Antinori Tignanello 2021

In 1971, Piero Antinori broke every rule in Italian wine. He planted Cabernet Sauvignon in Sangiovese country, aged in French barriques instead of large Slavonian oak, and declassified his wine from Chianti Classico to simple table wine because the regulations would not allow the blend. He called it Tignanello. The category it created — Super Tuscan — is now worth billions. The 2021 is sour cherry and red currant, tobacco leaf, leather, dried herbs, earthy and savory with firm polished tannins and bright Sangiovese acidity. It is not as loud as Napa Cab. It does not try to be. The elegance is the point. At $100-140 it is not cheap. But this is 26 generations of the Antinori family in one bottle, and it will age for 25 years. Put it next to your Brunello and your Bordeaux. It belongs there.