2017 Tignanello, Marchesi Antinori, Tuscany, Italy

The Marchesi Antinori 2017 Tignanello (made with Sangiovese and smaller parts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc) is a dark, exuberant, inviting wine. There is a symphony of dark fruit with black cherry, plum, spice and sweet tobacco.

A distant hint of medicinal or menthol herb discovered in other wines with fruit from the Tignanello estate in 2017. There's a drying mineral note of crushed chalk as well. The heat and dryness of the vintage have added to the aromatic intensity of the wine (yields were reduced by a third), but the mouthfeel is carefully crafted to maintain its softness and smoothness.

Fruit comes from a 57-hectare section of the Tenuta Tignanello from a vineyard 390 meters above sea level with Alberese limestone rock and soils of marine origin. The wine is fermented in conical oak tanks and is aged for up to 16 months in a combination of mostly French and some Hungarian oak, both new and neutral. Some 300,000 bottles were released in April 2020 after one year of bottle age.

96/100 - Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (June 2020)