Antinori Tignanello

Antinori’s 2007 Tignanello is wonderfully ripe and seductive in its dark cherries, flowers, spices, tobacco, sage, cedar, mint and minerals. This is as opulent a Tignanello as I have ever tasted but there is just enough acidity and structure from the Sangiovese to keep things from going over the top. The wine’s richness and warmth are such that in a blind tasting I mistook the 2007 Tignanello for a wine from Maremma! The dense, muscular fruit follows through to an impeccable finish with no hard edges and impossibly fine, silky tannins. Simply put, the 2007 is a magnificent Tignanello. The 2007 Tignanello is 80% Sangiovese aged in 300-liter French oak barrels (1/3 new), 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, both aged in 100% new 225-liter French oak barriques. Anticipated maturity: 2012–2027.

You can’t help but love this wine. The richness, density and intensity are all outstanding and Tignanello is extraordinary in terms of aromas and flavors. The traditional formula for this groundbreaking super Tuscan was Sangiovese with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. This vintage sees 5% Cabernet Franc for additional texture and longevity.

Displays sweet plum and berry aromas and flavors, with hints of toasty oak and cappuccino. Full-bodied, yet reserved and fine. Turns chewy and juicy. Best after 2012.

Bright, medium ruby-red. Musky black fruits, cedar, graphite and minerals on the cabernet-dominated nose. Broad and lush in the mouth, conveying a full-bodied, weighty impression but also plenty of energy to the flavors of blackcurrant, tobacco and cedar. Finishes very long and smooth, with extremely fine-grained tannins. Though this is a very refined and highly successful version of Tignanello, I found it to be a bit more international and soft in style than the 2006 and 2004 versions, which I like better.