After enjoying an Antinori Wine Dinner at The Butcher Shop, when my recent vacation led me to Napa Valley, I wanted to experience Antinori Napa Valley and the Antinori Italian wines I have previously tried.
Antinori Napa Valley represents a landmark achievement for the Antinori Family, whose winemaking legacy spans over six centuries and 27 generations. Applying their Old-World heritage and knowledge, the family has created New-World wines of finesse and refinement from their 1,200-acre mountain estate.
Marchese Piero Antinori’s dream of Napa Valley winemaking began in the 1960s and took shape over the years by acquiring high-elevation terrain in the Vaca Mountain range. The unique landscape, reminiscent of his Chianti Classico home, required years of study and continues to be an ongoing pursuit to craft the best expression of these wines.
The vineyards, perched 1,600 feet above the valley floor, benefit from the ideal southwest-facing gradient and a cooling influence from the San Francisco Bay, resulting in complex, multi-layered cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and chardonnay wines of elegance and nuance.
“Te Duce Proficio,” meaning “Following your guide, I flourish,” exemplifies their philosophy and dedication. In fact, Antinori’s Proficio label is the only one that bears Marchese Piero Antinori’s signature.
Antinori Estate Manager Glenn Salva provided a VIP property tour, including its new hospitality center and tasting room, grounds, and wine caves. Salva was originally studying to be an engineer in upper-state New York and noticed a viticultural magazine one night while burning the midnight oil.
He decided in the wee hours of that morning that wine was his calling and never looked back after shifting his major to viticulture/enology.
Marchese hired Salva in 1986 to oversee all aspects of Antinori vineyards. Over his 38 years, Salva was the epicenter of Antinori and a huge part of its success, with projects ranging from overseeing the initial planting in 1986 to digging out their wine caves when the go-to Napa Valley wine cave specialists were tied up with another winery.
Salva purchased mining equipment from a shutting down New Mexico mining company, shipped the equipment to Napa, and figured out how to build caves in a volcanic mountain.
During our cave tour, Salva shared, “State-of-the-art fermentation tanks are wider at the bottom allowing the lees cap to be pushed down and the juice to flow up the sides and over the cap. This provides gentle stirring during fermentation enhancing flavor and structure.”
Our tasting started with the 2022 A26 Chardonnay. A for Antinori and 26 for the generation of Marchese’s daughters, Albiera, Allegra, and Alessia, who share stewardship of Antinori with Marchese. The chardonnay was bright and fruit-forward, with stone fruit on the palate along with peach and pear and a hint of oak.
The chardonnay is grown next to a pond that provides a sink of cool air, bestowing brightness and acidity into the fruit.
The second wine was 2021 Townsend, named after neighbor June Townsend. In 1998, she sold her connecting 40-acre parcel to Marchese, of which 24 acres were planted. In 1999, the parcel was planted with cabernet sauvignon and proved to be one of the best blocks of cabernet sauvignon throughout the estate, using the findings of the Chianti Classico 2000 Project.
The project focused on the ecological value of grape varietals to be planted, rootstock characteristics, vine density, vine training and row azimuth angles, soil management, including cover crops, and clonal selection. Together, these were named the X-Factor principles and used for all Antinori plantings after 2000. The third pouring was the 2021 Cab Franc.
While Antinori was planted with cab franc in 1987, it was not until early 2000, when French clones arrived, that Antinori cab franc was supercharged.
The French clones created sensual and perfumed aromatics, robust tannin structure, and supple intensity. The fourth pouring was 2021 Proficio, the culmination of over 30 years of studying at Atlas Peak.
The wine embodies the pinnacle of quality and expression provided by Antinori’s steepest and rockiest mountainside vineyards. It is dominated by cabernet sauvignon and blended with cab franc for additional layers of structure.
High-end phenolics created a deep purple opaque color. This was an outstanding wine with plum on the palate, layers of complexity, and ultra-silky tannins. Additionally, the charcuterie during the tasting was hand-selected for each of the four tastings.
In closing, Salva shared, “Antinori’s DNA is embodied in Passion, Persistence, Perseverance, and Patience with respect for tradition and an eye for innovation.” Learn more about Antinori Napa Valley at antinorinapavalley.com.
The Butcher Shop Antinori Wine Dinner
The main course of Executive Chef Brian Gist’s five-course dinner was Braciole, an Italian roulade with breadcrumbs, cheese, and herbs, along with creamy polenta and a red wine reduction/ braising gravy. This was expertly paired with Antinori Super Tuscan Tignanello, the only other bottle of Antinori wine with a signature.
Marchese Piero decided to have his father, Niccolò Antinori, sign the label as a sign of recognition for his father’s confidence in him. Marchese’s creation of Super Tuscan wine was a marketing genius. Initially, Tignanello was rated as ‘Indicazione Geografica Tipica,’ a rating created in 1992.
IGTs were intended to provide a tier above the basic Vino da Tavola (VdT), aka table wine, for quality wines that didn’t meet the regulations for DOC or DOCG.
The Super Tuscan moniker allowed high-end IGT wines blended in Bordeaux fashion to be a cut above IGT and compete directly with Italian premium DOC and DOCG wines that Super Tuscans were not compliant with.
— Story by Rico Cassoni
