2016 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo IGT, Tuscany

Dried cherries, oyster mushrooms, black olives and citrus oil. It’s full-bodied with sleek, ultra fine tannins and a lifted finish. Layers of sour-cherry, bark and umami notes. Burgundian sensibility with purity and intensity. Wait a few years for this to open up. Drink after 2023.

97 points James Suckling, jamessuckling.com Nov 2020

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo from Argiano lifts up with a minty freshness which gives way to peppery herbs and florals. Medicinal cherry, hints of clove and licorice come forward over time. It is dense and textural, leaning toward black fruits, with a complex web of salty minerals and tannins that penetrate the senses. The 2016 Vigna del Suolo shows remarkable length, yet is currently folded in upon itself, creating what feels like a black hole of structure through the finale, which nearly masks an array of residual spices and perfumes. That said, it’s a long-distance runner that is packed full of potential. 

96+ points Eric Guido vinous.com Drink 2026-2040 Nov 2020

This special single-vineyard wine comes from a 3.5-hectare site with vines 50- or 60-something years old. The Argiano 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo (with only 5,000 bottles produced) opens to warm earthy notes that evoke the name of the wine: "vineyard of the soil." The fruit comes through in a second wave with dried raspberry, cassis and dried cherry. But that theme of earthiness permeates the entire experience and is evoked in the powdery dryness of the tannins too. These traits are characteristic of cement fermentation, which this wine does complete, but also of the calcareous marl soils of the site. This is an elegant wine that most certainly needs extra bottle time to gain in depth and volume. 

96+ points Monica Larner robertparker.com Drink 2024-2044 Dec 2020

Argiano Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo is one of Tuscany’s most soulful and quietly profound wines, coming from a single historic vineyard planted on the gentle slopes just south of the town of Montalcino. The Vigna del Suolo plot sits on a mix of clay, limestone and ancient marine soils that give Sangiovese its beautiful balance of power and perfume, while the warm days and cool nights of this elevated site help preserve freshness and aromatic lift. Argiano itself is one of the grand estates of Montalcino, founded in the sixteenth century and now lovingly restored to its former glory, with a philosophy that focuses on organic farming, low yields and allowing each vineyard to speak clearly through the wine.

In the glass the wine shows a deep ruby core, opening with aromas of sour cherry, wild strawberry, rose petal, tobacco and dried herbs, layered with subtle spice and earthy undertones. The palate is refined yet intense, delivering bright red fruits, fine grained tannins and a savoury, mineral driven finish that seems to echo the soils of Montalcino. It is a stunning match for roast lamb, bistecca alla fiorentina, porcini and aged pecorino, and it will continue to evolve beautifully for twenty years or more, gaining notes of truffle, leather and dried flowers as it matures.