Tignanello is wonderfully ripe and seductive in its dark cherries, flowers, spices, tobacco, sage, cedar, mint and minerals. This is as opulent a Tignanello as I have ever tasted but there is just enough acidity and structure from the Sangiovese to keep things from going over the top. The dense, muscular fruit follows through to an impeccable fi ... Read More »

Tignanello is wonderfully ripe and seductive in its dark cherries, flowers, spices, tobacco, sage, cedar, mint and minerals. This is as opulent a Tignanello as I have ever tasted but there is just enough acidity and structure from the Sangiovese to keep things from going over the top. The dense, muscular fruit follows through to an impeccable finish with no hard edges and impossibly fine, silky tannins.

TUSCANY

Tuscany is home to some of the most popular Italian red wines.  Located along the Tyrrehenian coast, the Mediterranean influence and hilly terrain allow Tuscany to offer a wide variety of wine styles.  The mo ... Read More »

TUSCANY

Tuscany is home to some of the most popular Italian red wines.  Located along the Tyrrehenian coast, the Mediterranean influence and hilly terrain allow Tuscany to offer a wide variety of wine styles.  The most popular red grape in Tuscany is Sangiovese.  Most of the Sangiovese wines take on the name of the subregion from where the grapes are grown, provided the winemaker conforms to the D.O.C.G. winemaking laws of that subregion.  For example, Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano and Morelino di Scansano are all Tuscan subregions and all Sangiovese based wines.

Some winemakers elect not to confirm to the subregion's winemaking laws; those wines cannot utilize the region's name on the bottle. These nonconforming wines have come to be known as "Super Tuscans" and often resemble Bordeaux blends with some combination of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and/or Merlot.  Many of the elite Super Tuscans come from the Bolgheri area of Tuscany.  With Bolgheri receiving its own D.O.C. designation, Bolgheri on a label is starting to take the prestige and luster away from the unofficial Super Tuscan designation.  

Though reds may be best known in Tuscany, the region has exceptional white wines that are bright and crisp and retain the minerality from the Mediterranean as well.  While Chardonnay can be found in Tuscany, it is more common to find indiginous white grapes like Vernaccia and Vermentino as well as a delicious but lesser know grape, Ansonica.