The location and the Tenuta
Tenuta Argentiera is located in a privileged position at the southernmost tip of the Castagneto Carducci area of the famous Bolgheri region. The location benefits from plenty of sunlight, as well as cooling marine breezes from the Tyrrhenian Sea and one of the higher elevations in the region on a plateau located at 220 meters above sea level. Additionally, the vineyards are surrounded by forests, which have a cooling effect and a positive influence on biodiversity. In the Etruscan time period, the area was home to the peninsula‘s first metallurgy, and its name “Argentiera” derives from silver mines (“argentum” = Latin for “silver”). The estate consists of 153 hectares with impressive biodiversity, making the plants naturally more resistant to many threats like insects and the challenges of global warming. 85 hectares, or roughly half of the estate, are vineyards that enjoy both plenty of sunlight and significant winds from the nearby sea, along with considerable diurnal shifts. The winds from the Tyrrhenian Sea also help keep the vines healthy with minimal intervention. The vineyards were mostly planted 25 years ago, and 2015 was the first vintage under the new ownership of Austrian investor Stanislaus Turnauer.
Over the years, the Argentiera team has gained a deep understanding of the microclimates, the different soil compositions, and even the different plots in the vineyards. There are four different designated vineyards, each producing wines that reflect the individual character of their specific place: Villa Donoratico, Poggio ai Ginepri, Ventaglio, and Argentiera. The vineyards have different exposures, soil compositions, altitudes, and are planted with partially different grape varieties.
A few weeks ago, we had the chance to taste the new vintages and small verticals during an excellent lunch event at Klingler’s Restaurant in Zurich. During a structured tasting, it was fascinating to get firsthand information from the winemaker, Nicolò Carrara, and other representatives of the Tenuta on developments in the winery and the winemaking philosophy. Argentiera strongly believes in making wines in the vineyard rather than in the cellar. Therefore, substantial resources are used for research on soil composition, farming, the right grape variety in the right plots, and picking at the perfect time to achieve ideal phenolic and sugar ripeness while preserving enough acidity to keep the wines fresh and full of finesse. For their flagship wine, Argentiera, the vineyards consist of 27 different geological soil compositions mapped into 20 different plots. These 20 plots are farmed and vinified separately to benefit from the characteristics of each individual plot in the final blend and to achieve perfect ripeness, complexity, and freshness. This level of precision in farming and winemaking requires significant resources, but it also shows beautifully in the bottled wines. The Argentiera wines showcase a level of complexity, finesse, refinement, and freshness that is rarely found in Bolgheri. Despite all the research, analysis, and modern infrastructure, the wines have kept their Tuscan soul. During harvest time, the winemakers drive through the vineyards on a quad to taste all the different plots before marking them for harvest. This smart combination of precision winemaking, technology, and human elements is beautifully reflected in the wines. They are not just technically perfect but also have character, soul, and a clear sense of place. Therefore, it is no surprise that Argentiera has quickly become one of the benchmark wineries in the region, and their whole range of wines comes warmly recommended. International wine critics (e.g., Falstaff, J. Suckling, or Wine Advocate) have awarded the wines lofty scores in the high nineties for Argentiera and Ventaglio and in the lower to mid-nineties for Villa Donoratico and Poggioe ai Ginepri.
This article was orginally written and published for Vinifera Mundi. https://www.vinifera-mundi.ch/
The wines
Argentiera Bolgheri Superiore DOC
This wine is where it all started, and as the name implies, it is the flagship wine of Tenuta Argentiera. Today, the Argentiera vineyard is the largest of the Tenuta, covering 40 hectares of vines with different exposures from North, Northwest, and West to South and Southwest at a higher altitude of 160 to 200 meters above sea level. The vineyard is planted with 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc on rocky soil of clay and limestone. The planting density is 7,500 vines per hectare, and the average yield amounts to 60 quintals/hectare. All plots are harvested manually at perfect ripeness, vinified separately with a temperature-controlled fermentation/maceration of 25 days in steel tanks at 28-30 degrees Celsius. Malolactic fermentation and aging take place in French barriques (14 – 16 months / 50% new). The wines enjoy 12 more months of aging in the bottle before they are released.
