Estate Nights | Dinner with Marchesi Antinori

“Passion, patience and the continual pursuit of high quality”

We were thrilled to join forces with Marchesi Antinori for the second of our Estate Nights dinners this September. Hosted by Luca Soldo, UK Ambassador for Marchesi Antinori, at the estate’s recently opened restaurant in London – Cantinetta Antinori – we tasted our way through a fantastic range of wines and courses.

Upon arrival…

Proceedings commenced with an aperitif of Fattoria Aldobrandesca’s ‘A’ Rosato IGT 2023 (which aligned perfectly with what appears to have been the last day of summer sunshine in London!) whilst we were joined by our guests for the evening. Named ‘A’ after the Antinori family, Aldobrandesca estate and the ancient grape variety used to create it, Aleatico, the wine comes from a somewhat unknown estate in Southern Tuscany with volcanic soils and is the most Provencal style of rosé in the Antinori range.

As we took our seats, deliciously warm rosemary foccacia with olive oil were served alongside the 2023 vintage of Guado al Tasso Vermentino di Bolgheri DOC – described by Luca as a refeshing alternative to Sauvignon Blanc, with lovely minerality and aromatics. The wine was then paired with our first course of Yellowtail sashimi, truffle, with Sicilian lemon and soy sauce. Luca soon introduced us to the Antinori family and their illustrious winemaking history; orginally starting as a negociant business, the modern Antinori estate we all know and love was developed over the last 80 to 90 years under Marchesi Piero Antinori’s leadership and guidance. Having taken over the family business at just 27 years old, Piero pursued his vision to create a top class wine in Chianti and change production from quantity to quality – and as such, Tignanello was born.

Just like magic, the Tignanello IGT 2021 was then served to our guests with an outstanding homemade pasta of Veal and Nobile di Montepulciano ragu’ pappardelle. Expressing the vineyard and the vintage is key to Tignanello and the 2021 was showing wonderfully this evening. As Luca put it, Tignanello exudes freshness and a drinkability that has made it part of the Italian tradition of wining and dinning with friends and family. Naturally, after the Primi pasta course, we moved onto the showstopping Secondi of Bistecca alla Fiorentina – a staple of any great Italian restaurant, and Cantinetta Antinori proved no exception. The size of this course easily warranted the pairing of two of Antinori’s wines: Guado al Tasso Bolgheri DOC Superiore 2021 and Guado al Tasso Matarocchio DOC Superiore 2017. The former showed refined elegance and grace, composed of a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and an increasing percentage of Cabernet Franc. The latter was a new wine for many guests at the table – as production of Matarocchio is tiny, with only about 5,000 produced each year. The tasting was an enthralling experience and suggested the wine, made from 100% Cabernet Franc, could well be the best expression of Cabernet Franc in the area. A selection of cheeses were chosen to pair with the final wine of the night – Guado al Tasso San Walfredo DOC Superiore 2021. For many, this was the highlight of the evening, and this is one of the first times the wine has been shown in the UK. The wine is also an exception to the rule of the general Antinori style, exuding a richness and intensity that is evidence of the wine’s longevity yet was still fresh and defintely drinkable in its youth.