<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those who haven’t been there yet, I suggest\ngoing to the Cantinetta Antinori in Florence where you can eat excellent dishes\nand taste the wines of the Antinori property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This restaurant is often frequented by me with\nguests and friends for both lunch and dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The staff in the dining room is made up of very\nyoung people who are always smiling and full of enthusiasm for the work they\ndo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every time I arrive at the restaurant all the\nstaff meet me smiling to greet me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the dining room staff is like this, it is\nalso thanks to its young director Daniele Benci.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to going to the Cantinetta for my\nown pleasure, it also happens that Dr. Renzo Cotarella, CEO of Marchesi\nAntinori spa, invites me to dinner to be together and to taste their wines that\nhave just been released or are yet to be released on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last April I was invited, together with my\nfriend Sergio Antonini, by Dr. Cotarella to the Cantinetta Antinori to taste\nsome wines and for the occasion we pleasantly drank the Perrier Jouet Belle\nEpoque 2014 champagne, imported by them for Italy, the chardonnay Antica A 26,\n2022 vintage, from their Napa Valley company, the Tignanello 2021, the Guado al\nTasso 2021 and the Muffato della Sala 2009. For the occasion I brought a bottle\nof Meo Camuzet Nuit Saint Georges Aux Murgers 2008 pinot noir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was an interesting evening for the company,\nthe wines and the food. Before moving on to my tasting notes of the evening’s\nwines I have to make some clarifications on tannins. I feel the tannin of the wine\non the upper gum. The total width of the tannin is 6\/6, i.e. the entire width\nof the upper gum. Obviously, if the tannin is less broad, it could be for\nexample 5\/6 and so on. The width of the tannin is important when the quality of\nthe tannin is of good or high level. The larger the tannin, the more worthy of\nattention the wine is, but the tannin, as I have specified, must, in any case,\nbe of good quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I now move on to writing my tasting notes for\nthis evening’s wines, highlighting the fact that the wine that really impressed\nme was the Tignanello 2021 to which I gave 100\/100, something I had never done\nhaving had the privilege in the past of taste all the vintages produced from\nthe first which was 1971 to 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MAISON PERRIER TOY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n BELLE EPOQUE, 2014 vintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (grape\nvariety: 51% Chardonnay and 49% Pinot Noir)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The glass shows golden yellow and the bubbles\nare fine and quite numerous<\/p>\n\n\n\n The olfactory treasure chest bestows aromas of\nripe rennet apple, green apple, vanilla, white pepper, blond leather, white\nflowers, ricciarello to finish with light whispers of zabaglione.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The body is medium and the wine is well balanced\nwith the freshness which, with the help of flavor and minerality, envelops the\nalcoholic mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bubbles are fine and pleasant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its intense aromatic persistence is long. Vertical wine. (93\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ANTINORI ANTICA A26 CHARDONNAY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n NAPA VALLEY, annata 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Almost golden\nyellow colour, shiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It unfolds aromas of rosemary, flint, woody,\nmineral, vanilla, sea water (it is the same as the scent of the white internal\npart of the watermelon peel), pineapple, blond leather, anchovy, caper,\nfinishing with whiffs of liquorice grains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the palate there is a sufficient medium body\nplus and it is savory and mineral. Well balanced wine with an imperceptible\nalcoholic mass thanks to the freshness and minerality that dominate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its intense aromatic persistence is long. (93\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n DOMAINE CAMUZET<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n NUIT SAINT GEORGES <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n AUX MURGERS 1ER CRU, annata 2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Garnet red\ncolour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It expresses a blend of aromas including tannery\nleather at the end of its processing, lemongrass (the scent resembles that of\nlemongrass), starch from boiled rice, India ink, finishing with balsamic hints\nof mint and eucalyptus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When tasted, it has a medium body and a red rose\nflavour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The wine is well balanced with freshness\ndominating the alcoholic mass. The tannins are sweet, broad (6\/6–), initially\nvelvety and then dry the upper gum a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its taste persistence is long with a black truffle finish. (92\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n TENUTA TIGNANELLO – ANTINORI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n TIGNANELLO, vintage 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Intense purple\nred dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Upon olfactory examination it is a riot of\naromas of medicinal herbs, ripe plum, black morello cherry, blood orange,\ncloves, violet, chocolate, sweets from the outside of the dragee, mint,\neucalyptus, rosemary, bay leaf, sage, graphite, tomato preserves, vegetable\nskin (it is the skin that tends towards the sweetness of leather), embers from\nthe wood of the fireplace, to end with memories of grains and of licorice\nstring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pleasant bite with a flavor of squeezed fruit\nand liquorice (cabernet has liquorice aromas and flavours) finishing with\nCoccoina glue (coconut and almond milk).