Antinori Tignanello 2016 (750ML)

99 WE / 98 VM / 97 WA / 97 WS / 97 JS / 18+ JR

#1 Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2020

This fragrant, savory red carries aromas of underbrush, plum, blue flower, cocoa and camphor on the nose. The polished palate boasts juicy Marasca cherry, ripe blackberry, licorice, tobacco and an appealing hint of game. Silky tannins and bright acidity keep it balanced and elegant. Drink 2021–2036. - KO, Wine Enthusiast

The 2016 Tignanello is flat out stunning. Dark, dense and resonant, the 2016 is a wonderfully complete wine that will provide readers with decades of pure drinking pleasure. The 2016 is especially dark and brooding, and yet the tannins are incredibly polished to the point of being perceptible. In the glass, the 2016 is complete and regal, perhaps because of the super-classic blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. The pedigree of the vintage comes through in the wine's extraordinary balance and total sense of finesse. I don't think there is another wine anywhere in the world made entirely from estate fruit that can match Tignanello for quality, consistency and value within its peer group of top-flight reds. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

To hit the market in June, the 2016 Tignanello is a rock-solid wine and a stunning beauty. The wine offers an impeccable level of precision and laser-focus delivery of fruits, spices, tilled earth, espresso beans and Mediterranean herbs. This vintage follows the classic blending formula of 80% Sangiovese with about 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc. The vines are now 15 to 20 years old. Compared to the 2015 vintage that ultimately appeared more chewy and succulent, this expression from the iconic 2016 vintage is more vibrant, nervous and jazzed. It shows more savory spice, saltiness and minerality, with a beautifully integrated quality of tannins. Some 320,000 bottles were produced. This wine is at the top of the list of some of the best Tignanello ever made, including the vintages 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2015. - Monica Larner, Wine Advocate

A big, lush style, this red delivers pure aromas and flavors of black currant, cherry, violet, flint, tobacco and baking spices. This is supple, yet backed by a firm, dense matrix of tannins, so all the components are there, but this needs time to integrate. Lovely sweet, ripe finish. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2040. 5,000 cases imported. - BS, Wine Spectator

Wonderful aromas of pine needles, rosemary, fresh mushrooms, bark and dark fruit. Full body. Very tight and tannic backbone. Racy and driven. Undertones of orange peel and wet earth. Even licorice and mint. Great finish. Better after 2021, but exciting to taste now. - James Suckling

80% Sangiovese, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc.
Those Bordeaux varieties play a significant role on the nose, lending strong blackcurrant fruit on the palate, combining beautifully with the black cherry and violet of the Sangiovese. There's plenty of acidity on the palate, succulent oak and youthful black fruit with superb persistence. Just a hint of leather and liquorice on the finish (which increases as the wine develops in the glass), and perhaps a medicinal sort of character too. Very finely tannic. Perfectly chiselled, with impeccable fruit to enjoy now, but a great deal of complexity waiting for the future. (RH) JancisRobinson.com