Falstaff: 95/100 pts. Antinori is a Tuscan-based wine company that is one of the largest and most prominent in Italy. The Chianti Classico region forms the focus of operations, though the company has an estate in Umbria and international interests including Antica Napa Valley and a controlling stake in Vitis Metamorfosis in Romania. Around 20 million bottles are produced annually across 150 labels. The history of the house dates back to the 14th Century, after the silk-weaving family moved to Florence and began to cultivate vines. In 1900, Antinori added the Tignanello vineyard to its portfolio, and Niccolò Antinori and his son Piero began to experiement with then unheard-of winemaking techniques and grape varieties. The first vintage of Tignanello was released in 1971. Tignanello Tignanello is the most famous of all Antinori's wines. The vineyard of the same name extends to 57 hectares (140 acres) on limestone-rich soils on a southwest-facing slope 350-400m (1150-1300ft) above sea level. This wine was the first in the region to combine the regional staple Sangiovese with non-traditional international varieties, and to omit white grapes – hence being classified as a Vino da Tavola. It is now a Toscana IGT. A typical composition for recent vintages would be 80 percent Sangiovese with 15 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 5 percent Cabernet Franc. Tignanello is aged for 12-14 months in a mix of new and one year-old French and Hungarian oak. 2020 vintage Mild and dry winter weather marked the beginning of the 2020 growing season in Chianti Classico, onlyat the end of March did the area experience a brief cold spell. These climatic conditions prompted early bud break. Spring broughtaverage rainfalland rather cool temperatures while the following summer months were hot, uninterrupted by extreme heat eventsand favored with brief periods of rain showers that provided grape clusters with perfect conditions for optimal growth and ripening. The month of September, when harvesting operations got underway, was defined byscattered light precipitation, especiallyat the end of the month, that allowed the fruit to complete phenolic maturity. The harvest window wasan intense three weeks, from September 20th up until October 9th, picking began with Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc and was completed with Cabernet Sauvignon.