95pts James Suckling

Delightful aromas of juicy red cherries, strawberries, rose petals and wild bush, together with hints of juniper and ground herbs. Medium-bodied with firm tannins and crisp acidity. Zesty and piquant with beautiful balance and finish. Plenty of fruit at the end. Give it more time to come around. Try after 2027.

95pts Wine Spectator

This is packed with ripe cherry, plum and raspberry fruit, with floral, mineral, juniper and wild herb accents adding depth and complexity. There's plenty of energy and structure as well, providing excellent balance, with a long aftertaste. Best from 2027 through 2045.

94pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The Argiano 2019 Brunello di Montalcino comes out stronger than the previous 2018 and 2017 vintages, thanks to the precision and focus of its fruit flavors in this balanced vintage. It shows ample depth and volume, with sweet cherry and blackberry that fold into softly toasted spice and earth. Floral hints of lilac and iris make brief but poignant appearances. Velvety tannins and a nicely concentrated mid-weight palate give good staying power. 

94pts Vinous

Crushed ashen stones, cloves, dried black cherries, rosemary and balsam herbs create a spice box display as the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino blossoms in the glass. This is surprisingly fresh and energetic, nearly juicy in character, yet refined and focused, with silken textures ushering in crisp wild berry fruits and orange tones that slowly saturate the palate. It finishes spicy and long, yet its energy never wavers, with grippy tannins that tug at the cheeks as licorice and cranberry notes fade.

94pts Decanter

At an average altitude of 300 metres, Argiano stretches out over 120 hectares (58 of which are planted to vines) in the southwestern sector of Montalcino. Looking towards the Mediterranean, the vineyards are bathed in breezes from the sea. The 2019 is poignantly evocative of place exuding salt-tinged sweet herbs, rose and bergamot. Generously weighted with succulent strawberries and cherries, this fills the mouth without feeling heavy. Tangy tangerine instils freshness. Long chalky tannins caress with increasing firmness as it flows confidently across the palate. Rosemary and sage echo on the finish.

Winery Notes

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.