The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.
Wine Description
The Story
The solid super Tuscan backbone of Sangiovese with various inclusions of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah, inaugurally introduced in 1928 by Marquis Niccolò Antinor, the first Chianti ever to be made suitable for bottle ageing and development. In 2001, Piero Antinori launched a new step in the evolution of Villa Antinori, making it a pure Tuscan Indicazione Geografica Tipica vinified exclusively from fruit grown to the finest Tuscany estates. Such a well regarded and internationally renowned marque, the label has remained largely unchanged since 1928. In 2010, the Villa Rosso Chianti Classico Riserva returned once again to the years of its youth and, in 2011, to its home.
All vines are closely managed to achieve harvests of healthy fruit with an optimal ratio of sugars to acidity. Bunches are destemmed and grapes are gently crushed, the musts are moved to controlled fermenters for eight to twelve days maceration and up to a week of vinification at temperatures peaking at 28C. Eight to twelve days macerations ensure proper extraction of colour and soft tannins. Batches are treated to malolactic in October and November, followed by transfer to a selection of French, Hungarian and American oak barrels for twelve months maturation before bottling and ageing for at least another eight months before release.
Wine Information
Classification
Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva
Blend
Sangiovese 90%, Cabernet 10%
Climate
The growing season was characterized by an autumn 2007 and a winter 2008 not particularly cold and with little rainfall, conditions which led to an early bud break compared to the previous vintages of the same period. The spring, which marked the beginning of vine development, was marked by difficult weather, with frequent rainstorms up until the end of May and a resulting slowdown of vine growth which did not, however, compromise the health of the vineyard. June and July, in contrast, were quite warm and further rainfall did not arrive until the month of August, with scattered precipitation which assisted the plants in the development of both their vegetation and their grapes. September and October were very favorable for harvest operations, thanks as well to temperature swings between daytime heat and nighttime rain which gave grapes of optimum quality. The finest selections of Sangiovese and Cabernet for the Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva were harvested during the first days of the month of October and, from the very beginning of their transformation into wine, the musts showed very interesting aromas, flavors, and color, which promised a high level vintage.
Vinification
The climatic conditions allowed a planning and execution of harvesting operations which fully brought out the character of the individual vineyard plots, and picking, entirely by hand, was adapted to the differences of exposure, altitude, ripeness level, and analytical characteristics of the grapes of the various plots.
The grape bunches, once in the fermenting cellars, were delicately destemmed and pressed to conserve to the maximum degree the varietal character of the aromas and flavors, an operation of great importance in the case of Sangiovese. Once in the stainless steel fermenting tanks the grapes were macerated with the aid of periodic, and very soft, pumping over the cap of skins and of délestage (“rack and return”) techniques in order to guarantee an extraction which was intense and, at the same time, capable of giving wines of elegance and roundness of tannins. From the very start of fermentation operations the musts showed rich colors and structure thanks to the highly favorable weather of the growing season.
The fermentation lasted approximately seven days and was followed by a further eight to nine days period of skin contact in the fermenting tanks.
Immediately after it was run off its skins, the wine went into small oak barrels, for the most part of French origin, in order to go through a complete malolactic fermentation, which took place spontaneously by the end of the year. After racking, the wines, still separated by their vineyard provenance, were aged for a year in French and Hungarian oak barrels.
During this lengthy phase the various lots were constantly tasted and monitored in order to maximize their quality level during this period of barrel aging and were then assembled into a final blend at the end of their aging cycle. The wine was then bottled and given a further twelve months of bottle aging before release.
Historical data
The Marchese Antinori Riserva is produced exclusively in better vintages and solely from the finest grapes of the family’s proprietary vineyards: Tignanello, Badia a Passignano, and Pèppoli at Mercatale Val di Pesa in the production zone of the Chianti Classico appellation.
Winemaker's Tasting notes
A very intense ruby red in color, the Marchese Antinori 2008 shows a nose with captivating notes of ripe fruit (blackberries, plums, and wild cherries) which perfectly reflect the characteristics of the growing season. On the palate the wine is well structured, with supple tannins which are both sweet and rounded; the lengthy finish promises long life and the aftertaste recalls, together, notes of ripe fruit and licorice.
