Tignanello is one of the original Super Tuscans, the story of this cult classic stretches back to 1971 when the Antinori family took the ground-breaking decision to produce a new wine that combined Bordeaux and Tuscany's best: a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. From the most prized vineyard in Chianti Classico, Tignanello sits at 390m above sea level atop soil composed of Alberese limestone rock of marine origin. Since its inception, Sangiovese has always been the backbone of the wine, with Cabernet Sauvignon adding its might without overwhelming. Spurred on by both a love of Tuscany, and the extraordinary quality of the fruit, Tignanello has seen an increased percentage of Sangiovese in recent vintages.
Tignanello has seen an increased percentage of Sangiovese in recent vintages, and their 2017 is yet another fabulous vintage. Although the challenging vintage conditions drastically reduced the overall production by one-third, uncompromising sorting standards have resulted in another successful vintage of this historic estate. Earning a suite of excellent critical acclaim, the 2017 scores 96 points from Wine Advocate, 95 points from Vinous and 95 points from Decanter. Monica Larner's score ranks the 2017 as Tignanello's second-best vintage of all time.
The hard work and talent of the winemaking team at Tignanello resulted in the 2017 achieving higher scores than Sassicaia, and equalling Ornellaia. Praising the "dark, exuberant and inviting" notes and the "profound nature of the wine", Larner found that the wine possessed a "symphony of dark fruit with black cherry, plum, spice and sweet tobacco".
<<Review Comment>>
The Marchesi Antinori 2017 Tignanello (made with Sangiovese and smaller parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc) is a dark, exuberant and inviting wine. I tasted my sample after a double decanting and was pleased by the profound nature of the wine and the immediate openness of the aromas. There is a symphony of dark fruit with black cherry, plum, spice and sweet tobacco. I am particularly attracted by a distant hint of medicinal or menthol herb that I also discovered in other wines with fruit from the Tignanello estate in 2017. There's a drying mineral note of crushed chalk as well. The heat and dryness of the vintage has added to the aromatic intensity of the wine (yields were reduced by a third), but the mouthfeel is carefully crafted to maintain its softness and smoothness. Fruit comes from a 57-hectare section of the Tenuta Tignanello from a vineyard that is located 390 meters above sea level with Alberese limestone rock and soils of marine origin. The wine is fermented in conical oak tanks and is aged up to 16 months in a combination of mostly French and some Hungarian oak, both new and neutral. Some 300,000 bottles were released in April 2020 after one year of bottle age.
Drinking Window: 2021 - 2040
Review Date: 4th June 2020
<<Review Comment>>
The 2017 Tignanello is dense, exotic and flamboyant. Red berry fruit, cherries in liqueur, blood orange, wild flowers and sweet spice are front and center in this sumptuous, racy Tignanello that is likely to drink beautifully right out of the gate. The Antinori team has done a terrific job with the 2017, a year in which heat and dry weather took with them 30% of the production.
Drinking Window: 2022 - 2042
Review Date: 1st August 2019
