Tenuta di Trinoro: Not a big name, but a VERY BIG wine!

98/100 points from Robert Parker (indeed: higher than Masseto and Sassicaia)

A Super Tuscan that doesn't immediately get your ears pricked up. It is not (yet) a big name like Sassicaia or Ornelaia. However, insiders prick up their ears when it comes to Tenuta di Trinoro Rosso Toscana. This wine receives higher scores than the famous Super Tuscans. It is also remarkably direct and tasty. It is not like a red Bordeaux and is, moreover, much more complex than most Italian Bordeaux blends. You get all kinds of surprises from this beautiful, iconic wine. Just like the other Super Tuscans, it does not qualify for any DOC. It is sold as an IGT.

Andrea Franchetti’s Tenuta di Trinoro Toscana Rosso is a dark, full-bodied, and concentrated red blend. It displays a good amount of power and ripe, fruity appeal. There is a beautiful fullness and opulence here that thickly envelops the palate with notes of blackberries, rum cake, roasted meat, and black licorice. This blend of 59% Cabernet Franc and 41% Merlot offers aromas of spices, mahogany, and some of the grilled herbs (rosemary or mint) you associate with Cabernet. The finish is super long and rich, with elegant tannins and a persistent fruit momentum. You really go full throttle with this wine. However, only a little over 7,000 bottles were produced.

Changing Blends

Of all his wines, the flagship Tenuta di Trinoro Rosso Toscana offers the greatest insight into Andrea Franchetti’s approach to winemaking. The patented blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot, grown on soils of limestone, alluvial plains, and clay, changes every year based on which grapes are the best of that harvest, without a predetermined recipe, formula, or even flavor profile. This Super Tuscan wine showcases the distinctive terroir and the grapes of this remote estate at the furthest frontiers of viticulture in Tuscany. Franchetti’s distinct style is clearly visible in every wine and every vintage. Richness and structure, depth of flavor and complexity—these are the hallmarks of his wines.

Andrea Franchetti; an unconventional wine producer

Andrea Franchetti, an unconventional, artistic, and somewhat eccentric scion of the Cinzano empire, has achieved his goal. With the initial advisory assistance of his famous friends Peter Sisseck (Pingus) and Jean-Luc Thunevin (Chateau Valandraud) and the experience he gained in Bordeaux, Andrea Franchetti now produces red wines that rank among the best in Italy. In the remote southern Brunello region, he has found a characteristic combination of balance, structure, and strength that is unmatched in Italy. At most, his Passopisciaro vineyard in Sicily can rival it.

Super Tuscans of exceptional class and beauty

The wines are very dark and rich in extract, and the late harvest time results in a particularly rich and fully ripe flavor. Red wines of this caliber simply require a longer aging period to allow their potential to fully come to fruition. Not a wine for every day, but this one Super Tuscans undoubtedly belong to the greatest wines of the world.

Awards:

score: 98+ pnt. Robertparker.com
score: 97 pnt. Vinous.com
score: 99 pnt. Falstaff
score: 5/5 grappoli Bibenda