Marchesi Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT 2020 - 1.5 Liter
(Tuscany, Italy) - [JS 97] [VM 96] [WE 96] [WA 95] [WS 94]

About this Wine:
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. It was the first Sangiovese wine to be aged in small oak barrels, the first modern red wine to use such non-traditional varieties as Cabernet in the blend, and among the first red wines from the Chianti Classico area to be produced without white grapes. The wine, originally called "Chianti Classico Riserva Vigneto Tignanello" (a Chianti Classico Riserva from the Tignanello vineyard), was produced for the first time from a single vineyard parcel in 1970, when the blend contained 20% of Canaiolo and 5% of Trebbiano and Malvasia, both white grapes, and the wine aged in small oak barrels. In 1971 it became a Tuscan red table wine rather than a Chianti Classico, and was called Tignanello. In the 1975 vintage the percentage of white grapes was definitively eliminated from the blend. Ever since 1982, the blend has been the one currently used. Tignanello is bottled only in favorable vintages, and was not produced in 1972, 1973,1974, 1976, 1984, 1992, and 2002.

Estate Grown, Toscana IGT

80% Sangiovese 15% Cabernet Sauvignon 5% Cabernet Franc

Alcohol 14%

Vintage:
The 2020 growing season began with a mild and dry winter in Chianti Classico. • A brief cold spell at the end of March preceded a cool spring with average rainfall. • Summer was hot, with no extreme heat events. Brief periods of rain provided optimal conditions for growth and ripening. • Harvest began on September 20th with the picking of Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc, and concluded with Cabernet Sauvignon on October 9th.

Vinification:
In the cellars, the grapes are gently de-stemmed and individual berries are selected on the sorting table to ensure that only fully ripe berries go into the fermenting tanks. • During the fermentation and maceration, the must is slowly transformed into wine, with a focus on obtaining freshness of aromas, extraction of color, and supple tannins. • After the wine is separated from its skins, it undergoes complete malolactic fermentation in small oak barrels. The aging took place in French and Hungarian oak barrels for 15 months. • During this time the various lots of wine, each fermented separately based on grape variety and vineyard block, remain in barrel. The lots are then tasted barrel by barrel and assembled into the final blend a few months before bottling. The wine aged for an additional 12 months before release

Tasting Notes:
Tignanello 2020 is an intense ruby red in color. Complex notes of ripe red fruits, especially cherries, are highlighted along with berries and floral notes. Its bouquet is complemented by notes of roasted coffee and cocoa powder. On the palate, the wine is vibrant with a layered mouthfeel and silky tannins. Tignanello closes with spicy notes of pepper, licorice and herbs with a fresh, lengthy finish.

Ratings & Reviews

97 Points - James Suckling:
"Violets and lavender with dark fruit and hints of dark chocolate. Sophisticated nose. Medium-bodied with fine tannin structure that gives this finesse and beauty. It’s very long and goes on for minutes. Precision. 68% sangiovese with the rest in cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. Drinkable but better in three or four years." (Jul 2023)

96 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"Delightfully approachable on the nose right away, with warm mocha notes and cool graphite aromas against bing and black cherries, and a palate that's equally outrageously delicious and easy to love even in its unbridled youth, with more cherries, blackberries, raspberries and chocolate inside a framework of tannins made to measure and acid built like an invisible force field." — Danielle Callegari

96 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2020 Tignanello is so primary, so intensely fruit-driven, that it almost tastes like a barrel sample. A burst of red Sangiovese fruit opens first, followed by hints of blood orange, cinnamon, spice, dried flowers and mocha develop later. Time in the glass brings out striking dimensions. In 2020, Tignanello is wonderfully sleek and racy, with fine tannins that lie below a core of bright, sculpted fruit. The balance here is just sublime. I can't wait to revisit the 2020 with age." - Antonio Galloni (Feb 2023)

95 Points - Wine Advocate:
"Newly on the market now, the 2020 Tignanello shows a gorgeous bouquet with an upfront and accessible personality. Right off the bat, you get dark cherry, dried raspberry, spice, toasted almond and citrusy blood orange. The blend is normally 75% to 80% Sangiovese with 7% Cabernet Franc. The grape in between, making up 13% to 18%, is Cabernet Sauvignon. This vintage is very pretty and won’t require a long wait. The tannins are sweet and silky. “Tignanello proves itself as a great vineyard site in both the challenging and the classic years,” says Managing Director Renzo Cotarella." - Monica Larner (May 2023)

94 Points - Wine Spectator:
"A concentrated red, with black cherry, blackberry, iron, tobacco and vanilla flavors framed by sweet spices and toast accents. Ends with mouthcoating tannins, yet is pretty well-balanced overall. Alluring and classy. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045." - Bruce Sanderson (Dec 2023)