Tenuta Argentiera

Ambitious Tenuta Argentiera own 86 hectares of vineyards in the southern extremities of the Bolgheri growing zone. They occupy land which, for thousands of years, has been precious, once an Etruscan silver mine. Now there is a newfound value to their land. Their vineyards are some of the closest to the Tyrrhenian Sea, but also have the highest average elevation of vineyards due the hillside plateau where most of the vineyards perch at an altitude between 160 – 210 metres. Although this might not sound like much, it makes a dramatic difference to the final wine; over the summer months, their vines on average are four degrees celcius cooler than Bolgheri’s main vineyards below on the alluvial pianura (plain), thus allowing for slower maturation in the grapes, and added complexity and freshness. The soils too are different from much of the area, and share more similarities to much of Montalcino with sand and mineral-flecked galestro.

Vineyards were planted under the direction of Pietro Antinori from 1990, and the winery have worked with well-known consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt to help realise their potential. The winemaker is local Nicola Carrera. After graduating from Pisa University, Nicola has worked at Australia’s Torbreck, Super Tuscan Tua Rita and Margaux’s Château Palmer before setting his sights on Cabernet and Merlot a little closer to home. Tenuta Argentiera make a classical Bolgheri wine. They have the team, the terroir and potential to be one of the great names of Bolgheri. With this release, they step closer to realising their ambition.