I’ve been sitting on this 2012 Tignanello by Marchesi Antinori for several months waiting to make the perfect Italian pairing. How did I do? The meatballs were made with sweet Italian sausage, ground beef and bathed in Rao’s Homemade Marinara. Broccoli rabe with garlic, shallot and lemon zest and grilled polenta with basil oil and porcinis accompanied the meatballs and provided an earthy and bitter counterpart. The Tignanello was divine, opening with ripe dark fruits on the nose along with hints of graphite. Bold fruit flavors of black cherry and currants accompanied leather and spice on the palate. Tannins were firm and balanced by a mouthwatering acidity. Overall, it was a successful pairing….I expected the meatballs to be the star with the wine, but found that the broccoli and polenta were actually a better match. The slight spice in the Italian sausage pumped up the tannins just enough to throw it out of balance whereas the bitterness of the rabe and the earthiness of the sides allowed the fruit to shine and kept the tannins where they were comfortable.
Tignanello was the second “Super Tuscan” wine produced in Tuscany. The first, Sassicaia, was produced in 1968 by the Marquis Mario Incisa della Rochetta. A Cabernet blend, the wine was initially sold as Vino di Tavola, a simple table wine. The Marquis was unable to label it as a Chianti DOC or DOCG due to regulations governing the type of grapes allowed which did not include traditional Bordeaux varietals. The Marquis’ cousin, Piero Antinori, soon followed in 1971 with his Tignanello. Initially, the blend was 75% Sangiovese, 20% Canaiolo and 5% Trebbiano and Malvasia (white grapes allowed in the original Chianti blend). In 1975, the white grapes were eliminated from the blend and replaced with 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. That blend has remained through today. Italian wine laws were subsequently changed to accommodate the new, modern blends as the wines had achieved commercial success. In 1992, the IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) designation was born to create a space for wines that did not adhere to the traditional Chianti formula. Most Super Tuscans now carry the IGT designation and many carry a generous price tag due to the quality and reputation of these wonderful wines.