Lodovico Antinori reviews his Tuscan career and Tenuta del Nicchio

Corney & Barrow managing director Adam Brett-Smith opened the lunch by recalling an introduction dated 29 January 1997, involving a lunch and an English white bull terrier. His friendship and commercial relationship with Lodovico Antinori went back further, and the merchant had been exclusive distributor for almost 10 years. The Buyer characterised their bond as founded on trust, meals and handshakes. As the 2 men reminisced, the article’s writer—not Brett-Smith—observed that such personal relationships were increasingly giving way to paperwork, emails and Zoom calls.¹

An independent Tuscan route

When their father Niccolò withdrew from the family business, Piero took charge of Marchesi Antinori, while Lodovico sold his stake in 1980 and pursued independence. Lodovico founded Tenuta dell’Ornellaia in Bolgheri, home to Ornellaia and Masseto, as Piero expanded the family company and Tignanello’s standing. Their paths remained separate for more than 20 years. After Ornellaia’s 2002 sale, Lodovico developed nearby land that became Biserno and then Lodovico. Tenuta di Biserno also made Lodovico, Piero and their sister Ilaria partners for the first time.¹

Lodovico from 2021 to 2007

The tasting ran backwards from Lodovico 2021 to the first vintage, 2007, before guests representing around 10 Michelin stars. Antinori sought opinions from the sommeliers and sometimes the writer as the courses and pairings progressed. The writer found the Cabernet Franc-led 2021 more precise, restrained and firm, in keeping with a cooler year; the 2020 showed more flowers and fruit, with a gentler structure and easier early appeal. Antinori said rising temperatures in the early 2000s had led him to favour Cabernet Franc over Merlot at the coastal site, which he called Tuscany’s Saint-Émilion. The writer concluded that older bottles showed Lodovico could mature well while remaining accessible young in suitable vintages.¹

The unexpected Ornellaia 1987

Antinori went to his Tuscan cellar for Ornellaia 1997, then realised from its grey rather than red label that he had selected 1987. He opened it anyway: no wine had travelled up the cork, the colour remained deep and he remembered it as strikingly youthful. Lodovico and Sophia exchanged smiles. The writer saw both a look back and a sign of Lodovico’s hopes for what might follow.¹

Older vintages and a new chapter

Antinori praised Corney & Barrow for retaining mature vintages, unlike what he described as Italy’s preference for current releases. He estimated that he owned only 6 or 7 bottles of Lodovico 2007, while the merchant still held stock. The writer said tasting across the years revealed the wine’s development and the endurance of its founding ideas. Antinori also recalled André Tchelistcheff’s influence on his thinking and style; Tchelistcheff had urged him to stay in Bolgheri because he believed in that part of Tuscany. The Buyer presented Tenuta del Nicchio, being developed by Lodovico with Sophia Antinori, as another chapter and interpreted the lunch as a handover rather than an ending; it specified neither a timetable nor Sophia’s responsibilities. The publication disclosed that Corney & Barrow, UK importer and seller of Lodovico wines, is its commercial partner.¹