The Antinori family has been involved in the production of wine since 1385 when Giovanni di Piero Antinori became a member of the “Arte Fiorentina”, the Winemakers’ Guild of the city of Florence. During this entire long period, through twenty six generations, the family has always directly managed this work with courageous and, at times, innovative decisions. But always while maintaining a fundamental respect for tradition and for the territory in which they have operated.
Estates currently under the Marchesi Antinori wine empire include Tignanello, Badia a Passignano, Guado Al Tasso, Castello della Sala, Pian Delle Vigne, Peppoli, and Montenisa. While the core of the family's properties and production are focused in Tuscany, additional properties have expanded their regional diversity to include Orvieto Classico and Franciacorta.
The Tenuta Tignanello estate is located between the Greve and Pesa river valleys in the heart of the Chianti Classico appellation. In these 127 hectares (320 acres) of vineyards, the Antinori family, more than anywhere else, has expressed its principles and working philosophy: reconcile tradition and modernity with wines which are strictly and authentically tied to their territories of origin. Solaia and Tignanello, the two iconic wines of the estate, have been defined by the international press as “among the most influential wines in the viticultural history of Italy” and are a constant symbol for the Antinori family of a continuous challenge, one driven by pure passion.
The Guado al Tasso estate is located approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) to the southwest of the city of Florence, near the medieval hamlet of Bolgheri in the Upper Maremma. Once part of a fiefdom of some 4,048 hectares (over 10,000 acres), today the 1000 hectare/2500 acre property extends from the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the inland hills, where the vineyards are cultivated on rocky and slightly calcareous soils. Of these, 300 are under vines which are planted to Vermentino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot along with small quantities of other grape varieties. In the 1930’s this property was inherited by Carlotta Della Gherardesca who married into the Antinori family.
Today the firm is run by Marquis Piero Antinori with the support of his three daughters, Albiera, Allegra, and Alessia. Tradition, passion, and intuition have been the three driving principles which have led the Marquis Antinori firm to become a leader in Italian wine.