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Tenuta Argentiera - Poggio ai Ginepri Rosso

2021
Producer
Argentiera
Blend
20% Cabernet Franc
40% Cabernet Sauvignon
30% Merlot
10% Petit Verdot
Country
Italy
Region
Tuscany
Appellation
Bolgheri
UPC
8 032937 583105
Other
Verified Stock
83544-21
Product Ratings
Jeb Dunnuck 91pt

The 2021 Poggio Ai Ginepri reveals a forward style, potent with a floral perfume of crushed red flowers, black cherry, sage, medicinal herbs, and cedar. It is full bodied and fleshy with a silky texture and rich with mocha, black plum compote, and wet earth. A great entry into the wines of the estate, it captures the opulence and structure of the style.

by Jeb Dunnuck, 2023
Wine Advocate 91pt

The entry-level Argentiera 2021 Bolgheri Rosso Poggio ai Ginepri has a distinctive bouquet with black licorice root and blackberry confit. There is a strong balsam herb or cola-like component to this blend of Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot that gives lift to the bouquet, but that leaves the mouthfeel relatively straightforward and easy. Hints of spruce resin and pine cone also appear. This is a perfect partner to a spicy grilled sausage.

by Wine Advocate, 2024
Wine Enthusiast 90pt

Seesawing between spicy and sweet, the nose on this wine gives roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar, cherries and pickling spices. The palate maintains the back and forth momentum, with more heat and sturdy but forgiving tannins.

by Wine Enthusiast, 2023

Description

Poggio ai Ginepri, Bolgheri DOC is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot vinified separately and extracted by soft pressing. A nice wine with defined structure and pronounced concentration. The wine’s olfactory panorama is ample and profound while at once immediate and present. An intense structure characterizes this wine, but with a beautiful softness and a remarkably clean finish.

Tasting notes

A beautiful blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot & Petite Verdot – the classic varietals of Tuscany’s Bolgheri region. A rich, medium bodied, velvety palate with notes of raspberry, dried cherries and currants that mingle with just a soft hint of vanilla spice. Round and complex but elegant tannins. Impossible to find a better Super Tuscan at this price!

Technical data

Altitude 80/100 m. asl
Vineyard exposure West
Plant density 6500 Wine grapes/Ha
Yield per hectare 90 quintals Grapes/Ha
Composition Cabernet Sauvignon 40% Merlot 30% Cabernet Franc 20% Petit Verdot 10%

Vintage

After an extremely mild and dry winter, the vine’s shoots emerged about 10 days earlier than the historical norm, followed by an abrupt slowing of growth due to a week with very low temperatures. A total absence of rain continued throughout the spring, a favorable situation for health and vegetative development. Water stress began to be worrisome during the summer, given the total absence of rain.

On the most sensitive soils, the drought was feared to provoke blockage of the plants, a dire phenomenon, which was countered by careful monitoring and attention in the vineyards. Torrid temperatures continued through August, consistently soaring above 30°C, which led to an early harvest of various parcels of Merlot. Fortunately, September began with a rainfall of 30mm, followed by another of 40mm, ensure maturation for Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon without excessive concentration of sugars. Harvest ended with a parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon next to the cellar on September 26th, 10 days ahead of 2016. The production was 15% less than average, but the quality is very good with wines that seem to have absorbed the summer heat without suffering imbalance.

Vinification

Following destemming and gentle pressing, each variety is produced separately. Fermentation and maceration occur in stainless steel tanks for about 15-20 days at controlled temperature never exceeding 28°C. Half of the wine is then put into 225-liter barrels made of used French and Hungarian oak, where malolactic fermentation takes place. It is then aged for about eight months. The other half of the wine is aged in stainless steel tanks. Afterwards, the final blend is made and, subsequently, the wine is bottled.

Estate

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 75 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.