Antinori – 2018 Tignanello

Tignanello, one of the Antinori Families flagship wines, is only produced in the best vintages, from the Tignanello vineyard high in the hills of Chianti Classico. Tignanello is a legendary wine, with many firsts to its name: the first Italian Sangiovese based wine that was aged in new French oak barriques, the first Tuscan red wine to use non-indigenous international varietals, and one of the first wines from the Chianti Classico region to be produced without using the classic, but largely looked down upon technique of blending white wine into red wines for freshness. It was also one of the first in a line of many wines called the Super Tuscans: wines that initially, when they were introduced in the 1970’s, legally had to be called table wines due to their flouting of Italian convention and law by their use of international grape varieties and not indigenous ones. They are now some of the most highly rated and well-regarded wines in the world, leading the way for the new Italian wine mindset. 2018 is a reflection of a brilliantly sunny year, with a deeply intense and remarkably complex bouquet with notes of ripe black & sour cherries. Accompanied by the minty, vanilla notes of the French oak ageing, it strikes a great balance for a very structured vintage. Its rich body with its supple velvety tannins is sustained by the exceptional freshness that leads to a finish that’s everlasting, leaving notes of dried currants and sweet vanilla. A rewarding wine now, but promises so much potential for decades to come. Drink now or cellar for up to 20 years. . Decant for 1 hours prior to serving.