Tignanello
The wine
Tignanello was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, the first contemporary red wine blended with untraditional varieties and one of the first red wines in the Chianti Classico region that did not use white grapes. Tignanello is a milestone.
Vinification
Tignanello is produced exclusively from the vineyard of the same name, a parcel of some 140 acres (57 hectares) with limestone-rich soils and a southwestern exposure at 1150-1325 feets (350-400 meters) above sea level at the Tignanello estate. Originally designated as a Chianti Classico Riserva, a new innovative approach with the 1971 vintage decisively shaped Italian viticulture. It was the first Sangiovese wine to be aged in small oak barrels, the first to use non-traditional varieties, such as Cabernet, and among the first red wines from the Chianti Classico area to be produced without white grapes.
Winemaking
During fermentation in truncated conical tanks, each individual must was macerated on the skins giving particular emphasis to preserving aromas, extracting color, and encouraging desirable tannins that were supple and elegant. Racking was performed after daily sampling and tasting. Once separated from the skins, the wine was transferred into small oak barrels where it underwent malolactic fermentation to accentuate aromatic finesse and complexity. Aging took place in French oak barrels and a small percentage in Hungarian oak, predominantly new barrels. After an initial period of aging the lots separately, they were blended then completed barrel aging. Tignanello, crafted mainly with Sangiovese and a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, underwent an additional period of aging in the bottle before being released.
Historical Data
The Tenuta Tignanello estate is in the heart of Chianti Classico, in the gently rolling hillsides between the Greve and Pesa river valleys. It extends over an area of 319 hectares (788 acres), of which 130 (321 acres) are dedicated to vines.
The current 16th century manor house was built on the foundations of an estate that dates back to 1346 when the property belonged to the Buondelmonti’s, a noble family that owned a great part of the land in Valle della Pesa. In the seventeenth century, a cadet branch of the Medici family took possession of the estate and named it Fonte dei Medici. In the mid 1800’s the Antinori family acquired the estate.
The “Carocci”, a historical-artistic guide of the town of San Casciano Val di Pesa, described the Tignanello farm and extensive vineyards in 1892 as one of the highest and more picturesque localities in the entire territory.
Tasting Notes
The nose is complex: notes of ripe plums, blackberries and candied orange peels lead to pleasant hints of dark chocolate, caramel, and licorice. Sweet hints of tobacco complete the impressive bouquet. The palate is rich, sophisticated, intense and is defined by supple vibrant tannins followed by a long persistent finish.
Tignanello was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, the first contemporary red wine blended with untraditional varieties and one of the first red wines in the Chianti Classico region that did not use white grapes. Tignanello is a milestone.
Tignanello is produced exclusively from the vineyard of the same name, a parcel of some 140 acres (57 hectares) with limestone-rich soils and a southwestern exposure at 1150-1325 feets (350-400 meters) above sea level at the Tignanello estate. Originally designated as a Chianti Classico Riserva, a new innovative approach with the 1971 vintage decisively shaped Italian viticulture. It was the first Sangiovese wine to be aged in small oak barrels, the first to use non-traditional varieties, such as Cabernet, and among the first red wines from the Chianti Classico area to be produced without white grapes.
During fermentation in truncated conical tanks, each individual must was macerated on the skins giving particular emphasis to preserving aromas, extracting color, and encouraging desirable tannins that were supple and elegant. Racking was performed after daily sampling and tasting. Once separated from the skins, the wine was transferred into small oak barrels where it underwent malolactic fermentation to accentuate aromatic finesse and complexity. Aging took place in French oak barrels and a small percentage in Hungarian oak, predominantly new barrels. After an initial period of aging the lots separately, they were blended then completed barrel aging. Tignanello, crafted mainly with Sangiovese and a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, underwent an additional period of aging in the bottle before being released.
The Tenuta Tignanello estate is in the heart of Chianti Classico, in the gently rolling hillsides between the Greve and Pesa river valleys. It extends over an area of 319 hectares (788 acres), of which 130 (321 acres) are dedicated to vines.
The current 16th century manor house was built on the foundations of an estate that dates back to 1346 when the property belonged to the Buondelmonti’s, a noble family that owned a great part of the land in Valle della Pesa. In the seventeenth century, a cadet branch of the Medici family took possession of the estate and named it Fonte dei Medici. In the mid 1800’s the Antinori family acquired the estate.
The “Carocci”, a historical-artistic guide of the town of San Casciano Val di Pesa, described the Tignanello farm and extensive vineyards in 1892 as one of the highest and more picturesque localities in the entire territory.
The nose is complex: notes of ripe plums, blackberries and candied orange peels lead to pleasant hints of dark chocolate, caramel, and licorice. Sweet hints of tobacco complete the impressive bouquet. The palate is rich, sophisticated, intense and is defined by supple vibrant tannins followed by a long persistent finish.
Tenuta Tignanello
The Tenuta Tignanello estate is in the heart of Chianti Classico, in the gently rolling hillsides between the Greve and Pesa river valleys.
The estate’s two signature wines, Solaia and Tignanello, are produced from these vineyards and have been defined by the international press as “among the most influential wines in the history of Italian viticulture”.
