Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo DOCG 2016

GARDININOTES.COM – 99+
Historic estate in the Montalcino appellation, enhanced by an impressive zoning activity and minimal environmental impact. The firm’s flagship: aromas of alcohol-infused sour cherries and caper on the nose, a hint of bay leaf on the finish. Saltiness in the mouth and salty closing.

WINES CRITIC – 99  
Egocentrico e ricco di personalità imposta grazia e precisione d’esecuzione toccando punte di innaturale bellezza. Delicato e al contempo performante mostra note floreali di canfora, ibisco, gerani, acacia e sambuco. In sottofondo la performance principale viene dalla potenza del succo di mandarino ben fuso a note di caramello salato e prezzemolo tritato. Corpo medio-pieno, tannini incredibilmente setosi all’ingresso al palato ed un finale succoso e brillante che vibra dal centro palato fino alla chiusura sapida e succosa. Che stile! Da una vigna di 4,4 ettari con esposizione est-ovest.
Solo 5200 bottiglie prodotte. Meglio dal 2021

WINE ENTHUSIAST – 98
Made with vines that average 55 years old, this fragrant, single-vineyard Brunello boasts aromas of violet, menthol,
wild berry and spice. Loaded with class and finesse, the delicious, full-bodied palate features Marasca cherry, raspberry
compote, blood orange, licorice and a hint of coffee alongside polished, velvety tannins. A salty mineral note lingers on
the finish. Drink 2024–2046.

INTRAVINO – 98
Lamponi, mentine e ribes nero, carnoso, sapido, sontuoso nel suo incedere, dolce eppure piccante e sapido salato, lunghezza e piacevolezza tannica fuori scala.
Andrea Gori 98 (Emanuele Giannone 96)

DOCTOR WINE – 98

JAMES SUCKLING – 97
Dried cherries, oyster mushrooms, black olives and citrus oil. It’s full-bodied with sleek, ultra fine tannins and a lifted finish. Layers of sour-cherry, bark and umami notes. Burgundian sensibility with purity and intensity. Wait a few years for this to open up. Drink after 2023.

VINOUS – ERIC GUIDO – 97
Dusty black cherry gives way to a mix of cocoa, tobacco, candied ginger and smoke as the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo blossoms in the glass. Its sheer density is something to be hold, delivered in velvety waves of opulent red fruits, with hints of tangerine that motivate, setting the entire experience and keeping it fresh and deeply seductive. Fie tannins and minerals mingle through the incredibly long, dramatic finale as the mouth waters for more. Licorice, cacao, plum; it just goes on and on. The 2016 is a rock star.

ROBERT PARKER WINE ADVOCATE 2016 – 96+ (recensito da Monica Larner)
This special single-vineyard wine comes from a 3.5-hectare site with vines 50- or 60-something years old. The Argiano 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo (with only 5,000 bottles produced) opens to warm earthy notes that evoke the name of the wine: “vineyard of the soil.” The fruit comes through in a second wave with dried raspberry, cassis and dried cherry. But that theme of earthiness permeates the entire experience and is evoked in the powdery dryness of the tannins too. These traits are characteristic of cement fermentation, which this wine does complete, but also of the calcareous marl soils of the site. This is an elegant wine that most certainly needs extra bottle time to gain in depth and volume. A special collaboration with tonnellerie Taransaud was started to create the custom 10-hectoliter oval casks used to age this 5,000-bottle production.
Drink date: 2024 – 2044

VINI BUONI D’ITALIA – CORONA

WINE SPECTATOR – 95
Aromas of wild rosemary and pine lead off in this racy red, which is permeated by flavors of cherry, raspberry and mineral. Vibrant and balanced, with the resonant tannins leaving a chalky feel on the finish. Shows fine intensity and length.
Best from 2024 through 2047. 415 cases made, 100 cases imported.

DECANTER – 95
Argiano’s oldest site, Vigna del Suolo boasts 65-year-old vines of very rare Sangiovese clones. Recent soil mapping with Chilean specialist Pedro Parra has also revealed significant limestone underpinnings in the vineyard. The 2016 sports a smoky, earthy, dusty nose punctuated by dried fennel. Ripe, chalky tannins are currently front and centre, needing time to cede, while sun-soaked berries underneath speak unabashedly of its southern origins. There is much lurking in this textured, packed Brunello, including orange, mint and a twist of salty sea air.

2021 DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS – 92 Silver Medal
Smokey bacon nose with aromas of violets and cassis and nuances of oak spice.
Crunchy structure with youthful ripe tannins.

