It’s been more than forty years since Sassicaia won the 1978 Decanter London Tasting, doing for Tuscany what the 1976 Paris Tasting did for California.  
 
Sassicaia was at that time the lone voice for great wine on Tuscany’s coast. But it paved the way for a gold rush that continues today. And among the most promising stars is Tenuta Argentiera, created in 1999 by a partnership of Piero Antinori with Fratini, the powerful luxury apparel family from Florence. 

Argentiera’s first vintage was 2003, but the estate was far from fulfilling its potential. For that, Argentiera had to wait a further twelve years, until its epic 2015 Bolgheri Superiore was made.
 
This breakout vintage is a blend of 45% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with the balance Cabernet Franc. A strict selection of the best fruit from the Argentiera vineyard, gravity-fed to stainless steel tanks, the 2015 underwent a cool, lengthy fermentation and maceration for one month, followed by malolactic fermentation and aging in French oak barrels, half new, for 18 months. 
 
Historic Terroir
While Tenuta Argentiera was founded in 1999, the property dates back at least  to the 16th century, when the Medici’s gave it to Florence’s Serristori family as thanks for their support.
 
The estate was quite a gift! Within the context of Bolgheri, Tenuta Argentiera occupies both the highest elevation and the closest proximity to the Tyrrhenian Sea. This creates a terroir of incredibly diverse soils, ranging from the layered galestro clay and schist at the top of the vineyard’s slope through stony limestone-clay marl in the middle to sand in the lower sections.
 
This diversity of soils was a playground for the experienced Piero Antinori, who knew just what to plant where.
 
Masterful Touch
All the vines needed was time—with each vintage, the wines grew deeper in their articulation of this singularly great terroir. And since his arrival in 2009 winemaker Dr. Nicolò Carrara has been continually refining his methods to best capture Argentiera’s harmoniously complex character. 
 
A native son of Tuscany’s coast, Carrara earned his enology degree at the University of Pisa, followed by work at such illustrious estates as Sicily’s Donnafugata, Bordeaux’ Château Palmer and Australia’s Torbreck. And he brought all of this knowledge, skill and experience to bear in fashioning the 2015.
 
Here’s your chance to snag the newest member of the Bolgheri elite before prices go the way of its long-established peers.