2015 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo Tenuta Argiano

A reincarnation of Argiano’s IGT Suolo as a single-vineyard Brunello, without the heavy new-wood use, this is a sleek and exquisite wine. Lifted orange peel defines the nose, which also offers wild strawberries, nutmeg, lightly roasted coffee, glazed cherries and dried herbs. Finely tuned and only medium-to full-bodied on the palate, the tannins taking on a graceful, medium-chewy persona. Suave and delicate, yet long and powerful on the finish. Drink from 2024.

Here's an exciting addition to the Argiano portfolio. The Suolo vineyard is this estate's highest site (at 300 meters above sea level), and the soils are heavily calcareous in character, imparting cool aromas and freshness. This site is also home to Argiano's oldest Sangiovese vines, now 65 years old. In 2000, Argiano started bottling this fruit as an IGT Toscana wine simply called Suolo, and that wine consistently ranked as one of the most elegant expressions of Sangiovese to come from Montalcino. Starting with this vintage, that fruit is now part of an appellation wine. The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo shows the same elegance and crisp, streamlined appeal that we associate with this site. This Brunello shows an upfront and precise level of intensity that is backed by slightly more structured tannin. Its core is packed tight with wild berry, cassis and pretty herbal notes. As the wine takes on more air in the glass, it begins to show delicate layers of spice, smoke and tar. It ages in individually selected 10-hectoliter oak barrels for a long 36 months. What the wine needs now is a few more years of cellar aging.