2015 Brunello di Montalcino

The Argiano winery is located in Sant’Angelo in Colle, southwest of Montalcino proper. It was once known as one of the most modern-leaning estates in the region, focused on Bordeaux varieties, with Brunello taking something of a back seat to their portfolio of internationally-styled Super Tuscans. Enter Hans Vinding-Diers, who took the management of the estate over from Giacomo Tachis in 2003. Hans, having been trained in Bordeaux, was a perfect candidate for Argiano’s style of the time, but he also put into place a number of projects, which have now made Argiano a serious contender in the production of Brunello di Montalcino. The most important of these projects was the creation of the wine, Suolo (“Soil”), which started as a 100% Sangiovese Super Tuscan that was sourced from the properties' oldest vines, planted at high elevations in soils consisting of clay with high levels of limestone. However, in 2013, ownership of Argiano changed hands again, having been purchased by Bernardino Sani, who now oversees winemaking as well. Today, Suolo has evolved into Argiano’s top-shelf Cru Brunello, produced from the same old vines, farmed organically, and refined for 30 months in 15 hectoliter barrels which are produced specifically for this wine - and it’s quite a wine. That said, their classic Brunello is also a solid effort in 2015, with a careful use of French oak that bridges the gap between traditional and modern approaches in Montalcino.