Tignanello is the wine credited with launching the “Super Tuscan” category in 1971, when Marchesi Antinori broke from Chianti’s traditional blending rules to age Sangiovese in small French barrique alongside Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, and dropped the white grape varieties Chianti regulations required at the time. Grown on a single limestone-rich vineyard at 350-400 metres, it’s released under the broader Toscana IGT designation rather than Chianti DOCG, a deliberate choice that let Antinori pursue quality on its own terms. More than 50 years on, it remains the benchmark other Super Tuscans are measured against.
CHARACTER
Cherry: ripe cherry
Violet: violet
Chocolate: cocoa
Black Pepper: black pepper
Leather: a leather note
TASTING NOTES
NOSE- Ripe cherries, pomegranate and orange leading to hibiscus and violets, with sweet cocoa spice, white pepper and cranberry, blackberry, plum, tobacco leaf and leather.
PALATE- Precise and pure, a juicy, mouth-filling mid-palate with silky, supple tannins, black pepper, liquorice and cocoa over a firm, polished structure.
FINISH- Long and savory, with notes of blood orange, roasted hazelnut, spiced dark fruit and a mineral lift.
