2016 Argiano Brunello Di Montalcino
2016 Argiano Brunello Di Montalcino The Argiano 2016 Brunello di Montalcino shows a lovely transparency to its appearance and follows with lifted red fruit aromas, cassis, wild cherry and blue flower. It is made with a simple approach, fermented in cement tank and aged slowly in oak, and the fruit comes from a 22-hectare site with limestone marl soils. It delivers a lightness and a weightlessness that is not often ascribed to this vintage. No worries, the power of 2016 comes through at the very end in terms of tannins and structure. This ample release of 115,000 bottles will be ready to drink after 2023 when the wine has had time to open and flesh out.
Montalcino
Famous for its bold, layered and long-lived red, Brunello di Montalcino, the town of Montalcino is about 70 miles south of Florence, and has a warmer and drier climate than that of its neighbor, Chianti. The Sangiovese grape is king here, as it is in Chianti, but Montalcino has its own clone called Brunello.
The Brunello vineyards of Montalcino blanket the rolling hills surrounding the village and fan out at various elevations, creating the potential for Brunello wines expressing different styles. From the valleys, where deeper deposits of clay are found, come wines typically bolder, more concentrated and rich in opulent black fruit. The hillside vineyards produce wines more concentrated in red fruits and floral aromas; these sites reach up to over 1,600 feet and have shallow soils of rocks and shale.
Brunello di Montalcino by law must be aged a minimum of four years, including two years in barrel before realease and once released, typically needs more time in bottle for its drinking potential to be fully reached. The good news is that Montalcino makes a “baby brother” version. The wines called Rosso di Montalcino are often made from younger vines, aged for about a year before release, offer extraordinary values and are ready to drink young.