Antinori Marchesi - Tignanello 1996
Marchesi Antinori is located in Tuscany and is one of the largest and most important producers in Italy. The Antinori family has been involved in the art of winemaking since 1385, when Giovanni di Piero Antinori became a member of the Arte Fiorentina dei Vinattieri (The Brotherhood of Florentine Winegrowers). In 1900 Antinori added the Tignanello vineyard to his portfolio, and Niccolò Antinori and his son Piero began experimenting with previously unpublished winemaking techniques and grape varieties. The family now owns several vineyards in Italy, and in the rest of the world (Napa Valley, Chile, Romania...).
The Tenuta Tignanello estate is located in the heart of Chianti Classico, in the hills between the valleys of the Greve and Pesa rivers. It covers an area of 319 hectares, of which about 130 hectares are devoted to the vine and divided into small individual plots. Two of the estate's most prized vineyards are found on the same hillside, Tignanello and Solaia, on soils from marine marls rich in limestone and shale.
The first vintage of Tignanello was released in 1971. Tignanello is the most famous of all Antinori wines and the first Sangiovese aged in barrels, the first contemporary red wine mixed with non-traditional grape varieties (especially Cabernet) and one of the first red wines from the Chianti Classico region not to use white grapes. It is produced with a selection of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, only in the best years. Fermentation and aging last 12 months in new oak barrels, then 12 months in bottle.
Grape varieties: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc