Antinori Tenuta Tignanello Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2023

Marchesi Antinori is among the oldest names in Tuscan wine, and this Chianti Classico Riserva is built on Sangiovese with a measure of Cabernet Sauvignon for depth and grip. The Chianti Classico hills run on galestro and alberese, friable schist and limestone marls that drain freely and reflect warmth, ripening Sangiovese slowly while the altitude and cool nights preserve its bright acidity and red fruit. The Cabernet, ripened on warmer sites, adds blackcurrant and a tannic frame. After fermentation the wine spends twelve months in oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange softens the tannin and adds cedar and tobacco without burying the fruit. It is deep ruby in the glass. The nose shows black cherry and ripe plum lifted by tobacco, dried herbs and a leathery, earthy note. The palate is structured and savoury, the Sangiovese acidity keeping it taut while fine tannins carry a long finish of dark fruit and oak spice. This is a wine for the table and for the cellar. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted an hour ahead, in a large glass. It is made for grilled and roasted red meats.