Santa Cristina Toscana (2023)

About this wine

This 2023 Santa Cristina Toscana is a fruit forward blend led by Sangiovese with Merlot contributing flesh and roundness. The varieties were fermented separately and macerated for about a week in stainless steel, with malolactic fermentation completed before maturation. Most of the wine aged in stainless steel, with a small portion finished in barriques which adds a light vanilla and cocoa note. On the nose expect ripe cherry, redcurrant and a touch of violet, followed by gentle spice. The palate is smooth and approachable, medium bodied, with juicy red fruit, soft integrated tannins and a clean, slightly savory finish. The wine is made in San Casciano Val di Pesa in Tuscany and typically sits around 13 to 13.5 percent alcohol according to producer technical notes and retail listings.

About the grape

Sangiovese is the backbone of this Tuscan blend, a vine native to central Italy with a long history in the region and planted by Antinori on local well drained soils where it is often trained to balance vigor and ripeness. Merlot was brought from Bordeaux and long adopted in Tuscany to add early ripening and roundness, and here it is grown and vinified separately so the cellar can control extraction and blending. For the 2023 Santa Cristina the varieties were fermented in stainless steel at moderate temperatures with about a week of maceration, and maturation was completed mainly in tank with a small portion resting in oak barrels. The Santa Cristina project itself dates back to 1946 under Marchese Niccolò Antinori, and the estate has consistently used Sangiovese and international varieties like Merlot to create a reliable Tuscan table wine.

Quick facts

• 🎉 Santa Cristina was first produced in 1946, making it a post war creation that grew into one of Antinori’s most enduring everyday wines
• 🏰 The wine comes from the estate group tied to the Antinori family, a winemaking dynasty that traces its documented history back to 1385
• 🔄 In the 1990s the label was moved under the more flexible Toscana IGT rules so Antinori could reintroduce Merlot into the blend, giving the wine a softer, fruitier side
• 🌊 Santa Cristina is not just one bottle, it is a whole family that includes unexpected stars like a Vermentino and even sparkling releases, showing Antinori’s playful variety at an everyday price point
• 🏗️ Antinori opened a modern cellar named for Santa Cristina in 2006, it was designed to combine advanced winemaking technology with visits that let people see production from vine to bottle

Palate profile

Producer

Marchesi Antinori, established in 1385 by Giovanni di Piero Antinori, is one of the world's oldest family-owned wineries, now led by the 26th generation. The family has been instrumental in the 'Super Tuscan' revolution, notably with their Tignanello wine introduced in 1971. Their state-of-the-art winery in Bargino, Tuscany, inaugurated in 2012, seamlessly blends innovative architecture with the surrounding landscape. Beyond winemaking, the Antinori family has a longstanding tradition of supporting the arts, exemplified by their Antinori Art Project, which commissions contemporary artworks for their estates.