Deep Cover: Guess what wine held the #3 spot on Wine Spectator Top-100 list last year?

The 2021 Tignanello, of course, the one you’re looking at. Need more to be told, spare multiple 98 point reviews, and the best price in the US?

Per the Wine Spectator spectacle “our editors’ picks for the top 10 terroirs around the world include this site that became a cradle for the rebirth of this historic wine region. The 2021 vintage marks the 50th anniversary of this iconic super Tuscan, the brainchild of Piero Antinori with the help of the late Giacomo Tachis and Bordeaux enologist Émile Peynaud. A game changer for Tuscany and Italy, Tignanello remains one of Italy’s greatest reds, revealing added finesse and purity from this superb harvest. Antinori CEO and head winemaker Renzo Cotarella considers 2021 his best vintage in a storied career. He and the Antinori team continue to refine the oak treatment, and earlier blending of the grape varieties used (Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc) has improved both the precision and expression of the Tignanello vineyard.”

And their tasting note, along with others, is all you need to snag as much as your budget allows. In the day and age of thousand-dollar Super Tuscans, there’s not much to ponder with one of the most iconic ever, at a price you’ll never see again. We advise to go by the case.

98 Points – Wine Advocate “Marchesi Antinori General Manager Renzo Cotarella tells me that 2021 is the best vintage he has ever overseen. Ever. He prefers it to recent classics like 2016 and 2010. There was frost in the spring, and the growing cycle was very long. This is something that most grapes, and especially Sangiovese, need in order to exhibit aromatic depth and flavor complexity. “This is an exceptional year,” he says, citing the inner energy certainly exhibited by the wines from 2021. …zoom in on one wine and my money is on the 2021 Tignanello over everything else. First made in 1971, this legendary Italian wine now celebrates its 50th birthday. Happy Birthday, Tignanello! The Marchesi Antinori 2021 Tignanello (made with 79% Sangiovese, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc) pulls on all the heartstrings. To be released in May, the wine shows a quintessentially pretty taste profile with tart fruit flavors, redcurrant, tea leaf, heritage rose, crushed white pepper, licorice, nutmeg, clove and chopped mint. It opens slowly to reveal more richness and exuberance with time, becoming downright voluptuous and heady a short while later. The through line, however, remains the bright freshness and minerality of Sangiovese. Compared to the 2018 vintage (which I also loved), this vintage has more overall fruit weight and volume. Drink 2025-2048”

98 Points – Vinous “I can’t say I am surprised by how magnicent the 2021s are at the Antinori family’s Tignanello estate, as the wines were superb from the very beginning. The year featured an unusual set of conditions that gave birth to wines of exquisite nesse. Frost in spring was not materially damaging to the plants, but it did cause a slowdown in vine growth. From there, the season was dry and warm but without excesses. The critical nal phase of ripening took place under moderate conditions, which allowed for a long hang time that compensated for the slow start and allowed for full maturation of tannin. Some of that is good fortune. Had the nal phase of the year seen excessively warm temperatures, the spring frost would have been a liability. Instead, it turned out to be a positive. Tignanello and Solaia are both marked by extreme elegance that is the result of an optimal growing season and the more refined approach that CEO Renzo Cotarella and his team ushered in with the 2004 vintage. Gentler winemaking, a more refined use of oak in aging and an increase in Cabernet Franc in the wines are among the recent developments here. I can’t recommend these wines highly enough. The 2021 Tignanello is every bit as impressive from bottle as it was from barrel and then just after bottling. Silky and polished, with exceptional finesse, the 2021 has all the pedigree to become a modern benchmark for Tignanello and Italian wine more broadly. Bright dark red fruit, blood orange, spice, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco all soar out of the glass, framed by a discreet touch of French oak that adds raciness. In some vintages, the elements are discernible. In 2021, it is the total harmony of the wine that makes the strongest and deepest impression. The 2021 spent 17 months in wood, three months in neutral oak during the malolactic fermentation and then 14 months (50% new) for the rest of its aging. Superb. Drink 2027-2051”

98 Points – James Suckling “The density and structure is very impressive here, with blackberry, blueberry and blackcurrant character. It’s medium-bodied with vertical tannins that take you down and deep, with undertones of bark and black earth. Muscular and toned with finesse and seemingly endless length. A terrific Tignanello that reminds me of the legendary 1997, but more precise. Needs two or three years to open.”

97 Points – Wine Spectator “Laced with pure cherry, strawberry, graphite and tobacco aromas and flavors, this red is beautifully supported by a backbone of vibrant acidity and taut, refined tannins. Everything is framed by vanilla and toasty oak in the best sense, revealing harmony, with a long, orange-tinged finish and, yes, even drinkability at this stage. Best to give this a few more years in the bottle. Best from 2027 through 2045”