This year the Antinori family celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Tignanello wine created by the Marquis Piero Antinori and the winemaker Giacomo Tachis.
In 1968 Piero Antinori and Giacomo Tachis asked for the advice of the French oenologist Emile Peynot and from this meeting, in 1971 the “Tignanello” wine was born with a blend of 80% Sangiovese 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc and in 1978 the Solaia wine with initial blend of 80% Cabenert Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc with this blend was replicated in 1979. Only starting from subsequent vintages was 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Franc used for Solaia.
I had the privilege of speaking with Giacomo Tachis several times and sharing with him the essential and basic concept of gustatory balance. The wine must be balanced, that is, the alcoholic mass must be silenced by freshness, minerality and flavor. If a wine has excessive alcohol problems it is not worthy of attention. Emile Peynot had the same beliefs and I have had and have always had the same beliefs.
The Tignanello and Solaia vineyards are both located on the Tignanello estate in the hills surrounded by the Greve and Pesa valleys.
The estate is approximately 319 hectares of land of which 130 hectares are under vineyards.
The vineyards are located on soil deriving from Pliocene marine marls with limestone and shale.
The Tignanello wine immediately met with great success because it is a well-made and pleasant wine. About 10 years ago I had the privilege of doing the Tignanello vertical, at the Palazzo Antinori in Florence for 35 years, from 1971 to 2012. We were 8 people and as always I was the last to finish this incredible experience.
The bottles were Bordeaux but I’ll talk about this later.
I was present at the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of Tignanello, as well as those of the 40th anniversary during which the topping up of the bottles with the 1971 vintage, the first vintage released on the market, was carried out at the estate in the presence of a notary.
At the end of the topping, Marquis Piero opened two bottles of 1971 and we enjoyed them together.
For the 50th anniversary, the celebrations took place at the Estate for the journalists, one evening in Florence, at the Palazzo Antinori, for the V.I.P. and for customers and some friends subsequently always at the Estate. This last celebration included a walk in the cellars with five stops and at each stop it was possible to taste a vintage for each decade with bottles in magnum format, 1978, 1983, 1997, 2004 and 2013.
For me this tasting was very important because having already tasted four of the aforementioned vintages ten years earlier, I found a huge difference in scores.
This honestly left me with difficulty explaining.
For the 1978 vintage I gave 80/100 while now I gave 92/100, for the 1983 vintage I gave 83/100 while now I gave 95/100, for the 1997 vintage I gave 93/100 and now I gave 94/100 on this latest vintage there are no important differences, as there are not even for the 2004 vintage at which I had given 94/100 while now I have given 95/100.
I had written an article on the vertical of 35 vintages which is on my site and by reading it you can understand why there was this notable difference in evaluations of the 1978 and the 1983.
After the tasting in the cellar, a pleasant traveling lunch followed with banquets scattered inside the Villa and in the garden. The pleasant meal was accompanied by the blanc de Blancs sparkling wine from Marchesi Antinori and the Tignanello in Bordeaux format from the 2021 vintage. This nectar was served to the guests by some company sommeliers and to me it was always served by the good and smiling Giada Sabatini who he normally works at the Cantinetta Antinori in Florence. Great wine as you can read in my tasting notes. In the garden there was a unique wine-coloured electric convertible Maserati car on display, sold at auction in America and the proceeds from the sale were donated to charity by Marchesi Antinori. Wonderful day that you will not forget.
Before moving on to the tasting notes of the wines.
Regarding the width of the tannin, it is important to make the following clarifications so that it can be understood. I feel the tannin of the wine on the upper gum. The total width of the tannin is 6/6, i.e. the entire width of the upper gum. Obviously, if the tannin is less broad, it could be for example 5/6 and so on. The width of the tannin is important when the quality of the tannin is of good or high level. The larger the tannin, the more the wine is worthy of attention, but the tannin, as I have specified, must, in any case, be of good quality.
Let’s now move on to describing the wines tasted.
TIGNANELLO HOLDING
TIGNANELLO TOSCANA red IGT, 1978 vintage
large format
Orange-red colour.
