A very intense ruby red in color with purple highlights, the wine is immediately and suavely convincing in its aromas and harmonious in its expression of the characteristics of Chianti Classico as a zone. The nose is redolent of licorice, violets, and cherries under spirits together with notes of vanilla, chocolate, and sweet toasty oak, all of excellent intensity and sweet elegance. Fresh and savory flavors on the persistent finish and aftertaste add length and a convincing finesse.
Tignanello was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, the first contemporary red wine blended with untraditional varieties (specifically Cabernet) and one of the first red wines in the Chianti Classico region that didn’t use white grapes. Tignanello is a milestone. It’s produced with a selection of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
94 Points Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate
95 Points Wine Enthusiast
94 Points Wine Advocate
Vintage 2009.
The season in the Chianti Classico production zone was characterized by a cold and rainy winter, with rainfalls guaranteeing a good supply of water for the following spring and summer, initially mild in temperature. As a consequence the budding of the vines, was quite regular and well within seasonal averages for the period. Both flowering and bud break were regular, even though the rains had a certain influence on the size of the berries and bunches which, in early summer, were ahead of their normal ripening schedule. The vines continued to vegetate in a notable way during the summer, with a month of August and an initial ten day period in September which were significantly warm and dry. The second half of September and early October were very favorable both in terms of daily sunlight and with significant temperature excursions from daytime and nighttime very beneficial for the balance of the wine and richness of aromatic compounds. Both Sangiovese and Cabernet needed many days to complete their maturation, to first fifteen days of October. The quality of the harvested crop brought to the winery was of very high quality indeed, both in terms of the healthiness of the grapes and, above all, of their quality, raising expectation of a vintage of true excellence.
Pairing Suggestions: A perfect wine to pair with roasts, fatty meats, aged cheeses and savory pasta dishes.
Maturation: French and Hungarian oak barrels and lasted for approximately 16-18 months; during which time the various lots of wine, each fermented separately on the basis of their individual grape varieties and the characteristics of vineyard plot and cultivation practices, remained in barrel. The lots were then assembled a few months before bottling.
