Toscana IGT

Principally Sangiovese, with small complementary percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah

The grapes were destemmed and given a light pressing and the must then went into temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, where it fermented for five to seven days and then remained on its skins for an additional eight to twelve days. The fermentation temperatures were held to a maximum of 82° Fahrenheit (28° centigrade) for the Cabernet and Sangiovese grapes to best favor the extraction of color and soft tannins. In the case of the Syrah and Merlot, temperatures peaked at 77° Fahrenheit (25° centigrade) to best conserve aroma. The malolactic fermentation took place during the month of November. The wine was bottled during the month of June in 2016.

Villa Antinori Rosso was created as a wine in 1928 by Marquis Niccolò Antinori, father of Piero Antinori, and was intended and programmed to be the first Chianti to last and improve over time. In 2001 Piero Antinori took another step in the evolution of the wine, moving it into  the IGT category and transforming it into a wine produced from a selection of the finest grapes grown on the various Antinori proprietary estates in Tuscany. The label has remained basically unchanged ever since 1928, with only slight modifications in 1990 and 2001.

An intense ruby red in color, the wine shows a complex nose of ripe red berry fruit along with cherries and plums, all well integrated with the spicy sensation of vanilla and pepper created by the aging in oak barrels. The Villa Antinori Rosso, supple on the palate with soft and velvety tannins, is firm bodied and endowed with a long and tasty finish and aftertaste.