Antinori Tignanello IGT Toscana

Description

Antinori Tignanello is the original Super-Tuscan and was first produced in 1971. It was the first Sangiovese to be aged in small oak barrels, the first red wine in modern times to use a non-traditional grape variety, Cabernet, in the blend, and among the first red wines made in Chianti with no white grapes (after 1975). Tignanello is produced exclusively from the Tenuta Tignanello estate which is located between the Greve and Pesa river valleys in the heart of the Chianti Classico appellation. The Tignanello vineyard a parcel of some 140 acres of vineyards planted between 1,150 and 1,312 feet above sea level on limestone-rich soils.

Antinori Tignanello is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The wine is fermented in conical fermenting tanks followed by malolactic fermentation in 60 gallon oak barrels to bring out the the finesse and fragrance of the aromas. Finally the wine is aged in a combination of French and Hungarian oak barrels (some new, some one year old) for between 12 to 14 months. The various lots and parcels of grapes are vinified and aged separately before being blended together and then aged another 2 months in bottle prior to release.

The Antinori Tignanello label was designed by Silvio Coppola in 1974 for that first vintage of 1971. Coppola was an important Italian graphic and interior designer who was famous for his minimalist lighting fixtures and austere furniture but also for book cover designs for Italian publishing company Feltrinelli. His label features a stylised Tuscan “Sun”.