Securing a spot on the podium, Tignanello 2021 has ranked third in Wine Spectator’s Top 100. The magazine’s website states: *“The 2021 vintage marks the 50th anniversary of this iconic Supertuscan, conceived by Piero Antinori with the help of Giacomo Tachis and Bordeaux oenologist Émile Peynaud. A turning point for Tuscany and Italy, Tignanello remains one of Italy's greatest reds, revealing additional finesse and purity from this superb harvest.”*
Following the ninth-place finish of Barolo Albe by G.D. Vajra, another Italian wine enters the Top 10 of the US ranking, which is dominated by several American wines this year. Only the first-place wine remains to be unveiled; last year, the top spot was awarded to the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino from Argiano.
The wine’s profile
It is not the first time that Antinori's wine has found a place in the top ten positions of the ranking. In 2022, it ranked fifth with the 2019 vintage, and in 2016, it secured the eighth position with the 2013 vintage.
In June, we tasted the vintage in question, which Renzo Cotarella, winemaker and CEO of Antinori, described as “the best version ever,” and we found confirmation in the glass of what he stated.
A blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc, “it was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques,” writes the winery, *“produced exclusively from the vineyard of the same name, located at the Tenuta Tignanello on 57 hectares of land with a southwest exposure, calcareous soils with tufaceous elements, at an altitude between 350 and 400 metres above sea level.”
A vintage that proved to be “among the best ever,” characterised by a winter defined by rain and mild temperatures, a cool spring, and a predominantly warm and dry summer.
Tignanello 2021 showcases a very convincing version, with maturity and structure, and a great evolutionary potential ahead. Ripe black fruit alongside candied orange peel alternates with spicy notes and sweet tobacco. On the palate, it offers intensity and elegance, with tapered tannins and a sip with a long and rewarding finish.
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