Tignanello is one of the wines made in Tuscany that has become famous for its rich history. It was first created by the Antinori family who were wine producers from Florence back at the end of the 19th century.
At this time they had decided to move their winery near Montalcino which is where many Florentine families also went to produce excellent Tuscan wines such as Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
One interesting reason why so many Italian winemakers choose to settle here may be because it used to have an active volcano (Monte Amiata) and this volcano is the reason why soils here are red in colour and contain such an abundance of minerality.
Tignanello is produced with Sangiovese Grosso grapes which were planted on a hilly terrain near Pienza, South of Siena.
The Tenuta Tignanello estate was founded in 1969 by the Antinori family. The name “Tignanello” means young shoot, a symbol of life and rebirth in Italy’s Etruscan culture.
It is also an homage to 16th-century Italian painter Raffaellino del Colle who painted under this pseudonym when he worked for the Antinori family at their ancestral home in Lombardy, Villa di Castiglione Olona.
Piero Antinori was born in 1933 and studied law at university, although he never practised as an attorney instead chose to work with his father who owned a winery outside Lucca.
His family’s wine business had been producing wines since 1885 when Piero’s grandfather established their first vineyard – so it seemed only natural for him to take over from where they left off after World War II ended. In 1968 he created Tignanello together with his brothers Elio and Attilio (the latter died soon after).
The wine itself is named after the vineyard it is produced in and is a sister vintage to Solaia which was created by Antinori in 1985.
Tignanello is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes which are all grown on the estate’s estate located in Tuscany – hence this wine being classified as Super Tuscan.
It received its DOCG classification (Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) back in 1978 when it became one of only three Italian wines to receive this status along with Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
Since then many other wineries have followed suit but these three remain some of Italy’s most famous wines while also considered among the best red wines in the world.
The wine itself is best described as a fruit-forward wine with a hint of spice and smokiness. The tasting notes for Tignanello include blackberries, raspberries and blackcurrants along with a touch of eucalyptus.
