Tignanello Tenuta Antinori 2018

Tignanello, Marchesi Antinori, Toscano IGT, Tuscany, Italy, 2018

Grape: A blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, single 57ha parcel of limestone-rich soil, aged 14 to 16 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels (new and second-fill)

Tignanello 2018 is a deeply intense ruby red colour. On the nose, it’s remarkably complex with notes of ripe red fruit, black cherries, sour cherries that merge with sweet hints of vanilla, mint and delicate sensations of white pepper and myrtle. Its palate is rich and well-balanced: supple velvety tannins are sustained by exceptional freshness that give the wine length, elegance and persistence of flavours.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"This wine brought to mind precise imagery of tailcoats, striped dress pants, wingtip collar shirts and other gentlemen's fashion choices from the Roaring Twenties. Sporting a retro but classic personality, the Marchesi Antinori 2018 Tignanello is quite the dapper and jovial wine that hits the market just as much of the world is emerging from a dark chapter of lockdowns and coronavirus curfews. I love the optimism that springs bright with such clarity and detail from within this blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The 2016 vintage was a benchmark for sure, but I prefer the 2018, thanks to that tinge of nostalgia or emotion that is so deftly rendered in this cool, long growing season. The 2018 vintage offers a deconstructed Tignanello upon first inspection because you can clearly make out the varietal typicity of the grapes, especially the green spice and white pepper of the two Cabernets, along with aromas of crushed limestone that recall the white rocks carefully placed in the vineyards to protect the rows. The wine's fruit weight is contained and polished, and there are no exaggerations, excesses or loose ends. The results are calculated and exacting, especially if you consider the tannic management (with aging in both new and used Hungarian and French oak for up to 16 months) and the quality of the elegant mouthfeel. With time in the glass, those deconstructed elements converge to create unity and balance. The Tignanello vineyard is 57 hectares and sits at a breezy 390 meters above sea level with alberese and galestro soils. Those elevations proved important for shedding excess humidity at the end of this 2018 growing season." Drink 2023-2045

98/100 points, Monica Larner, WINE ADVOCATE, May 2021

"The 2018 Tignanello is a wine of breathtaking purity. Impossibly silky and persistent, the 2018 is all class, all the way. In many ways, the 2018 reminds me of the 2004 because of its finesse , but it has an extra degree of nuance that reflects important strides that have been made at the estate in the intervening years. Winemaking today is more gentle, while new oak is also less intrusive. The result is a Tignanello that bristles with class. The purity of the flavors alone is mesmerizing. Bright red-toned berries, mocha, spice, cedar, new leather and licorice are some of the many notes that linger on a finish framed by silky, perfectly ripe tannins." 

97/100 points, Antonio Galloni, VINOUS

"Today producing 300,000 bottles annually, Tignanello was refined and refined through the years: blended with Cabernet Sauvignon since 1975, aged using less obvious oak management since 2000, handled in a more gentle way since 2010 using conical oak vessels... The classic 2018 vintage enhances, if possible, its restrained style. Tignanello is almost never fruity and this vintage shines for clove and black pepper aromas with blueberry yoghurt. Full, firm and velvety with great mid-palate weight and extraction, it shows long acidity which carries the exotic finish of spice and cocoa. A classic with a long life ahead."

96/100 points, Aldo Fiordelli, DECANTER

Food Matching: Rich, meaty dishes including Wild Boar Stew, Venison, Steak, Pasta with Meat Sauce and Truffles, Roast Lamb and Roast Beef

An incredibly elegant Tuscan wine with the potential to age and savour for decades!