Very intense ruby red colour. Nicely expressed varietal aromas with hints of black berry fruit. The palate is weighty, dense and vibrant with complex structure thanks to support of the acidity. Long and lingering with hints of chocolate, coffee and marmalade in the aftertaste. The beautifully handled tannin from the wine and wood blend making Tignanello a very complex, stylish and sophisticated wine. - WINERY NOTES

HISTORY - Tignanello is made exclusively from the vineyard of the same name which is situated on limestone and tufaceous soil on the Tignanello estate covering 47 south-west-facing hectares at altitudes between 350 and 400 metres a.s.l.. This was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, the first modern red wine blended with non-traditional varieties like Cabernet, and on e of the first red wines in Chianti not to use white grapes. Tignanello, originally "Chianti Classico Riserva vigneto Tignanello" was first made from a single vineyard in the 1970 vintage, when it contained 20% Canaiolo and 5% Trebbiano and Malvasia and was aged in small oak barrels. With the 1971 vintage it became a Tuscan table wine and was named Tignanello. In 1975 the percentage of white grapes was definitively removed. Since 1982 the composition has remained the same. Tignanello is only made in the best vintage years, and therefore was not made in 1972, 1973,1974, 1976, 1984, 1992 and 2002.

2005 VINTAGE - The weather conditions during the harvest made very careful selection of the best grapes necessary, especially in the case of the Sangiovese. As in previous years, great care was taken during the fermentation and extraction phases, carrying out more frequent but less intense délestage and pumping over to obtain the best results for colour and tannins. For all three varieties, fermentation took placed at an average temperature of 27°, and an absolute maximum of 31°, to preserve as greatly as possible the aromas and typical features of the fruit. From the beginning the must showed great complexity and above all (in the case of the Sangiovese) very typical varietal aromas and elegance. After devatting, at the end of alcoholic fermentation, the wines were placed in new oak barriques where malolactic fermentation took place by the end of the year. They were then blended and aged for 12 months in barriques, racked and then tasted barrique by barrique before bottling. After another year ageing in the bottles the wine was released for sale. Alcohol : 13,5% Vol.