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The body is medium plus and the wine is well\nbalanced with freshness that does not even minimally reveal the alcoholic mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tannins are sweet, completely broad (6\/6),\nquite thick and silky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its taste persistence is long with a medicinal\nherbal finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I didn’t find any flaws in it. (100\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n TENUTA GUADO AL TASSO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n GUADO AL TASSO, 2021 vintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (grape variety: 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29%\nCabernet Franc and 13% Merlot)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Intense purple\nred – black coat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sense of smell is generous with scents of\nbay leaves and sea water (it is the same scent as the internal white part of\nthe watermelon peel), white pepper, cloves, nutmeg, rosemary, cherry, plum,\ncassis, blackberry bramble to finish with a light note of milk cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the palate it has a medium plus body, and an\nexcellent balance between alcohol and freshness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tannins are broad (6\/6-), thick and silky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its intense aromatic persistence is long. At the end the alcohol tries to make a hint of presence but surely the stop of the wine in the bottle will make it disappear. (96\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CASTELLO DELLA SALA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n MUFFATO DELLA SALA, 2009 vintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (grapes: Saunvignon Blanc, Grechetto, Traminer,\nS\u00e9millon and Riesling)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The glass shows\namber colour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the nose it expresses aromas of lemon tea,\ndried apricot, saffron, amaretto di Saronno, mint, eucalyptus to finish with\nsighs of cooked sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the palate it has a medium body, is savory and has the flavor of lemon tea and amaretto di Saronno. Well balanced wine in perfect harmony. Its flavor persistence is long with an acacia honey finish. (93\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The second meeting at the Cantinetta Antinori\ntook place in mid-October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Cotarella invited me and my friend Sergio\nAntonini to dinner to taste four Chianti Classico Gran Selection 2021, about to\ngo on sale, and the Solaia 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the evening of the invitation I arrived a\nlittle before Dr. Cotarella and I brought a bottle of Cervaro 1995 and had it\nput in a decanter. We had the VIP room on the first floor of the Cantinetta for\nthe three of us. Once Renzo arrived I asked the sommelier Giada Sabatini to\nserve the white wine that was in the decanter. Once the wine was served in the\nglass, a slightly intense golden yellow could be seen shining through the glass\nand Renzo smelled the wine, remaining fascinated by the aromas that spread in\nthe air and observed, examining the colour, that the wine was more than twenty\nyears old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I, bluffing, said that the wine was a beautiful\nexpression of Burgundy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Renzo looked at me and nodded, specifying that\nthe Cervaro della Sala could also be that good. At that point I asked Giada to\nbring the bottle and the mystery dissolved. Renzo complimented me on the state\nof conservation of the wine which was still young with life still ahead of it\ndespite its 29 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I say that Cervaro della Sala has always\nbeen the only Italian white wine from Burgundy, I am telling the pure truth.\nCongratulations to Renzo for his skill in recognizing his wines but also for\nmaking, together with his company professionals, great wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Renzo is an excellent conductor for everything\nconcerning the Marchesi Antinori companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We then proceeded to taste the Gran Selezione\nwines, one better than the other but for different characteristics and then\ndifferent production areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, we got to taste the Solaia 2021 which I\nfound fantastic in both smell and taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have always loved Solaia and have always\nconsidered it a great wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But let’s also come to dinner. Daniele Benci\noffered us the bread bruschetta, obviously without garlic, with the new\nAntinori oil, the tomato soup (for me the best in Florence), the ribollita and\nthe Milanese with salad. To finish we enjoyed a fantastic flatbread with\ngrapes. Between one interval and another they went to smell the glass of\nCervaro which I have imprinted in my mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What a beautiful evening this too! <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is truly a joy to share these moments with\nthose who know how to appreciate them. When is the next meeting?<\/p>\n\n\n\n My tasting notes for the evening’s wines follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CASTELLO DELLA SALA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CERVARO, vintage 1995<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (grape variety: 90% Chardonnay and 10%\nGrechetto)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Golden yellow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bouquet with aromas of chalk, white melon (or\nsea water), ripe pineapple, peanut butter, light saffron, rhubarb root, rocket,\nsage, toasted peanuts to finish with pleasant puffs of graphite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When tasted it is savory. You enjoy a medium\nbody and flavors of lemon, minerals and cedar peel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well balanced wine with the freshness that\nenvelops the alcoholic mass making it completely harmless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its flavor persistence is long with a finish of\nsaffron and rhubarb root.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 29 year old wine that absolutely doesn’t show it (95\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n BADIA A PASSIGNANO – ANTINORI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chianti Classico D.O.C.G. Gran Selezione, 2021\nvintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (<\/strong>bred\nin 3hl barrels – Production 140,000 bottles)<\/p>\n\n\n\n It has an\nintense purple-red appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the nose it diffuses aromas of clay and oil\npaint. linseed oil, mint, eucalyptus, black pepper, nutmeg, mild dried plum,\nblack olive, mild meat ragout, black morello cherry, blond Virginia tobacco,\nchestnut honey to finish with woody notes of episperm (it is the sweet from the\nskin of the boiled chestnut).