Argiano Solengo | Rosso Toscano 2019 / 750 ml.

The 2019 Solengo seduces with its richly decadent display of vanilla and mocha-tinged dark fruits and spices, which are wonderfully lifted by minty herbal tones and white smoke. This enters the palate like weighted velvet, smooth and fleshy at first, yet lively, as mineral-tinged black currants mix with fine-grained tannins, clamping down with youthful poise. Like the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove, this tapers off incredibly long and staining, with echoes of licorice beneath an air of cedar and tobacco; yet somehow, through it all, the palate is left watering for more. It will be many years before the 2019 is ready to show its best, but it will certainly be worth the wait. The Solengo is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Sangiovese that spends eighteen months refining in a combination of 60% new to 40% second-pass barriques. (Eric Guido)

Opening to a thick, blackish appearance, the Argiano 2019 Solengo is definitely more concentrated and tightly stitched together next to the 2018 edition. This is a supersized blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Petit Verdot, 20% Merlot and 5% Sangiovese that reveals the extra concentration of the vintage, and the important use of new and used French oak (for 18 months of aging), to create a texturally important and aromatically intense expression. The vines are planted in alluvial soils rich in sand and calcareous marl at 280 to 310 meters in elevation. The grapes are farmed organically and are relatively young, at up to 22 years of age. Plummy fruit and ripe blackberry segues to spice, tar and tobacco. This 2019 vintage shows better tannin management compared to the more astringent 2018 edition. Some 34,000 bottles (heavy glass bottles) were released. (Monica Larner)