more richness and exuberance with time, becoming downright voluptuous and heady a short while later. The through line, however, remains the bright freshness and minerality of Sangiovese. Compared to the 2018 vintage (which I also loved), this vintage has more overall fruit weight and volume. ~98 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2021 Tignanello is every bit as impressive from bottle as it was from barrel and then just after bottling. Silky and polished, with exceptional finesse, the 2021 has all the pedigree to become a modern benchmark for Tignanello and Italian wine more broadly. Bright dark red fruit, blood orange, spice, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco all soar out of the glass, framed by a discreet touch of French oak that adds raciness. In some vintages, the elements are discernible. In 2021, it is the total harmony of the wine that makes the strongest and deepest impression. The 2021 spent 17 months in wood, three months in neutral oak during the malolactic fermentation and then 14 months (50% new) for the rest of its aging. ~98 Vinous Media, #8 Top 100 Wines of 2024

Laced with pure cherry, strawberry, graphite and tobacco aromas and flavors, this red is beautifully supported by a backbone of vibrant acidity and taut, refined tannins. Everything is framed by vanilla and toasty oak in the best sense, revealing harmony, with a long, orange-tinged finish. ~97 Wine Spectator

The currants and spices are very pretty, with some hazelnut undertones. Medium- to full-bodied with juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Very structured for a Tignanello, with medium chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Very polished and curated with a deft winemaking hand coming through. Needs three or four years to soften, but it’s all there. ~96 James Suckling

Tignanello is a southwest-facing 57-hectare vineyard on lime-rich soils in San Casciano Val di Pesa. The blend – predominantly Sangiovese with dashes of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc – has remained the same since 1982. Individually vinified in conical vats, with malo in oak barriques, the wines then age in mostly new French oak barrels plus a small percentage of Hungarian oak barrels, for few months before blending and further ageing; around 15 months in total. Ripe red and black berries and a herbal waft rise from the glass. Intense, grainy and vertical, it has impressive freshness of both acidity and dark fruits, with streaks of coffee and sous bois, and a sprinkling of peppery spice and dried herbs. The sapidity on the mid-palate combines with a soft, creamy chocolate and black fruit finish to create a deliciously approachable and gastronomic wine that will, of course, repay further ageing. ~95 Decanter

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