The Antinori family – the legendary Piero, Marchese Antinori and his three remarkable daughters Albiera, Allegra and Alessia – have built a huge and impressive portfolio of wines over the last 40 years. From the entry level Santa Cristina Toscana red (about $10) to the ultra-luxe, Cab-dominated Super-Tuscan Solaia (about $200) they touch all the bases when it comes to Tuscan wines -- a wine for every palate and every budget. The Antinori’s marketing acumen is at least the equal of their winemaking skills.
My favorite in this stellar lineup is the wine that started it all back in the 1970’s, Tignanello. A blend of 80% Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cab Franc, it could today be labeled a Chianti Classico but it still retains, as a matter of pride, the more humble designation it was originally required to be sold as: Toscana IGT.
This is why I like the wine so much, not for the classification, though that is certainly a nice touch of whimsy, but the wine itself: it tastes of Tuscany. Unlike many modern Super-Tuscans, smooth, polished wines crafted to garner ratings points and end up as beautiful, anonymous, empty shells, Tignanello has a rustic authenticity. Not a Tuscan pretending to be a Bordeaux, it is unmistakably, wonderfully, Sangiovese, and quintessentially Tuscan.
Allegra Antinori was in New York last week to promote the recently released 2012, and it was everything a Tignanello should be. Unformed, of course, it demonstrates a huge potential for wondrous depth and complexity. The tannins were soft and gentle for such a young wine, and allowed intriguing hints of tobacco, balsamic, summer herbs, licorice and cedar to show through.
I don’t know whether this relative accessibility in a Tignanello so young is a result peculiar to the vintage or some clever alchemy performed by Antinori’s uber-winemaker, Renzo Cotarella, and a sign of things to come, but it will be fun to watch this wine as it evolves over the decades.
+++++++
Rating: *****
When To Drink: In ten years.
Breathing/Decanting: Even then decanting is essential.
Food Pairing: Roast cingalle, lamb, steak.
Grapes: 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Appellation: Toscana
Region: Tuscany
Country: Italy
Price: $125
Availability: Limited
Web site: www.antinori.it/en
