Antinori Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva 1999

Piero Antinori is a firm believer in the Burgundian concept of terroir—the idea that the combination of different elements in one highly specific site—primarily soil, exposure, elevation, climate and grape variety, clone, and cultivation make the wine what it is. Because of this, Antinori has purchased estates with unique viticultural attributes, concentrated primarily in central Italy, Tuscany and Umbria. As a Tuscan he believes that the soul of a wine is equally important as it is the reflection of man’s traditions, values, culture, foods, and passions. To succeed at best expressing what a vineyard, grape, and a winemaker can achieve requires constant trial and error, both in the vineyard and in the winery. At Marchesi Antinori, these experiments include a wide range of different grape varieties and clones, planted in a variety of vineyards, different styles and sizes of fermentors as well as techniques of fermentation; barrel types and sizes; length of barrel and bottle aging.