Region: Tuscany
Producer: Antinori
Alcohol: 13.5%
Grape Varieties: 100% Sangiovese
Closure: Cork

DOGC: Chianti Classico Producer: The Antinori family have been producing wine in Tuscany for six centuries, and exporting it for four. The purchase of the Tignanello estate in 1900 marked the beginning of a remarkable period of expansion which shows no signs of abating. Through judicious acquisition of vineyards and an uncanny knack for developing iconic wines, Antinori has become Tuscany's - arguably Italy's - pre-eminent wine producer, with an important presence in Piedmont, Lombardy, Umbria and Puglia as well as their Tuscan heartland.

Vineyard: The 215-hectare Badia a Passignano estate is near Sambuca Val di Pesa, three kilometres south of Tenuta Tignanello in the Chianti region. Fifty hectares of limestone-based land are currently planted with Sangiovese vines, from which only the best bunches were selected during the harvest between mid-September and early October.

Winery: The grapes were destemmed, lightly crushed, and fermented in stainless steel with a longer than normal maceration. The wine was then racked mainly to new 225- and 300-litre Hungarian oak barrels, with a small part going to new French barriques. After malolactic, the wines were then racked, blended, then returned to barrels for about fourteen months of ageing.

Taste: Aromas of vanilla, chocolate and coffee introduce a strikingly weighty structure, with a round mouthfeel, a lingering ripeness and hints of blackberries and plums on the palate.