Exceptional aromatic complexity with notes of ripe red fruit, especially cherries, strawberries and blackberries, which are accompanied by violets, roses, roasted coffee and cocoa powder. The wine is lively and full-bodied with spicy notes of pepper and licorice that merge with pleasant sensations of aromatic herbs in a fresh, long finish.
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.
96 POINTS
Vinous
Reviewed by Antonio Galloni
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. “We are gradually increasing the Cabernet Franc in Tignanello to balance the greater richness that today’s warmer seasons are giving to our Sangioveses,” Antinori CEO Renzo Cotarella told me.
95 POINTS
Robert Parker
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.
94 POINTS
YourWineGuide
Lots of red berries in the aroma. Intense and well-balanced wine with a nice depth. Complex and long finish.
Tignanello was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, the first modern Italian red wine to be blended with non-traditional varieties (specifically Cabernet Sauvignon) and one of the first red wines in the Chianti Classico region not to use white grapes. Tignanello is a milestone, no less. It is produced from a selection of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
Mild and dry winter weather marked the beginning of the 2020 growing season in Chianti Classico. Only at the end of March did the area experience a short cold spell. The climatic conditions led to early bud break, before spring announced its arrival with completely average rainfall and rather cool temperatures. The following summer months were warm, favored by short periods of rain showers that gave the grape bunches perfect conditions for optimal growth. The month of September, when the harvest started, was defined by scattered, light rainfall, especially at the end of the month, which allowed the grapes to reach phenolic maturity. The harvest window was an intense three weeks from 20 September to 9 October.
The climate presented challenges in the vineyard, during the harvest and when the grapes were brought to the cellar. During fermentation in truncated conical tanks, each individual grape must was macerated with the grape skins, ensuring the preservation of aromas, extraction of color and the achievement of desirable tannins that were supple and elegant. Racking was done after strict daily sampling and tasting. Once the wine was separated from the grape skins, it was transferred to small oak barrels where it underwent malolactic fermentation to bring out the wine’s aromatic finesse and complexity. Aging took place in French and Hungarian oak barrels, partly new and partly used, for a total of 15 months. After an initial storage period of the lots separately, they were mixed. The wine underwent a further 12-month aging period in the bottle before being released.