<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the palate the body is medium, explosive and then calms down and leaves room for freshness. The wine is well balanced thanks also to its flavor. The tannins are sweet, silky, broad (6\/6-) and thick. Its taste persistence is long with a red cherry finish. Fortunately, the intrusiveness of the wood is no longer the same as in past years. The woodwinds are now French, less intrusive than the previous ones which were Hungarian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (94\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n BUIANO – ANTINORI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chianti Classico D.O.C.G. Great selection, 2021\nvintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n production area\nCastellina in Chianti loc. La Caprara – 5hl tonneaux only. First year of\nproduction. Bottles produced n. 4860.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It has an intense purple-red appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Olfactory kaleidoscope composed of aromas of\nripe black morello cherry (it is riper than that of Badia), very balsamic of\nmint, eucalyptus and sage. The olfactory journey continues with notes of\nsmoking, red apple, linseed oil, rubber, black olive, fireplace wood ash, pear\nthigh, cinnamon to finish with pinches of wild strawberry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sip characterized by a medium plus continuous\nbody, without sagging. Flavor of dark red cherry and black morello cherry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcohol-freshness axis in perfect balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tannins are sweet, broad (6\/6–), initially\nsilky and then slightly drying the upper gum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its intense aromatic taste persistence is long. (95\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VILLA CIGLIANO – ANTINORI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chianti Classico D.O.C.G., Gran Selezione, 2021\nvintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Vineyards\nlocated in San Casciano Val di Pesa, only French barriques – bottles produced\nn. 5958<\/p>\n\n\n\n It has an intense purple-red appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The nose is initially a little shy but when it\nopens it is marked by aromas of black olive, starch (starch spray for ironing),\nmint, eucalyptus, cherry, ripe blackberry, bay leaves, intense sage, rosemary,\nblood orange, damp earth, pomegranate, pear thigh , finishing with puffs of pea\npeel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When tasted it has a medium body (rounder and\nsofter than Buiano)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blackberry flavor. Beautiful freshness that\ncompletely envelops the alcoholic mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tannins are sweet, broad (6\/6) initially\nsilky and then slightly drying the upper gum. Its taste persistence is long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can feel the maturity of the Sangiovese. (96\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n SAN SANO – ANTINORI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Classic Chianti D.O.C.G. Gran Selezione, 2021\nvintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The vineyards\nare in Gaiole – Tonnenaux 12 hl, bottles produced n. 5000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Intense purple red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aromas of black morello cherry, linseed oil,\nmint, eucalyptus, liquorice, peeled tomatoes, pea peel, ink, burnt wood ember,\ndog rose, finishing with flavors of ripe blackberry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Upon tasting, it has a medium plus body,\ndelicate at the same time and has a very light acetic acid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well balanced wine with the alcoholic mass\nsilenced by freshness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tannins are sweet, broad (6\/6–), ripe,\ninitially silky and then dry the upper gum a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its taste persistence is long. (95\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n SOLAIA – ANTINORI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Toscana Rosso IGT, 2021 vintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (grape variety: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20%\nSangiovese and 5% Cabernet Franc)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Intense purple\nred – black coat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rich, explosive olfactory system, made up of\naromas of fernet branca, mint (wood), plum, blackberry, cassis, intense\nblueberry, eucalyptus, black truffle, black pepper, linseed oil, starch (starch\nspray for ironing), licorice to finish with an intense scent of rubber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The taste is an explosion of cassis and\nblueberry. The body is medium plus and the wine is well balanced with the\nfreshness that completely envelops the alcoholic mass. The tannins are\nperfectly ripe and rich, sweet, broad (6\/6-) and silky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its intense aromatic persistence is very long\nwith a fruity finish of blackberry, cassis, plum and blueberries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beautiful mouth, endless flavors!.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If it had completely wide tannins it would have\nreceived maximum points. I remember that the 2015 had completely wide tannins\nof 100\/100 and the 2016 had less wide tannins than the 2015, 98\/100.(99\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For those who haven’t been there yet, I suggest going to the Cantinetta Antinori in Florence where you can eat excellent dishes and taste the wines of the Antinori property. This restaurant is often frequented by me with guests and friends for both lunch and dinner. The staff in the dining room is made up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14902,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[463],"class_list":["post-14917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized","tag-renzo-cotarella","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG-20240405-WA0024.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pav13q-3SB","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14917"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14921,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14917\/revisions\/14921"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}