A mixed bag from Antinori

I’ve always thought of Antinori as being a little like Penfolds – ubiquitous in the local market (for Antinori that is Italy) and with a reputation for quality, if not always that much excitement, and both rooted in old world wine tradition (Antinori in Tuscany, Penfolds in Magill/Barossa).

Where Antinori and Penfolds split, however, is that the former is a network of individual wineries linked under common family rule, while the latter is one publically listed winery (or part of a publically listed wine business) drawing from vineyards all over the countryside.

In turn, while there is varied personalities (and vintage variation) within Antinori’s different sites, there is homogeneity within Penfolds (for good or bad).

As a result I went into this Antinori masterclass looking for a little character, acknowledging that ‘big company’ constrictions might mean quite conventional wines, but also with a little personality.

To be honest, I was quite disappointed.

Not for a lack of character – there was plenty of that – but just some clumsy winemaking. Clumsy winemaking, at prices where clumsy winemaking is just not good enough. Obviously our draconian Australian wine taxation doesn’t help those prices (40% tax is just the start), yet still these looked rather plain given the dollars.

In the same breath, that 2010 Solaia is a stunning wine, and this lineup included some average vintages (which didn’t help anyone). Still, I was expecting more and indeed a cursory glance at a few Prunotto Barbaresco on the way out didn’t help either (the ’11 was particularly thin given the vintage acclaim).

Anyway, if there was one bright spot about this tasting it was Jacopo Pandolfini from Antinori, who (replete in coloured Italian jeans) threw out so many funny quotes that I couldn’t keep up. Kicking off with this:

‘The first thing we do is sell the wine in the area around the winery, then Italy, then we export. If you find a restaurant without our wines maybe they haven’t paid the bill, or they hate us’.


Or this pearler:


‘This year we had lots of rain in July and August and just last week some hail. I’m sure that in three years I’ll still be coming out here and telling you it’s great’

But back to the wines – these notes were written at speed, with a lingering smell of paint in the background. Extra bits and Jacopo quotes in italics. Prices are RRP in $AUD.

Castello Della Sala Bramito del Cervo Chardonnay IGT 2013 $35

Castello Della Sala Cervaro Della Salla IGT 2011 $75

90% Chardonnay, 10% Grechetto. Barrel fermented and spent 6 months in new French oak. Grechetto fermented in steel. Full malo.
Banana and melon. Cashew oak a big part of this wine, oak to finish. Just a bit stodgy and full through the middle but has persistence and length. 17.5/20, 91/100

Badia A Passignano Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva 2008 $70

100% Sangiovese. 14 months in Hungarian and French oak.

Rustic and mulchy mature black olive Sangio style. There’s a rusticity to the palate too, warm and sweet and sour, the furry tannins not tamed by barrel. Quite advanced. Archetypal rustic Sangio style and tannins (and alcohol) to burn, with serious extraction. Rough edged and awkward finish. A Sangiovese attack. 16.8/20, 89/100

Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino 2009 $80

Matured in largely old oak for two years. 100% Sangiovese.
Another meaty and old fashioned style (from a very ordinary vintage). Gruff tannins, but rescued by a degree of sophistication and some cherry fruit. The tannins are less raw and more fine and sophisticated here compared to the Chianti – it feels a more noble wine. The edges are rough, but the heart is classical. 17.5/20, 91/100+

Tignanello Toscana IGT 2011 $123
‘IGT just means freestyle’. 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cab Franc. Challenging vintage with heatwave conditions after a very cool start. 12-14 months in barrel.

Rather

pretty red colour. The oak sticks out here but the beauty of the
flavour is distinctive. Really quite vibrant and pretty, the wine
building through the gruff and meaty finish. Surprisingly gentle and
gentil tannins for Tig. What a departure in style though – the
oak throttled back, replaced with a hint of leaf and a prettiness.
Perhaps not the longest living Tignanello but I didn’t mind this. 18/20, 93/100+

Tenuta Guado Al Tasso 2005 Bolgheri DOC $120

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot. 5% Syah. ‘Planted on the Pian rather than the hill, due to the amphitheatre shape of the hills creates a little microclimate’. A challenging vintage with consistent growing season rain. 18 months in new barriques.

Dense and much more new world, this feels like a Bolgheri red. That black, leafy pepper suggests syrah and the tannins are just a bit green. Quite complex now, though would have been an oaky beast once. Gruff and grumpy but has some real penetration through the finish. A blanching, drying finish at that with just an edge of greenness. Still feels substantial. 17.7/20, 92/100

Solaia Toscana IGT 2010 $350

Drawn from the upper part of the Tignanello vineyard. ‘Place that catches the sun’. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Franc. Matured in new french and Hungarian barriques for 16-18 months.

A very different wine. There’s the spit and polish of new oak and a black long heartiness in there too. Long and almost smoky with some drying black tannins. Really classy and firm. Penfolds meets Italian Cabernet and Sangio. Pretty damn good, if rather new world in its oak plumpness. The tannin length is utterly impressive though – a stark reminder of the best of what this site can do. Oh and I wish they’d change the label, it just looks cheap (compared to the Tignanello) for what is a superior wine. 18.7/20, 95/100