Tenuta di Trinoro Toscana IGT Tenuta di Trinoro 2020 (750ml) *
Not sold online
Description
Cabernet Franc rarely gets to speak this plainly in Tuscany, but the flagship red from Tenuta di Trinoro hands it the floor. The 2020 is an almost pure expression, 92% Cabernet Franc rounded out with 8% Merlot, bottled as a Toscana IGT. It's a departure from the Merlot-heavy 2019, and the first vintage the estate has held back for an extra year of bottle age before release, which makes it the newest one to reach the market. Production was small, roughly 6,000 bottles.
This is a more open, slightly leaner reading of the wine than usual, and that turns out to be a virtue rather than a shortcoming. The Cabernet Franc brings dark-toned intensity and firm tannin, while the touch of Merlot adds a plush black-cherry softness, the two knitting together with real balance. Expect ripe black berries and black cherry threaded with cocoa, spice, cream, and a note of cola, all lifted by fresh, crunchy acidity and a savory, floral edge on the finish. The texture is generous and already showing complexity, and while the aromatics are still unwinding, the overall impression is one of poise rather than sheer power.
Product Details
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Expert Reviews
The flagship wine from Tenuta di Trinoro is this gorgeous blend of 92% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot. The 2020 Tenuta di Trinoro follows on the heels of the 2019 vintage that earned a perfect 100-point score. The 2020 vintage is more open-knit for sure, but it offers a very special view onto Cabernet Franc in particular. The plush black cherry softness of the Merlot is aligned magically with the dark intensity and tannic power of the Cabernet Franc. The fruit ripeness is impeccable and there are no green tones, nor are there any overripe nuances. Everything comes together with balance. For the first time, this wine is being released with an extra year of bottle age. 6,000 bottles were made. (Wine Advocate, May 2023)
2020 continues the recent trend at Trinoro of only using Cabernet Franc and Merlot; but while 2019 represented the largest proportion of Merlot ever, 2020 switches this around to produce an almost pure Cabernet Franc wine, with just 8% Merlot. And it's with this vintage that Trinoro adds an additional 12 months of maturation in bottle before release – hence this is the newest vintage on the market. Summer heat and drought was followed by four days of rain at the end of September and beginning of October, which cooled temperatures sufficiently to help preserve some acidity and aroma, just before harvest commenced for the Cabernet Franc, from 8-10 October. Balsamic, ripe and fresh, there's a lovely richness of black berries and black cherry, with notes of cream, cocoa, wood, spice and cola. Super-textural and already complex, it shows a slightly fresher character than 2019, with delicious sapidity on the mid-palate and crunchy acidity. This has the potential to be a great Trinoro in the future, but only 6,000 bottles produced. (Decanter, March 2023)
The 2020 Tenuta di Trinoro is sensual and racy but also not as opulent as it can be. That's not necessarily a bad thing at all. Sweet floral, spice and savory top notes meld into a core of dark-toned fruit. Overall, the 2020 feels like a smaller-scaled, somewhat slender Tenuta that is likely to drink well on the early side, given that aromatics are developing. Pretty floral and spice notes lift the finish nicely. This is a classy Tenuta but not quite the powerhouse of most years. This is the first time Tenuta di Trinoro is being released with an extra year in bottle. I suspect it may be going through a closed phase given how the rest of the 2020s showed last year. We will see. (Vinous, August 2023)