Tignanello 1997 Antinori
Tignanello is one of the great Italian Supertuscans, produced since the '70s by the Marchesi Antinori after long wine-making experiments, with the aim of obtaining grapes with higher concentration and softer tannins, we intervened on the density of the vineyards and their pruning. The result was a Sangiovese aged in barriques and blended with international varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Tignanello Antinori was one of the first Italian Bordeaux blended wines, precursor of the great Tuscan red wines.
Tignanello Antinori comes from the best vineyards of the estate of the same name, in the heart of Chianti Classico, where the sixteenth century Villa Antinori stands, not far from Florence. It is a great expression of the territory of origin, which comes from a soft pressing of the grapes, first fermentation in steel tanks and malolactic fermentation in barriques, where the aging also takes place. It is the first red wine of the Chianti area to be aged in barriques and one of the first to be blended not with white grapes but with international vineyards.
The Tignanello wine is one of the most appreciated Italian wines in the world, it is presented in the glass of an intense ruby red, almost regal, the nose is complex with notes ranging from red fruits to tobacco, leather to vanilla, from the slight hint of chocolate to red rose petals. In the mouth it is very balanced between dense tannins and a nice freshness, long and very persistent finish.
Tignanello by Antinori is produced only in the best vintages and is a wine with a great longevity, it can be easily tasted after decades.