Very floral on the nose with plums, rose petals and freshly sliced porcini mushrooms. The palate is tight and compressed with beautiful ripe fruit, wet earth and cool, stone flavors. A structured and impressive wine.

This is a terrific wine and one of the new releases from Montalcino that I happily include on a short list of top recommendations. The Argiano 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows a very lively bouquet that is already singing despite the young age of this new release. The wine opens to a dark ruby color with garnet highlights. The bouquet shows a large span of wild berry, earth, licorice spice and medicinal herb aromas. This vintage also reveals a pretty floral character with dried rose potpourri and lavender buds. After fermentation, the wine is aged slowly for 30 months in large oak botte (including 10-, 30- and 50-hectoliter capacity), thus restricting oxygen and gently slowing its evolution. However, the 2015 vintage is naturally expressive and exuberant, and that's the main takeaway here. Some 100,000 bottles were filled in May 2019, and the wine hits the market in February 2020.

Focused cherry and plum flavors mark this rich red, with a hint of orange peel. Flashes of earth, leather and iron lend complexity, while the firm structure adds grip. Exhibits fine balance and length. Given the fruit, this should be approachable soon. BS

The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows dusty black cherry, complemented by sweet spices and herbs, as hints of dried orange, leather and dusty earth that forward. On the palate, I find velvety textures, ushering in ripe red and black fruits; yet there’s a wonderful balance here, as the wine is lifted by brisk acids, and a mix of savory, spice and minerals notes. The finish is long and structured, buzzing with mouthwatering acid and spice, as dried cherry lingers amidst a coating of youthful tannin. The 2015 Argiano is just a baby, slowly shaking off the wood it was aged in, and it is perfectly balanced.

Bright red. Nuanced aromas of red berries, flowers and herbs, plus a hint of iron. Flinty in the mouth too, with a loamy element further complicating red cherry and berry flavors. Closes with nice persistence and repeating floral flavors.

Tasted blind. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Perfumed, multi-layered nose shot through by spicy notes. Nutmeg, cinnamon bark. Intense and long with plenty of (oak) tannins that turn a little dry on the finish. On the whole quite impressive, without being heavy, if slightly internationally moulded. (WS)