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Wine Description
The Story
Produced for the first time in in 2000 this wine is the finest expression of Argiano’s great terroir. Suolo is made with 100% Sangiovese grapes grown in the estate’s oldest vineyards. The name, Suolo, is a tribute to the ground that hosts the vines (“suolo” being the Italian word for ground) and which conveys great complexity to them.
Organoleptic characteristics
Suolo is a wine that really expresses the territory. It is dark ruby in colour, with its typical “nose” of complex red berry notes that all lovers of this wine will recognise immediately from vintage to vintage. With its good structure, Suolo is smooth and velvety, well-balanced overall, dark and mysterious, with superbly integrated oaky notes. The aftertaste lingers, with balsamic, earthy and persistent fruity scents. It presents notes of red berries, flowers, spices, liquorice, smoke and earthiness that are clearly outlined and perfumed in a magnificently pure and vibrant expression of Sangiovese which explodes on the palate. Suolo has excellent ageing potential, with a considerable capital of tannins and acidity. A wine with considerable potential capable of maturing for 10-15 years… for those patient enough to wait.
Climatic conditions
The vineyards of Argiano benefit from a favourable microclimate and an enviable position which contribute to the development of the vines. Theextended vegetative cycle and ripening period are due to the altitude of the plateau, 300 m above sea level, which determines cool nights in the summer months. The generally moderate rainfall in Montalcino favours better, healthier ripening of the grapes, conveying greater concentration and aromasto the wine. This, together with the hot and constant winds that blow from the Maremma, cooling the bunches of grapes during the hottest summer days, allows slower ripening of the grapes, determining favourable general conditions. Lastly, Argiano is close to Mount Amiata, one of Tuscany’s highest peaks, which protects the entire area from bad weather. The combination of all these factors enables Argiano to make high profile wines and constantly good vintages, year after year.
Vinification
Every year, when “veraison” takes place (when the grapes receive most energy from the vine, usually at the end of July – beginning of August), we reduce the yield (quantity of bunches per vine) to 4-5 bunches per plant. This considerably increases the concentration of the grapes, obtaining a more full-bodied and rich wine. The grapes are harvested by hand in the middle of October. After a final selection during the harvest, the grapes are brought into the cellar in small crates so they do not get squashed. After being removed from the stalks but before being pressed, they are placed in temperature controlled fermentation tanks. The presence of a large proportion of whole berries allows a slow and gradual start to fermentation, almost a sort of “carbonic maceration”, meaning that fermentation starts inside the berries. This process favours the indigenous yeasts and conveys great finesse and complexity to the future wine, offering a good representation of the vineyards of origin. The “must” is left in contact with the skins for about three weeks to obtain maximum, but not excessive, extraction. Then it is poured into 300 litre barrels. The second fermentation, also known as malo-lactic fermentation (undergone by all red wines), takes place directly in new, very finely textured French oak barriques which are carefully selected to emphasize the smoothness of the fruit and tannins. Lastly, the wine is aged slowly in the same barriques, being racked just once. Suolo is usually bottled in July, without filtering, so it may release a harmless sediment, the mark of a high quality natural wine. Just 3,000 bottles and 60 magnums are made each year.