From the glass rise aromas of humus, dead leaves, dried porcini mushroom, mint, eucalyptus, light camphor, carob, finishing with whispers of medicinal herbs.
When tasted it reveals a medium body, flavor of India ink, rust and medicinal herbs.
The body is medium and the wine is savory and balanced with the freshness that dominates the alcoholic mass.
The tannins are sweet and quite broad (5/6–) initially velvety and then dry the upper gum a little.
Its intense aromatic persistence is long. (92/100)
TIGNANELLO HOLDING
TIGNANELLO TOSCANA red IGT, 1983 vintage
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Garnet red with orange reflections.
The sense of smell expresses aromas of peanut, mint, eucalyptus, rosemary flower, sage, laurel, chamomile, slight hints of rust, dog rose, graphite, sharp pencil, ending with echoes of medicinal herbs.
On the palate it has a medium body and a good flavor balance with the freshness that envelops the alcoholic mass. The tannins are sweet, quite broad (5/6) initially velvety and then dry the upper gum a little. Its flavor persistence is long with a finish of rhubarb root and medicinal herbs.
Great wine, it was in a very well thought out bottle.
I would like to make a comparison between 1982 and 1983 because ten years ago the former was clearly superior to the latter. (95/100)
TIGNANELLO HOLDING
TIGNANELLO TOSCANA red IGT, 1997 vintage
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Garnet red coat with fine orange edge.
From the glass come aromas of light dried plum, mint, eucalyptus, sweets of slightly candied black morello cherry, peanut, rust with hints of wafers from the fine ice cream cone.
On the palate it reveals a medium body and an excellent balance between alcohol and freshness. The tannins are sweet, broad (6/6–), thick and velvety.
Its flavor persistence is long with a finish of rhubarb root and medicinal herbs.
(94/100)
TIGNANELLO HOLDING
TIGNANELLO TOSCANA red IGT, 2004 vintage
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Garnet red dress.
Interesting aromatic approach that reveals aromas of slightly candied red cherry, slight hints of cotton candy, mint, eucalyptus, tow soaked in wine, semi-dried plum, slight hints of medicinal herbs, graphite, tannery leather at the end of processing, ending with caresses of starch. boiled rice.
Upon tasting it is sweet, fine and elegant.
The body is medium and the alcohol-freshness axis is in perfect balance.
The tannins are sweet, quite broad (5/6++), initially velvety and then dry the upper gum a little. Its taste persistence is long with a medicinal herbal finish.
Still very young wine. (95/100)
TIGNANELLO HOLDING
TIGNANELLO TOSCANA red IGT, 2013 vintage
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From the glass shines ruby red with light garnet hints.
The glass diffuses aromas of plump red cherry, plum, hot starched cloth, hints of rubber, cotton candy, rosemary, sage, lavender soap (it reminds me of Atkinson’s bar of soap), sweets from the outside of the candy, chamomile and graphite.
On the palate it reveals a medium body and a nice freshness which makes the alcoholic mass completely harmless. The tannins are sweet, completely broad (6/6) initially velvety and then dry the upper gum a little. Its intense aromatic persistence is long.
(96/100)
TIGNANELLO HOLDING
TIGNANELLO TOSCANA red IGT, 2021 vintage
Bordeaux bottle format.
Veste rosso popora intenso.
Incredibly rich and varied nose with aromas of red cherry, blood orange, chamomile, mint, eucalyptus, chewing gum chlorophyll, rosemary, bay leaf, sage, fir, Coccoina glue (coconut and almond milk), small liquorice grains, ripe tomato , moist earth, sweets from the outside of the dragee, violet, black morello cherry, chocolate mild, medicinal herbs, plum ripe and string of liquorice.
On the palate it reveals a medium plus body and a perfect balance between alcohol and freshness, the latter completely enveloping the alcoholic mass.
The tannins are sweet, broad (6/6), quite thick and silky. Flavor of fresh squeezed black berry fruit and liquorice (it’s cabernet).
Its taste persistence is long with a medicinal herbal finish.
Recurring flavor in Tignanello. Great wine, fine and elegant. (100/100)