JANCISROBINSON.COM – 17++/20
Numbered bottles, this is number 2,299 of 5,940.
Mid ruby. Firmer and more closed on the nose than the standard offering. A hint of cinnamon bark and iron. Tangy supple, generous cherry fruit that is not heavy, yet is mouth-filling and with fine coating tannins. Can be approached now. (WS) 14.5%
Drink 2021 – 2028

BIBENDA 2022 – 5 GRAPPOLI

GAMBERO ROSSO – 3 BICCHIERI + ROSSO DELL’ANNO

GUIDA VERONELLI – 3 STELLE ORO ***

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2015

JAMES SUCKLING – 96
This is very opulent with a beautiful texture. A juicy, full-bobied red with complex aromas of dried cherries and flowers, bark, cloves, toast and mushrooms. It’s full-bodied with great fruit and depth and sleek tannins. Long, refined finish. Drink from 2023.

WINES CRITIC – 96  

ROBERT PARKER WINE ADVOCATE – 95 (recensito da Monica Larner)
With DNA carefully shaped by Tuscan sunshine and golden light, the 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a textbook expression of the vintage. The wine reveals soft and ripe fruit with dark cherry, candied apricot, cola, medicinal herb and aniseed. There is depth and complexity, followed by a powerful mid-palate and textured tannins. This Riserva represents a special selection of fruit from across the estate’s 22 hectares of Brunello. The clay and limestone marl site is located at a breezy 280 to 310 meters above sea level. Production is very small, with just 1,700 bottles made.
Drink date: 2023 – 2040

DECANTER – 93
 Argiano’s Riserva comes from a select vineyard planted to one single clone, which gives wines with greater structure. It is the only one of the estate’s three Brunello still aged in small barrels, though the amount of new wood has decreased to 50%. This is well integrated, polished and balanced with lovely soft acidity. The nose is discreet, with warm earth, iron and tea, then opens to mint and tarragon. Sandy tannins stick to the palate with plenty of grip to bolster the sweet fruit. Just wants a little more focus.Drinking Window 2023 – 2033

Solengo 2018

JAMES SUCKLING – 96  
Blackberries, spice, walnuts and currants on the rose, following through to a full bodied, tight and dense palate, yet it’s agile and linear at the finish. Firm, layered tannins. This needs time to come around in the bottle. One for the cellar. Try after 2024.

FALSTAFF – 94  
Tiefdunkles, leuchtendes Granat mit Purpur. Elegante und duftende Nase nach reifer Himbeere und Kirsche, ein Hauch helles Leder, getrocknete Blutorange, im Nachhall elegante.Würze. Elegant auch am Gaumen, spannungsvoll, zeigt sich klar und präzise kompaktes Tannin breitet sich griffig über die Zunge, wirkt mineralisch, im Nachhall lang und klar.

WINE SPECTATOR – 93
A beam of pure blackberry, black currant, iron and earth flavors are accented by vanilla and coconut from the new oak. This red is dense, with nervous tannins that eventually dissolve into the fruit. Decant now and serve with a juicy, grilled steak or lamb chops, or wait 5 years. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Sangiovese. Best from 2024 through 2040.

BIBENDA 2022 – 5 GRAPPOLI

GUIDA VERONELLI – 3 STELLE ORO ***

Solengo 2019

GARDININOTES.COM – 99

JAMES SUCKLING – 96 
 This is very structured and linear with currants, blackberries, dried citrus, chocolate and some smokiness. It’s fullbodied, but very tight and structured. Flavorful finish. Try after 2024.

WINES CRITIC – 98

VINOUS | ERIC GUIDO – 96
The 2019 Solengo seduces with its richly decadent display of vanilla and mocha-tinged dark fruits and spices, which are wonderfully lifted by minty herbal tones and white smoke. This enters the palate like weighted velvet, smooth and fleshy at first, yet lively, as mineral-tinged black currants mix with fine-grained tannins, clamping down with youthful poise. Like the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove, this tapers off incredibly long and staining, with echoes of licorice beneath an air of cedar and tobacco; yet somehow, through it all, the palate is left watering for more. It will be many years before the 2019 is ready to show its best, but it will certainly be worth the wait. The Solengo is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Sangiovese that spends eighteen months refining in a combination of 60% new to 40% second-pass barriques.

ROBERT PARKER WINE ADVOCATE | MONICA LARNER – 95
Opening to a thick, blackish appearance, the Argiano 2019 Solengo is definitely more concentrated and tightly stitched together next to the 2018 edition. This is a supersized blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Petit Verdot, 20% Merlot and 5% Sangiovese that reveals the extra concentration of the vintage, and the important use of new and used French oak (for 18 months of aging), to create a texturally important and aromatically intense expression. The vines are planted in alluvial soils rich in sand and calcareous marl at 280 to 310 meters in elevation. The grapes are farmed organically and are relatively young, at up to 22 years of age. Plummy fruit and ripe blackberry segues to spice, tar and tobacco. This 2019 vintage shows better tannin management compared to the more astringent 2018 edition. Some 34,000 bottles (heavy glass bottles) were released – Drink Date 2024 – 2042.

