Antinori Tignanello 2010 (Tuscany, Italy)
13.5%, Cork, $125
How do you like your Tuscan reds? Rich and full, or more elegant and medium bodied?
If you chose the former then this archetypal modern red is right in the groove. A blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc it announces itself with a big hit of sweet cossetting oak. Oak is a big factor here and I’m guessing the barriques were mostly new. Yet for all that artefact, the overarching rich, Sangio driven black savoury fruit still manages to carry everything through, complementing the dry, coffeed oak with more than enough meaty goodness.
Modern, yet classically so, I think this would be easy to write-off at first, particularly given just how sweet and obvious the initial hit is. Yet the more the more closely you look, the more apparent just how long, carefully savoury and not-sweet this blend really is. Admittedly it is a little bluntly framed and obvious for now, yet in five years time that genuine length is going to win, making this a bloody good modern Italian red.
Yes. Yes for Tuscan grainy goodness. I’d want a sixer of this in the cellar for sure.
Source: Tasting
Tasted: May 2014
Drink: 2014-2030
Score: 18.5/20, 94/100
Would I buy it? Yes, but I wouldn’t be drinking it for at least another five years.
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