Intense aromas of graphite, juniper, pine and olive mark this red. Ripe cherry and raspberry flavors emerge, along with mineral and tobacco notes. Taut and concentrated, yet sleek and focused, this is harmonious in a youthful way and shows promise for future development. Exhibits fine complexity and length. Best from 2022 through 2040. 285 cases made, 100 cases imported.

Here's an exciting addition to the Argiano portfolio. The Suolo vineyard is this estate's highest site (at 300 meters above sea level), and the soils are heavily calcareous in character, imparting cool aromas and freshness. This site is also home to Argiano's oldest Sangiovese vines, now 65 years old. In 2000, Argiano started bottling this fruit as an IGT Toscana wine simply called Suolo, and that wine consistently ranked as one of the most elegant expressions of Sangiovese to come from Montalcino. Starting with this vintage, that fruit is now part of an appellation wine. The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo shows the same elegance and crisp, streamlined appeal that we associate with this site. This Brunello shows an upfront and precise level of intensity that is backed by slightly more structured tannin. Its core is packed tight with wild berry, cassis and pretty herbal notes. As the wine takes on more air in the glass, it begins to show delicate layers of spice, smoke and tar. It ages in individually selected 10-hectoliter oak barrels for a long 36 months. What the wine needs now is a few more years of cellar aging.

The nose is intense, showing a stunning mix of spicy cherries in a cloud of licorice, dusty florals, cedar, minerals, and savory herbs. On the palate, velvety textures give way to pure red berry fruits. You'd expect power here, but instead it offers elegance, purity, and an energizing mix of zesty acids, salty minerals, and spice. The 2015 Vigna del Suolo shows its structure through its long, dramatic finish, resonating on depths of spicy red fruits and minerals, with saturating fine tannins lingering long beneath a dark floral topnote. This is one of the few 2015s that I would lose in the cellar for at least five years and then enjoy over the next fifteen.

Underbrush, plum, tobacco and violet shape the nose, along with a whiff of eucalyptus oil. Full in weight yet refined, the enveloping palate doles out juicy black cherry, orange zest, vanilla and licorice alongside densely woven, fine-grained tannins. Drink 2022-2030.