Argentiera, 2011 Lavinia Maria, Bolgheri, Italy
While the story of Argentiera as we know it today doesn't begin until 1999, the lands on which the estate was built has a rich history of agriculture and viticulture that dates back to the early 1500s. At the time, the great Serristori family of Florence developed these lands for agricultural and humanistic purposes. Fast forward to 1999, and the modern story of the estate begins with the Fratini family, who began to establish vineyards under the guidance of renowned agronomist Federico Zileri Dal Verna, who also served as president of the Bolgheri DOC from 2013 to 2019. Today, Argentiera is owned by Austrian entrepreneur Stanislaus Turnauer, and the estate is run by Leonardo Raspini, and in the cellar Nicolò Carrara has served as winemaker since 2009.
Argentiera has 85 hectares of vineyards planted across three estates in the southern part of Bolgheri, of which an impressive 22 hectares is planted with Cabernet Franc - a quarter of the estate's vineyards. As a traditional variety of the Bolgheri region, Cabernet Franc makes its way into several of Argentiera's wines, but it also has taken centre stage in two single-varietal bottlings. Today, Ventaglio is the estate's top wine, which was first produced in 2015, and previously the wine Lavinia Maria, which was made only in 2011 and 2012. In an effort to provide a most comprehensive look at Argentiera and their work with Cabernet Franc as a star variety, I will take a close look at the parcels for Lavinia Maria and also for Ventaglio, which represents the winery's future with Cabernet Franc, but first let provide any over few of the Bolgheri region and its growing environment.
While the Bolgheri DOC was not established until 1983, the viticultural history of the region can be traced back to the ancient Etruscan civilization that resided in the region back in the 7th century BCE. The beginnings of Bolgheri as we know it today started to unfold in the 1940s when the Bordeaux varieties were first planted at the Tenuta San Guido by the uncle of legendary Piero Antinori, the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rochetta. Upon arriving to the region and seeing the similarities between the seaside position of Bolgheri and its soils with those of Bordeaux, he believed it was possible to make high quality wines inspired by those of Bordeaux in the region. The wine that paved the way for the region to become what we know it today was, of course, Sassicaia, which was first bottled in 1945.
Following the update of DOC rules to include protections for red wines made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot in 1994, rapid expansion of the vineyard area in the region soon followed, and today the region has 1,370ha under vine. Today, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted variety, representing approximately 34% of plantings, followed by Merlot and then Cabernet Franc with about 16% of plantings, which is about 250ha. In recent years, Cabernet Franc is showing great resilience and promise in the face of climate change, and since 2014, Cabernet Franc plantings have increased by 60%, and there are now, at last count, 16 single varietal Cabernet Francs being produced in the region.
The region of Bolgheri is situated about 40km south of the city of Livorno, down Italy's western coast. The region is quite small, about 13km from north to south, and the main area of vineyards is just 5 to 6km wide. it is bordered to the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea and to the east by the Colline Metalifere, which is a series of hills that create a natural amphitheatre and a landscape that gently slopes west towards the coast, and the position of the amphitheatre captures these constant cooling breezes from the Tyrrhenian Sea, making it cooler than other coastal areas along the Tuscan coast. The vineyards start about 2km from the coast, so there is strong influence from the Tyrrhenian Sea, and vineyard elevations range from about 10m to about 200m with the majority of vineyards at elevations from around 10 to 55m or so above sea level. In general, temperatures tend to get cooler as you move inland from the coast, and into the higher elevations, and precipitation also increases as you move closer to the amphitheatre of hills.
In terms of soils, the region has identified approximately 27 distinct terroir units across this relatively small region. The soils vary by elevation and the proximity to the sea, and there are variations in texture from very sandy in some pockets closer to the coast at lower elevations, to sandy-clays on terraces between 20m to 135m, and more silty-clays on the higher elevation areas in the hills. The soils across the board are more alkaline, and have varying amounts of calcareous materials and gravels, as well as some iron-rich red sands and clay in some parts.
Argentiera and its vineyards are located in the southern part of the Bolgheri region, and as I noted above, their vineyards are planted across three estates. The vines for the Lavinia Maria came from in a single parcel planted at Argentiera's namesake estate and the parcel for Ventaglio is planted less than 1.5km away to the north of the estate.
The vineyards at the main estate are in a very unique part of the Bolgheri appellation. Here the vineyards are at the second highest elevation in the region, around 144 to 205m above sea level, and they are very close to the sea, about 2km east of the sea. The vineyards are also on steeper slopes up in the hillsides, with a variety of exposures, and completely surrounded by forests. So the combination of the strong sea influence, the higher elevation, and the surrounding forests make this area cooler than where many of the historic producers in the region are located. The soils here are also heavier, with more clay and calcareous content as well.
This wine is coming from a parcel of about 1ha. The vines were planted in 2001. This parcel is predominantly on a west-facing slope, with a small corner with a south-facing slope, and the elevation ranges from 150 to 155m above sea level. The topsoils range in depth from 50cm to 150cm, and the texture is a fine silty-clay, over a marly limestone bedrock.
The vineyard where the vines are planted for Ventaglio, which translates to "fan" in Italian, is really quite a remarkable one. It is located about 1.5km north of the main estate, and it is what I would consider a little "clos" for lack of a better word. It is a 1ha vineyard that is completely isolated, on a little outcropping in the hills surrounded by forests, and we're at an elevation of about 68m to 83m above sea level. This vineyard is planted in entirely with Cabernet Franc, and the vines were planted in 2010, and what is unique about this parcel is the vines were planted in a fan shape, and there is a large, holm oak tree at the centre, so the rows planted at different orientations, north, west and south, in the shape of a fan, with the idea that different sections with receive different sun exposure and intensity of the sun throughout the day.
In terms of soils, this parcel is a little more homogeneous, but similarly, as we are in the hillsides, the soils are a deep silt-clay mix with a higher percentage of calcareous materials.
In terms of winemaking, the winemaking for both wines is fairly similar. The fruit is all hand-harvested, destemmed and not crushed. The berries are transferred into tank via gravity, and fermentation is with cultured yeast. The total time on skins is about 25 days, with more active extractions in the beginning and then gentler practices in the last 10 days. The finished wine is drained off its skins, and only free run wine is used in the final cuvée. In terms of aging, this is where there has been some evolution between the Lavinia Maria and the Ventaglio. The Lavinia Maria would've been aged in barriques, about 30% new for about 14 months. But today, they do not use barriques anymore for Cabernet Franc, so the Ventaglio would see aging in larger 500L and 3000L Stockinger wooden casks.
Key wine wine facts below:
Producer: Tenuta Argentiera
Region: Tuscany, Italy
Sub-Region: Bolgheri (IGT Toscana)
Soils: 50 to 150cm silty-clay, over a marly limestone bedrock
Alcohol: 14.5%
