Tignanello 1971 was first released in 1974.
Two bottles of the debut Tignanello 1971 vintage sourced directly from the Tuscany-based estate each sold above their high estimates at a Christie’s auction in London on Tuesday 26 November.
One fetched £813 and the other £750, including buyer’s premium, versus a pre-sale estimate range of £300 to £500 per bottle.
Christie’s hosted the sale to mark 50 years since Italian winemaking family Antinori first released Tignanello.
A decision to create a Sangiovese-led wine with small amounts of classic ‘Bordeaux’ grape varieties, outside of the Chianti Classico denomination, means Tignanello is considered a pioneer of the SuperTuscan phenomenon.
Christie’s offered nearly every Tignanello vintage at auction this week. Single bottles of Tignanello 1978 and 1979 also sold for £813 each, including buyer’s premium, outpacing a high estimate of £300 per bottle.
‘The saleroom was buzzing with many bidders competing for a piece of vinous history of this world-famous Italian super-Tuscan,’ said Tim Triptree MW, international director for Christie’s wines & spirits department. All lots sold, he said.
Other highlights included:
Nine magnums of Tignanello 2000 – 2009 sold for £5,250 (high estimate: £4,000). There is no Tignanello 2002 vintage. Three double magnums (3x300cl) of Tignanello 1999 – 2001 sold for £5,000 (high e: £2,800). A 225-litre barrel of Tignanello 2024, scheduled for release in 2027, sold for £47,000 (e: £24,000 to £50,000).
A lot featuring the current-release Tignanello 2021 vintage, including a 12-litre bottle and overnight trip to the estate via private jet, also