ROSSO DI MONTALCINO DOC 2019

LUCA GARDINI – 95+ 
Anche nel Rosso di casa Argiano tutta la croccantezza e sapidità della materia prima. Sangiovese al 100%, naso di piccoli frutti rossi, lampone e ribes, poi alloro e tocchi balsamici, di macchia mediterranea, con bella iodatura finale, la bocca è tesa e densa, i tannini salmastri, il ritorno fruttato-officinale.
Also in the Red of Argiano we find all the crunchiness and sapidity of the raw material. Sangiovese pure 100%, the nose reveals scents of small red fruits, raspberry and red currant, then laurel and balsamic hints, from Mediterranean scrub, closing of iodized hints. The sip is taut and dense, the tannins savoury, the aftertaste fruity-officinal.

WINES CRITIC – 92
Fresco e vibrante al palato mostra note di ciliegie, amarene, succo di mirtilli e fiori di limone. Corpo medio, succoso e centrato offre armonia ed equilibrio ed una bellezza nel sorso di pochi eletti. Bevi ora o invecchia.

DECANTER – 89
Mostly from alluvial soil in the southern part of the appellation, Argiano’s Rosso has plenty of freshness. Cold soaked prior to the fermentation for enhanced colour and aromatics, it is than spontaneously fermented in temperaturecontrolled stainless-steel tanks, with 10 days of maceration on the skins. The Sangiovese for this Rosso ‘was specially selected for fruit and freshness,’ explain Bernardino Sani, CEO and winemaker of the estate. The 2019 is restrained, showing elegant cherry fruit and firm tannins on a crunchy palate. It has good ripeness overall and the typical intensity of a toasty, smoky character.
Drinking Window 2021 – 2023.

VINOUS | ERIC GUIDO – 90
The 2019 Rosso di Montalcino boasts an herbal-tinged black cherry and balsamic spiced bouquet. Rich, dark textural waves of woodland berries and minerals wash across the palate, leaving a coating of grippy young tannin in their wake, along with a sizzling of residual acids. While quite tense, this leaves the mouth watering for more, finishing with a persistent flourish of red fruit and minerals.

ROBERT PARKER WINE ADVOCATE | MONICA LARNER – 91
The Argiano 2019 Rosso di Montalcino shows the slightly darker color and richer concentration that is characteristic of wines from this vintage. The pretty Rosso offers good depth and width, qualities obviously rendered to the palate, with rich blackberry and dark cherry flavors. On the intensity continuum that sees Rosso on one side and Brunello on the other, this wine actually clocks in closer to the Brunello side of the spectrum. That makes this an especially interesting wine for those looking for Sangiovese power at an attractive value price tag. The wine ages in French oak casks for a few quick months. Production is 51,000 bottles. Drink date 2022 – 2025.

NON CONFUNDITOR TOSCANA IGT 2019

LUCA GARDINI – 94+ 
Come ribattezzato dallo stesso staff di Argiano, un ‘baby Supertuscan’, uno dei blend più entusiasmanti della nuova ondata toscana. Cabernet Sauvignon dominante, al 50%, poi Sangiovese 25%, Merlot 20%, Petit Verdot 5%, naso di visciole sotto spirito, peonia, tocchi di sottobosco al naso, la bocca è altrettanto intensa, densa, fruttata, con tannini sapidi e ritorno delle sensazioni balsamiche.

As the Argiano’s crew use to say, a ‘baby Supertuscan’, one of the most exciting blend of the new Tuscan wave. Cabernet Sauvignon in a leading role, at 50%, then Sangiovese 25%, Merlot 20%, Petit Verdot 5%, sour cherries under spirit, peony, hints of undergrowth at the nose, the mouthfeel is also intense, dense, fruity, with brackish tannins and a balsamic scent that reappears in the aftertaste.

JAMES SUCKLING – 93
Dark berries with walnuts, hazelnuts and white pepper on the nose, following through to a full body with ultra-fine tannins and a chewy yet refined finish.
Needs two or three years to come together. Drink after 2023.

GAMBERO ROSSO – 2 BICCHIERI

WINE SPECTATOR – 92 POINTS AND VALUE PICK OF THE WEEK

Vibrant yet silty, boasting black cherry, blackberry, violet and iron flavors. The iron first emerges by way of the firm tannins, and this finishes with a long aftertaste pf fruit and dried herbs. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Sangiovese. Drink now through 2030.  

ROBERT PARKER WINE ADVOCATE | MONICA LARNER – 89
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Sangiovese, the Argiano 2019 Non Confunditur (with 100,000 bottles released) is a terrific value proposition with lots of freshness and easy aromas of dark cherry, blackberry, baked clay, some black olive and grilled rosemary. The wine goes down easily with a soft approach to the palate and medium-rich concentration. This food-friendly Tuscan red is aged in neutral oak, and it would make a great partner to grilled sausage and onions. Drink date 2022 – 2024.