Argentiera Villa Donoratico Bolgheri 2016
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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To describe a wine it is always necessary to decipher the landscape of origin, then place it in the environment that generates it to appreciate its nature. Villa Donoratico is a decidedly consistent and complex wine that never falls into obviousness, demonstrating a character deeply linked to its area of origin. Matured in oak barrels, extraordinary in its drinkability and in its fidelity to the type, able to leave space to the sensations of red fruit on the nose, and slightly spicy on the palate, with a pleasant final note that recalls the licorice.
Blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The nose provides a beautiful balance between freshness with crushed violets and lavender and deeper elements of blackcurrants, licorice and elderberries. Tea leaves and charcoal, too. Full body, really refined and structured tannins and a long finish. Drink in 2021.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Another 40/30/20/10 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, the 2016 Bolgheri Rosso Villa Donoratico is a sophisticated wine that is full-bodied, with dark concentration and thickness. It has a nice fullness to it, with big, dark fruit. The Villa Donoratico plays its best cards in the mouth, as its texture is very rich and seductive. There is a touch of richness on the tannins, which still need to relax. You also get snap or crunchiness on close.
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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. Argentiera is incredibly close to the sea and at a high altitude, making the land 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.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
An outstanding wine region made famous by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines for his own consumption in 1940s on his San Guido estate, and called the resulting wine, Sassicaia. Today the region’s Tuscan reds are based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which can be made as single varietal wines or blends. The local Sangiovese can make up no more than 50% of the blends. Today Sassicaia has its own DOC designation within the Bogheri DOC appellation.