Tenuta Argentiera Villa Donoratico Bolgheri 2021
Tenuta Argentiera Villa Donoratico Bolgheri 2021
94pts Wine Advocate
"This is big wine from a lower denomination that offers good value when compared to the estate's top-shelf releases. The Argentiera 2021 Bolgheri Rosso Villa Donoratico is up front in terms of mouthfeel with lots of immediate intensity delivered to the mid-palate. The wine is articulate and generous with thick layers of black fruit, stewed plum, sweet earth and pressed blackberry. You get everything you want from a Bolgheri Rosso. In fact, you get a wine that tastes more like a Bolgheri Superiore. The blend is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot.”
Vinification
All the varieties were vinified separately in stainless steel tanks for 20-25 days at a controlled temperature not above 28° C. The wine then completed malolactic fermentation in 225 liter French-oak barrels.
The aging process lasted 12 months in barrels and at least another 10 months in bottles, prior to release.
Tenuta Argentiera stands in a magnificent patch of land in the Maremma that blends countryside and sea, suspended between woods and Mediterranean scrub. The Argentiera estate covers 80 hectares of breathtakingly beautiful Tuscan coast, approximately 100 km southwest of Florence. In the prestigious DOC of Bolgheri, Argentiera is the estate closest to the sea and also highest in altitude, making the land and microclimate especially well-suited to growing incredible red grapes. The estate is considered among the most beautiful in Italy, with its spectacular view of the islands of the Tuscan archipelago. Their soils range from calcerous and stony to sandy to mineral and pebbly, lending complexity to the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Syrah. The vineyards are surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation and the countryside is flush with maritime pines and olive tree groves.
Argentiera has five main vineyard sites, ranging in elevation from 80-220 meters above sea level: Argentiera, Ginestre, Ventaglio, Porcarecce, and Ceccosodo. Every plot is harvested and vinified separately, exclusively in stainless steel, to preserve the character and fruity complexity lent by terroir variations. The wineries and cellars themselves are made of recycled or traditional materials such as terracotta and baked roofing tiles.