Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Sangiovese
This is a balanced and harmonious Solengo with a nose of spice and berries. It is velvety on the palate with great structure and a long finish.
96pts - James Suckling "Blackberries, spice, walnuts and currants on the nose, following through to a full bodied, tight and dense palate, yet it's agile and linear at the finish. Firm, layered tannins. This needs time to come around in the bottle. One for the cellar. Try after 2024."
93 - Wine Spectator "An element of wild herbs graces the black currant and black cherry flavors in this robust red, which is firm and compact on the iron- and tobacco-tinged finish, with a sense of grace. Needs time to absorb the tannins. Best from 2024 through 2040."
93pts - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Petit Verdot, 20% Merlot and 5% Sangiovese that flaunts the richness, dark concentration and spicy flavors of a full-throttle Tuscan blend, or the kind of wine that is universally attractive to lovers of hearty red wines for a steak-and-potato kind of night. Solegno's black fruit richness is backed by lots of oak spice and toast. With 60% new French oak (and 40% second-year barrique) for 18 months, this wine embraces a contemporary feel with tight tannins (both from the fruit and the oak) and a rich, long finish. I recommend putting this wine aside for a few more years to let that tannic bitterness subside. Best after 2024."
Argiano is part of the history of the Montalcino region and it’s one of the most prestigious and historical reality in the area. The name is thought to derive from the first settlements in Roman times – ‘Ara Janus’, referring to the god Janus. Another potential origin could be ‘the land of the River Orcia’ – known in ancient times as ‘Orgia’ and therefore Argiano.
The history of Argiano has a turning point in the 16th century with the decline of the Tolomei family in favor of the noble Pecci family from Sienna and with the construction of their magnificent villa between 1580 and 1596, perfect exempla of a 16th century noble residence. The name of the villa, Bell’Aria, was chosen when the Pecci decided to build it preserving the original center of the castle on the crest of the hill precisely because of the air quality.
The wine-making industry of Argiano was born also thanks to the construction of the cellar in those years, about four centuries ago. Besides, the 1616 manuscript of Bartolomeo Gherardini, the Auditor General in Siena, makes reference to the production of olive oil.
Over the course of the centuries the Estate passed through various noble families until it came under the inspired leadership of Lady Ersilia Caetani Lovatelli, who was able to promote the products of Argiano in major cultural gatherings at the time. It’s well-know what the great poet Carducci declaimed in his verse: “I cleanse myself of this bitterness with the wine of Argiano, which is extremely good…”
Argiano won the gold medal at the Brussels Food Fair in 1932 for fine dessert and table wines, and in 1935 it featured in the Trade Exhibition of typical Italian wines. In 1967 Argiano made history with the Brunello of Montalcino, playing a key role as a founding organization in the birth of the Consortium. In 1992 the Estate passed from the Caetani Lovatelli to the Countess Noemi Marone Cinzano, who introduced significant innovations to the management of the wine-making industry and revived the name of Argiano. Along with the countess came Giacomo Tachis, the world famous oenologist; a unique partnership which will bring to the creation of Solengo, the great Supertuscan of Montalcino.
And so we come to the present, with the transfer of ownership and company direction in 2013 into the hands of Bernardino Sani, who from 2015 also signs the wines.
750ML / 14.5% ABV
