Antinori
Marchese Antinori is a world famous Italian enterprise from Tuscany and one of the oldest family-owned wine companies in the world.
The family name of Antinori can be traced back to Prince Antenor who was already mentioned in the Illiás of Homerus. However, the beginning of the wine business started in 1385, when Giovanni Piero Antinori became a member of the Guild of Winemakers.
The production of wine flourished and in 1506 they were able to buy the Palazzo Antinori in Florence. In the 18th century the family earned the noble title of Marchese (Marquis) from the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
Already in 1900, Piero Antinori bought several vineyards in the Chianti region of Tuscany, including 47 Ha at Tignanello. In 1924, his son Niccolo made a Chianti wine, which contained Bordeaux varietals, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, but this wasn’t appreciated at all by the Tuscans, who believed in their domestic Sangiovese and Canaiolo grapes.
Throughout the years, the Antinori family continued to experiment with new blends, different types of oak, bottle aging and malolactic fermentation of their red wines. In 1971 they released “Tignanello”, which was oak aged for 12 months and contained Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and even some white grapes. It was therefore not allowed to bear the title Chianti Classico, but sold as “Vino da Tavola”(“Table Wine”). Even though the rules for Chianti Classico DOCG have been changed in favor of such wines as Tignanello, the Antinori family still sell the wine as an IGT wine.
Encouraged by the success of Tignanello, they also released “Solaia” in 1978, from a 10 Ha vineyard next to Tignanello. Another icon-wine (Super Tuscan) with a whopping 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 20% Sangiovese.
Other wines worth mentioning are: “Pian delle Vigne” (Brunello di Montalcino), “Guado al Tasso” from Bogheri and the white wine“Cervaro della Sala” from Orvieto (Umbria). Top vintages for Tignanello are: 1978, 1985, 1990, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013. Top vintages for Solaia are: 1985, 1990, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009 ,2010 and 2012.
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