Category	Red Wine
Varietals	Sangiovese Merlot
Region	Italy, Tuscany, Chianti Classico
Brand	Antinori
Alcohol/vol	14%

This is tight on the palate with cherries and berries and hints of toasted oak and cedar. It’s medium-bodied and compact, with fine tannins and a fresh finish. Lovely fruit at the end. Drink or hold.

This medium-bodied red opens with aromas of menthol, ripe plum, violet and tobacco. The elegantly structured palate offers tart red cherry, star anise and coffee bean accompanied by polished, fine-grained tannins. Drink through 2026.

An intense red, with an accent of vanilla shading the cherry, raspberry, woodsy and tobacco flavors. On the long finish, a resinous note emerges as this winds down. Although balanced, this still needs time to integrate the oaky elements. Drink now through 2033. 6,000 cases imported.

The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva Villa Antinori shows the mid-weight style of the year nicely. Silky and aromatic, the 2018 is super-expressive right out of the gate. Dark red cherry, spice, menthol and leather build into the gracious, persistent finish. This is very nicely done.

This wine sources its fruit from across the Chianti Classico appellation, as Marchesi Antinori has access to parcels throughout the various comuni represented. The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva Villa Antinori opens to a sweet note of summer cherry and wild plum that is so characteristic of Sangiovese. The wine is shapely and soft with some distant oak spice, blue flower and potting soil. A small part of Merlot is blended in to add that extra plushness that I have described. Production is an ample 378,000 bottles.