Tignanello, Antinori 2023 75cl
Tignanello is the wine that rewrote the rulebook. When Piero Antinori first blended Cabernet into Sangiovese and aged it in French barriques in the 1970s, he stepped outside the Chianti regulations entirely — and in doing so helped invent the Super Tuscan. The 2023 continues a legend that changed Italian wine forever.
Grown on a single vineyard in the Chianti Classico hills, Tignanello is roughly 80% Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, aged in French and Hungarian oak. It carries only the humble Toscana IGT designation, a badge worn with pride by a wine that helped make that category prestigious.
Expect a wine of real depth: ripe black cherry and cassis, sweet tobacco, graphite, dark chocolate and a thread of Tuscan herb. The oak is beautifully judged, the tannins polished and firm, and the finish goes on and on with savoury, mineral length. Powerful but never heavy — this is precision at scale.
At around £130 Tignanello is an icon that still, remarkably, offers something for the money given its reputation. It drinks well now with time in the glass, but the 2023 will reward a decade or more in the cellar.
How to Serve
Serve at 17–18°C in a large Bordeaux-style glass. Decant at least two hours ahead, or cellar the young 2023 and let it come to you.
Where to Drink It
The River Café, Hammersmith — the spiritual London home of great Tuscan wine. Locanda Locatelli, Marylebone — for the occasion. Harry's Bar, Mayfair — where a bottle of Tignanello feels entirely at home.
Food Pairings
A dry-aged ribeye, simply grilled, is the wine's natural partner. For something more Tuscan, try it with wild boar in a rich tomato ragù.
