On the heels of his July purchase (with Ste Michelle Wine Estates) of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Piero Antinori has released the first vintage of his own Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Antica, made by his chief winemaker in Tuscany, Renzo Cotarella, from grapes grown in the Atlas Peak appellation.
I haven’t yet tasted Antica – “ancient” in Italian, and a combination of “Antinori” and “California” – which is all gone, thanks to advance sales mostly to restaurants. But at $50, Antica is a relative bargain by Napa standards, and it’s unthinkable that Antinori would debut a wine that wasn’t...