• Antica - Napa Valley

Antica - Napa Valley

The Antinori’s family’s winemaking history has been synonymous with the famed wine growing regions of Tuscany and Umbria since its inception more than six centuries ago, when Giovanni di Piero Antinori entered the “Arte Fiorentina,” the Winemakers’ Guild of Florence, in 1385. Today the firm is run by Piero Antinori and his three daughters: Albiera, Allegra, and Alessia. Throughout its storied past, the family has managed this work with a fundamental respect for tradition and the territory in which they have operated. Today, their wines are among the most recognized and highly rated of Italy. The cornerstone of the family’s philosophy has been that quality is a long-term and ongoing commitment, and the Antinori family’s centuries of successful wine production is due in no small part to this commitment. It’s what gives the family a perspective that is unique in the wine world, and allows them to think beyond a single vintage or a single place, and to make bold choices while remaining true to the tradition, culture and taste of Antinori wines. Which is why they have also sought to tap the potential of wine regions beyond Italy. “Ancient roots play an important role in our work, but have never been a limit to our innovative spirit,” says Marchese Piero Antinori. So the estates in Tuscany and Umbria have been joined, over time, by investments in other territories with potential for high-quality wine—which is what attracted Piero Antinori to the Napa Valley as early as the 1960s, and led to the establishment of Antica Napa Valley. Beyond new sites, the Antinori firm constantly seeks ways, big and small, to further quality, both in the vineyards and in the cellars. These efforts include experimenting with: new clones of grape varieties; cultivation techniques; vineyard altitudes; fermentation practices and temperatures; types of oak for aging; the sizes and age of the casks and barrels; and aging times both in the barrel and the bottle.