Argentiera 2019, 97+ points
2019 is considered one of the best vintages by the Argentiera team, even better than 2015. According to them, everything was perfect, and the cellar development went well without any challenges. The wine consists of 50% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Cabernet Franc. The season started with a relatively mild winter that became colder in January, just to emerge into a warm early spring in March that anticipated the vegetative start. Due to a cooler and rainy April and May, the vineyards could build enough water reserves for the summer, and vegetation slowed down. After a warm summer with just enough rain, September was hot and dry, which led to perfect ripeness. According to Argentiera‘s team, all grape varieties showed perfect but not excessive ripeness in 2019.
Deep ruby color with a touch of purple. High viscosity. Very complex and layered, with notes of dark and red plum, cassis, leather, graphite, and lead pencil. There are also balsamic notes, a touch of dark chocolate, and sweet spices like cinnamon and cloves, but the oak components already seem very nicely integrated. It is pretty full-bodied, with medium+ acidity and medium-high tannin that is very good quality and polished. Superb length. There is an excellent balance of fruit, structure, and freshness. Excellent. In the mini-vertical of 2019/2020/2021, this seems to be the most complete wine, with 2021 being a close second.
Argentiera 2020, 94 points
The wine consists of 48% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% Cabernet Franc. The year 2020 was unusually dry, with barely any precipitation until mid-May. There was a warm summer with more drought; the harvest started in early September with very good concentration on Merlot. By mid-September, the weather changed; temperatures dropped below 20 degrees Celsius, and rain started. Therefore, the Cabernets had to be brought in a little quicker to avoid the risk of the water changing the profile and concentration of the grapes. Extraction was moderated, which led to balanced wines that have early accessibility.
Deep ruby color with a touch of purple. Pretty high viscosity. Immediate notes of dark fruit, cassis, darker plum, sweet spices, leather, balsamic, chocolate, and lead pencil again. It is full-bodied and dense, but with less persistence than 2019. The acidity seems a touch lower with medium, and the medium-high tannin is a little drier than in the sensational 2019. Good length. A very pretty wine that suffers slightly from being served next to the 2019.
Argentiera 2021, 96 points
After 2020, the vintage 2021 was again characterized by drought during the whole growing season. Even in summer, not many of the usually occurring shorter rainfalls took place. There was a heatwave of 10 days at the beginning of August that put the vines into heat/hydric stress and led them to shut down for a few days. The vines recovered well, and there was a short harvest from early September (Merlot) until the 1st of October (Cabernet Franc) that took only 25 days. Overall, the vines seemed to have coped with the drought in 2021 better than in 2020. My impression was that 2021 seemed more balanced and less marked by heat.
Very explosive notes of primary darker fruit, cassis, plum, and black cherries. Also, notes of elderflowers, sweet spices, and a very appealing deep minerality of graphite/lead pencil, with some balsamic notes too. It is full-bodied, with nice medium+ acidity and medium-high tannin that seems very silky and ripe. Overall, this resembles a younger version of the 2019; it has excellent length and is seamlessly elegant and full of finesse. Very good potential.
Scenario 2022, 93 points
This is a new wine that was introduced to the range, with 2022 being the first vintage. Made from 100% Vermentino from a small vineyard on the northern part of the estate, just above the Villa Donoratico vineyards, at 80 meters above sea level. The fermentation is done in temperature-controlled ceramic eggs, with a small percentage in neutral wood. The wine is left on the lees for an extended time to increase complexity and add texture. There are only 3000 bottles made.
