2021 Tenuta Monteloro Villa Antinori Pinot Bianco

Whoever says 'wine' in Italy says 'Antinori'! This family has been making wine for more than six centuries. With respect for the traditions of the Tuscan country, 26 successive generations of Antinori have been involved in this. It is the eye for tradition and innovation that has made the house of Antinori what it is today: the top of Italy.

Villa Antinori is an important part of the Antinori wine empire as its name is associated with over 100 years of history and is where the Villa Antinori Rosso and highly sought after Villa Antinori Bianco are made.

Villa Antinori was originally produced in 1928 by Marchese Niccolò Antinori as a Chianti Classico that could age and improve over time. Shortly afterwards, Villa Antinori already became a highly sought after wine in the most prestigious cellars of embassies, royal houses, important hotels and restaurants. In 1931, Villa Antinori Bianco was made from traditional Trebbiano grapes. In the 1980s, a small percentage of Chardonnay was added to give the wine a better structure.

The 2020 growing season will be remembered as one of the coolest in the past five years on the Tenuta Monteloro estate. Well distributed rainfall and average temperatures and even a little below seasonal averages until mid-July. These climatic conditions encouraged slow, normal growth of the vines and promoted an optimal, balanced vegetative cycle. August was warm with scattered rainfall during the last days of the month guaranteeing temperature fluctuations of about 10°C between day and night making a wine elegant with ample fruit and acidity. By harvest time in mid-September, Pinot Bianco reached ideal maturity with an excellent balance between sugar concentrations, acidity and aromatic components.

The harvested grapes were destemmed and gently pressed. The must was cooled to a temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) to aid natural clarification. After 48 hours, the clarified must was transferred to temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks where alcoholic fermentation took place at a temperature not exceeding 16°C (61°F). The wine was aged in stainless steel tanks at a temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) until bottling started at the end of February 2021.

Only grapes from the very best Pinot Blanc vineyards on the Monteloro Estate, located in the hills behind Fiesole, are used to make Villa Antinori. This is one of the historic wines of the Antinori family that has acquired a new expression capable of expressing the harmony and sensations of an ancient area known for the production of white wines.

The Villa Antinori Pinot Bianco is straw yellow in color with greenish hues. In the nose it is refined and elegant with notes of tropical fruit and hints of paprika, a bit of spice and a hint of citrus. The taste is full and rich with a long mineral aftertaste.