Argiano Brunello di Montalcino 2015 (750ML)

97 DE / 95+ WA / 95 JS

Best in Show, Platinum Award – Decanter 2020 World Wine Awards

What's often forgotten in the general hubbub which surrounds Brunello di Montalcino is that this DOCG circumscribes the area of Tuscany where Sangiovese ripens more amply and more beguilingly than anywhere else - though of course this is a grape variety whose resource is such that differences of ripening spectrum based on site do nothing but add to its nuance and appeal. If you want to get a fix on the sheer, disarming loveliness of that ample ripeness, try this wine: glowing, almost exotic fruits, with a little incense spice creeping into the mix, then glowing, soft-textured flavours which brim with summer's end and autumn's plenty: ripe plums and berries, autumn leaves, some wild mushroom fragrance and the dark spices which hint at Christmas to come. Decanter.com

This is a terrific wine and one of the new releases from Montalcino that I happily include on a short list of top recommendations. The Argiano 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows a very lively bouquet that is already singing despite the young age of this new release. The wine opens to a dark ruby color with garnet highlights. The bouquet shows a large span of wild berry, earth, licorice spice and medicinal herb aromas. This vintage also reveals a pretty floral character with dried rose potpourri and lavender buds. After fermentation, the wine is aged slowly for 30 months in large oak botte (including 10-, 30- and 50-hectoliter capacity), thus restricting oxygen and gently slowing its evolution. However, the 2015 vintage is naturally expressive and exuberant, and that's the main takeaway here. Some 100,000 bottles were filled in May 2019, and the wine hits the market in February 2020. Monica Larner – The Wine Advocate

Very floral on the nose with plums, rose petals and freshly sliced porcini mushrooms. The palate is tight and compressed with beautiful ripe fruit, wet earth and cool, stone flavors. A structured and impressive wine. Drink after 2022. James Suckling