Very subtle and elegant, with notes of pear, some citrus, a salty minerality, and some green almonds, overall very fresh and full of tension. The wine is medium-full bodied, with excellent persistence and medium-high acidity. Very good length. An excellent Vermentino that combines good complexity with freshness and tension at only 12.8% alcohol. Impressive first vintage. (93)
Ventaglio
Ventaglio is the first single vineyard wine from Argentiera. While the other wines are made from a bunch of vineyards in a specific location but from different plots with a variety of exposures, soil compositions, and grape varieties, Ventaglio is made from a specific single vineyard positioned concentrically around a large holm oak tree. Hence, the name “Ventaglio” which roughly translates to “folding fan” in English. The 1.5-hectare vineyard is located at 160 meters above sea level, and the soil is mostly rocky clay with calcareous cobble content. Ventaglio is now planted with 100% Cabernet Franc. The average yield is 60 quintals/hectare. Only released in the best years, the next release will be 2020, as the 2019 will still need some time in the bottle. It is a project that seems very close to Argentiera’s heart. There will only be 300 bottles of this special wine on average. The wine sees no new oak at all but stays in older wood (tonneaux) for 16 months, plus recently also in large barrels. We were very impressed by the three vintages of Ventaglio shown during the tasting. It is not exactly a steal priced at around CHF 300, but the quality is breathtaking and the wine has a unique style combining the soul and richness of Bolgheri with the freshness and appealing herbaceousness of the Cabernet Franc. The grapes are picked manually, with temperature-controlled fermentation/maceration of 25 days in French oak tapered vats at 28-30 degrees Celsius. Malolactic fermentation and aging take place in French and Austrian barriques (225l) and tonneaux (500l) for 14 months. The wine enjoys 36 more months of aging in the bottle before being released.
Ventaglio 2015, 95 points
In 2015, Ventaglio still had some Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) in the blend besides the Cabernet Franc. The winter was mild, with quite some rainfall that accumulated quickly in only a few days. Spring was mild with very little precipitation. Summer was particularly warm, with especially high temperatures in June and July. Temperatures moderated in August, and there was abundant rainfall that supported a more even ripening. Cabernet Franc was picked on the 18th of September, while Cabernet Sauvignon needed a few more days and was harvested on the 23rd of September.
Ventaglio 2015 shows a deep purple color with some ruby. Spectacular notes of black cherries, elderberries, and elderflowers, with balsamic notes, cassis, beautiful herbal notes, a touch of green bell pepper (without any “underripe” greenness), graphite minerality, spices, and a touch of orange zest. It is pretty full-bodied, with medium-high tannin and medium+ acidity adding nice freshness. Great persistence and long finish. An excellent Ventaglio. (95)
Ventaglio 2016, 96+ points
In 2016, the winter was rather mild but had sufficient rain. The early rise in temperatures caused an early bud break. Spring was pretty humid, but a particularly dry and warm summer slowed down vegetation and helped the skins to thicken. The dry and warm climate lasted into September when some rain and cooling temperatures helped the vines to ripen perfectly. This resulted in very good quality grapes with excellent ripeness and a high level of concentration. In summary, 2016 was one of the driest vintages of the decade, but it is also considered very good at Argentiera. 2016 represented the first vintage with 100% Cabernet Franc, and tonneaux were introduced to add even more finesse to the wines.
Deep purple color with some ruby. Very layered and aromatic, with notes of sweet black cherries, elderflowers, and elderberries, cassis, and balsamic notes. There is some dark chocolate, herbal notes, and tobacco leaf, too. The wine shows a very nice minerality with notes of lead pencil. It is medium-full bodied, rich, but with medium+ acidity adding freshness and medium-high but very ripe tannin adding some grip. Excellent length. A superb Cabernet Franc with great complexity and potential.
Ventaglio 2018, 97 points
The winter was mild and rainy before a cold phase hit the region in February. Temperatures dropped to –6 degrees Celsius, which is very uncommon in Bolgheri. Spring was a mixed bag, which delayed vegetation, and May and June brought heavy rains. The winds from the Tyrrhenian Sea were essential to dry the foliage and keep the plants healthy. Summer was dry as usual, but the average temperatures stayed significantly lower than in the prior years. A sunny September gave the grapes the chance to fully ripen and develop phenolic maturity.
When tasting this next to the 2015 and 2016, the 2018 Ventaglio is clearly the child of a cooler vintage. Deep purple/ruby color. Not surprisingly, this smells the freshest and the coolest of the three Ventaglios. Superbly perfumed, with notes of black and red currant, black cherries, herbal notes, tobacco leaf, green bell pepper, flowery notes of elderflowers and crushed violets, sweet spices, and a touch of smoke too. There is a beautiful minerality as well. It is medium-full bodied, a touch lighter than 2016 and especially 2015, but overall very complete. The wine shows very appealing medium-high acidity and medium-high tannin that is very silky. Long finish. A superb Ventaglio that seems close to the vision of the winery. I am particularly impressed by the beautiful varietal character the 2018 shows. A Cabernet Franc of the very highest level.
Author: Markus Kumschick, WSET III
July 2024