Argiano

Argiano traces its name to the Roman god Janus (Giano); the estate's own account ties it to Ara Jani, a temple once sited at the foot of Argiano's hill, though the estate also notes a theory that the name derives from the nearby Orcia River. Argiano is first documented in 813, in a charter issued by Ludwig the Pious recording the transfer of its church to the Abbey of Sant'Antimo. In 1212 the Abbot of Sant'Antimo ceded Argiano to Siena, beginning a series of ownership transfers among Sienese families. Between 1581 and 1596 the Pecci family commissioned Villa Bellaria, which Argiano credits to Sienese architect Baldassarre Peruzzi; in 1616 the writer Bartolomeo Gherardini described it as 'the most beautiful country Palazzo in the Sienese State.' In 1932 Argiano won a medal at the Brussels International Food Fair, and in 1967 it became a founding member of the Consorzio del Brunello. In 1995 enologist Giacomo Tachis collaborated with then-owner Noemi Marone Cinzano on the first vintage of the estate's Super Tuscan, Solengo. Countess Cinzano sold the estate in 2013; Brazilian entrepreneur Andre Santos Esteves acquired it, and Argiano describes the years that followed as its 'New Renaissance,' encompassing soil studies led by Pedro Parra and a restoration of Villa Bellaria by architect Filippo Gastone Scheggi.

• 813: first documented mention of Argiano, in a charter of Ludwig the Pious transferring its church to the Abbey of Sant'Antimo
• 1581-1596: Pecci family builds Villa Bellaria, credited by the estate to architect Baldassarre Peruzzi; called 'the most beautiful country Palazzo in the Sienese State' by Bartolomeo Gherardini in 1616
• 1967: founding member of the Consorzio del Brunello; 1995: first vintage of Solengo, made with enologist Giacomo Tachis under then-owner Noemi Marone Cinzano
• 2013: Countess Cinzano sells the estate; Andre Santos Esteves acquires it, beginning Argiano's self-described 'New Renaissance' of restoration and replanting

Argiano spans 125 hectares on a plateau roughly 350 metres above sea level, descending from Montalcino toward Tavernelle on the region's southwestern slope near Sant'Angelo in Colle. The estate describes its soils as ancient calcareous marl, laid down around 25 million years ago when the sea that once covered the area receded, and reports finding marine fossils in its vineyards. Of the 125 hectares, 60 are planted to vine and 10 to olive groves, with the remainder mostly woodland. Sangiovese is the estate's principal variety, covering 42 hectares mainly in the central-northern part of the property; the remaining vineyard area is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, varieties Argiano says have been part of the estate for decades. In 2013 a soil study led by viticultural consultant Pedro Parra and agronomist Francesco Monari mapped the property into four broad zones (north, center-north, center-south, and south), and since 2015 the estate has vinified and aged grapes from its six best plots, all in the north-central marl-rich zone, separately from the rest of the crop.

• 125 hectares total: 60 hectares under vine (42 hectares Sangiovese), 10 hectares olive groves, remainder woodland
• Plateau at approximately 350 metres above sea level, southwestern Montalcino near Sant'Angelo in Colle
• Soils: ancient calcareous marl the estate dates to about 25 million years ago, containing marine fossils
• 2013 soil study by Pedro Parra and Francesco Monari mapped the estate into north, center-north, center-south, and south zones; six best plots vinified separately since 2015

Argiano describes its cellar approach as minimal-intervention, paired in the vineyard with organic-regenerative practices such as green manure sowing, the introduction of beneficial insects, and the use of mycorrhizal microorganisms. According to Wine Spectator's reporting on the estate, the classic Brunello di Montalcino is a blend of six vineyard parcels; after harvest the grapes are chilled with carbon dioxide for a five- to six-day cold maceration, fermented in cement vats with indigenous yeast, and macerated on the skins for 20 to 21 days. Following malolactic conversion in cement, the wine ages about 3.5 years in large casks of 1,000, 2,000, and 3,000 litres. Wine Spectator reports that Sani's team, after arriving in 2014, replaced the barriques previously used for both the classic Brunello and the Vigna del Suolo bottling with large casks and 600-litre tonneaux, and in late 2014 Sani brought in consulting enologist Alberto Antonini to work alongside cellar master Adriano Bambagioni and vineyard manager Francesco Monari.

• Minimal-intervention winemaking; organic-regenerative viticulture (green manure, beneficial insects, mycorrhiza) per the estate's own account
• Classic Brunello: blend of six parcels; 5-6 day cold maceration, indigenous-yeast fermentation in cement, 20-21 days skin contact (Wine Spectator)
• Malolactic conversion in cement; about 3.5 years aging in 1,000-3,000-litre casks; barriques replaced by large casks and 600-litre tonneaux after 2014 (Wine Spectator)
• Team assembled after the 2014 leadership change: consulting enologist Alberto Antonini (from late 2014), cellar master Adriano Bambagioni, vineyard manager and agronomist Francesco Monari

Argiano's 2018 Brunello di Montalcino was named Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year in its 2023 Top 100, scoring 95 points; the magazine's review put the wine's drinking window at 2025 through 2042. Separately, Gambero Rosso named Argiano's 2016 Vigna del Suolo its Red Wine of the Year in the Vini d'Italia 2022 guide, and at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino scored 97 points and a Platinum medal.

• 2018 Brunello di Montalcino: Wine Spectator Wine of the Year, 2023 Top 100, 95 points; drinking window 2025-2042 per Wine Spectator
• 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo: Gambero Rosso Red Wine of the Year, Vini d'Italia 2022 guide
• 2016 Brunello di Montalcino: 97 points, Platinum medal, Decanter World Wine Awards 2021
• Certifications: organic, plastic-free, carbon neutral, and Equalitas (since 2024) per the estate's own account

Argiano's current range, per the estate's own wine list, centers on Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, which the estate calls 'the soul of Argiano.' The Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Vigna del Suolo is the estate's single-vineyard cru, and a Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG is also produced. Rosso di Montalcino DOC offers earlier drinking, alongside a second Rosso bottling, Rosso di Montalcino DOC Sella del Leccio, which the estate describes as coming from a younger vineyard. Solengo IGT Toscana, first made in 1995 with enologist Giacomo Tachis, is what the estate calls 'the Supertuscan of Montalcino.' The range also includes Non Confunditur IGT Toscana, a Grappa di Brunello di Montalcino, and two extra-virgin olive oils, Organic Italian Extravirgin Olive Oil and Anima Organic Italian Extravirgin Olive Oil.

• Brunello di Montalcino DOCG: the estate's core Brunello, called 'the soul of Argiano' on its own site
• Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Vigna del Suolo: single-vineyard cru; Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG also produced
• Rosso di Montalcino DOC and Rosso di Montalcino DOC Sella del Leccio (younger vineyard, per the estate)
• Solengo IGT Toscana (first vintage 1995, with Giacomo Tachis) and Non Confunditur IGT Toscana; also Grappa di Brunello di Montalcino and two extra-virgin olive oils

Primary source: argiano.net, the estate's own site (history, estate, philosophy, people, and individual wine pages). Secondary sources: Wine Spectator's Top 100 2023 profile (No. 1 wine of the year); Gambero Rosso International, "Red Wine of the Year" award announcement for Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo '16; Decanter, Decanter World Wine Awards coverage. Last verified 2026-09-13.