Mostly Sangiovese wth a tenth of Cabernet, Marchese Riserva is a bottling of the best Chianti Classico vintages, only ever made out of the finest parcels harvested from the most renowned Antinori estate blocks around the the elite communes of Mercatale Val di Pesa, Tignanello, Badia a Passignano and Peppoli. The management of vines is fundamental to achieving the highest quality fruit, especially in the case of Sangiovese.

After destemming the parcels of grapes and a gentle press, the musts are gently moved to fermenters for maceration. A regimen of pumpovers and delestage is employed throughout the vinification. Sangiovese maintains contact with skins for approximately twelve days, Cabernet for a little over two weeks. By the end of year, batches are treated to a spontaneous malolactic in a selection of 225 litres, second and third use oak barriques, followed by fourteen months maturation in small oak barrels. The great potential of the young components is determined through a barrel by barrel sampling to assemble the final wine, bottled and aged for another year before release.