Tenuta di Trinoro 2019

“This is a stunning wine and one of the best in this report covering the icons of Tuscany. The 2019 Tenuta di Trinoro is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. Fruit is sourced from the very best parcels, and the blending formula changes according to vintage and the style desired by vintner Andrea Franchetti. These vineyard parcels vary in altitude, ranging from 400 to 600 meters above sea level, and the soils are quite varied with pockets of clay, sand and rock. The Trinoro is profoundly deep and pure with a solid core of black fruit that is framed by an elegant contour of spice, tobacco, smoke and crushed stone. To the palate, the wine is long and the finish can be counted in minutes, but the entire experience is beautifully streamlined and velvety. This vintage saw an important freeze event on the 7th of May, and 9,000 fire candles were lit in the lower vineyard blocks to fight off frost damage. Drink: 2023-2048. 100 points

“Tenuta di Trinoro is a vast mosaic of soil types,” says proprietor Andrea Franchetti, who lives in a rustic farmhouse overlooking the vines. The high-density vines are over 20 years old and their root systems are fully developed. The estate counts 23 hectares of vines between 400 and 620 meters in altitude. Cabernet Franc and Merlot are the heart of the estate, and there are smaller plots of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot as well. High-density planting, fruit selection in the vineyard, low yields, full phenolic ripeness and concentration give these wines a unique and unmistakable personality, Franchetti explains: “The wines are extreme in their perfumes, color and taste. They can be enjoyed in the near term but are also built for long aging.””

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (10/21)