Wine Advisor
Argiano, Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A very fine and polished Brunello with fine, creamy tannins that are polished and very curated. Cherry and bark character. Medium to full body with ripe tannins. Juicy. Orange peel. Try this after 2025, but already delicious.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
In the cream-colored label, the Argiano 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo (with 5,000 bottles made) shows good fruit vibrancy with cherry, dried raspberry and plum. The tannins are silky and fine, and the wine coats the palate with mid-weight texture and balanced freshness. This is a relatively new addition to the Argiano portfolio (the first vintage was 2015). It draws its fruit from the expanses of vines on the dirt road that leads to this property's epic castle.
About the Producer
Argiano Winery is located on the hills of the Orcia Valley, at an altitude of more than 300 meters. The headquarters of the winery was established between 1581 and 1596 by Baldassare Peruzzi. It has changed hands several times over the centuries, from one noble family to another. At the end of the 19th century, the Gaetani family began to take over the winery. The winery has been managed by Countess Noemi Marone Cinzano since 1992 and is now run by a Brazilian consortium. Oenologist Giacomo Tachis served as a consultant. Argiano Winery's vineyard covers 118.6 acres (about 48 hectares), and the soil in the garden is composed of marl limestone and some clay. Since the vineyards face south, there is plenty of sunlight at noon and good ventilation. The grape varieties grown in the garden are Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. The average age of the vines is 12 years and the planting density is 5,000-7,000 plants/ha. All grapes are harvested by hand and transported to the cellar in small boxes, avoiding crushing during transportation. In terms of winemaking, Argiano Winery uses traditional methods to brew the wine in stainless steel vats with controlled temperature. The maceration period of the grapes is 15 days. During fermentation, the temperature is strictly controlled between 28°C and 30°C. After the malolactic fermentation is complete, it goes through several passes to remove the heavy lees, then the wine is transferred to the cellar where it is aged in small French oak barrels and traditional large oak barrels. Finally, the wine is transferred to stainless steel vats for bottling, and it is also passed through the wine before bottling, but it is not filtered. All wines are bottled at the same time each year to ensure the consistency of each bottle.
