Argiano : Vigna del Suolo 2019

The Argiano 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo has an elegant, ever-changing bouquet with black fruits and a pronounced mineral signature of dusty slate and crushed stone. With 63-year-old vines, this site is located along the picturesque, cypress-lined dirt road that leads to this imposing castello (one of the greatest architectural works in Italian wine). The bouquet fleshes out to show tobacco leaf, linden tree, balsam herb, exotic spice and an especially fresh quality of berry fruit that sits somewhere on the cusp of over-ripeness. The fruit tastes sweet but in a delicately measured way, and the tannins are elegant with dryness that is not overdone. This is a very pretty wine (with only 5,000 bottles made).

Argiano’s limestone-rich patch of old vines was given a new lease of life when CEO and oenologist, Bernardino Sani, shifted to bottling it as a Brunello in 2015, substituting the barriques from its IGT days for larger 12- to 15-hectolitre casks for ageing. The 2019 vintage really sees this settling into its skin. Intoxicatingly fragrant, it offers notes of mint, fennel and tarragon that saturate dark cherry and plum. Not large but luscious and expansive, a sensation of baked stone underlies the deliciously tart sour-cherry core. Silky, suede-like tannins are gracious in their tug, while mouth-cleansing acidity brings crunch. An explosion of apricot pit and sappy minerals prolongs the finish.

Plenty of dark-fruit notes of black cherries, brambles and dried herbs, followed by dried-meat and sweet-tobacco undertones. Medium-bodied with crunchy, fine-grained tannins and vigorous acidity. Very precise and dense, yet beautifully balanced and piquant. Great aging potential. Try after 2027.

Clear ruby with a brightening rim. Charming and inviting nose of fresh wild raspberries and ripe cherries, along with pomegranate and tobacco. Lots of juicy fruit on the palate, again cherry and raspberry, then it opens up with plenty of finely meshed, vivid tannins, very good tension and a long finish.

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo pours a medium youthful red hue and shows a nervous yet wonderful energy on opening. Perfumed and mineral-tinged, it reveals notes of gravelly earth, rosewater, raspberry liqueur, and lifted fresh herbs. Medium-bodied, with a linear feel, it’s vibrant with fresh acidity, fine tannins, and a long, mineral, citrus-marked finish. It strikes a great balance between elegance and nobility and will benefit from another year or two in bottle, drinking well from 2025 to 2045.

Plums, figs and juicy blackberries on the nose, then wild fennel and soil tilled with herbs and rocks. Pure but dense fruit on the palate that's still savory, saline and metallic with earth, rock shards and the lift of Mediterranean herbs. Tannins trace a careful outline around the palate with acid that feels like an electric current. An expression that tastes honest and open even as it hides many layers.