Italy
Of the many wine producing regions of Italy, we concentrate principally on two - Tuscany and Piedmont - where arguably the finest wines are made. Tuscany is the home of Sangiovese - which finds its greatest expression in the wines of Montalcino - while Piedmont is the home of Nebbiolo - the grape variety of Barolo and Barbaresco. In addition, we have wines from Friuli in the far northeast, close to the border with Slovenia, from the Veneto (particularly famous for the sparkling wines made from Prosecco) and from Umbria, where quality can be very fine, while price remains remarkably reasonable.
Wine production in Italy has undergone an extraordinarily rapid period of change over the last 20 to 30 years. Gone is the obsession, born at least in part from the impoverishment of the post-War years, for producing the maximum possible volume from the vineyards, which resulted in the production of vast quantities of dilute, under-ripe and poorly made wines. The generation of the increasingly affluent decades of the 1970s and 1980s, which has now taken control of family vineyards, has very different ideas. The transparency of the global market, and the competition for the attention of wine drinkers has brought in its wake the realisation that wine, however cheap, will not sell if the quality is not there. Now we have a generation of Italian producers making wines of the highest quality at all levels of price.
Castello di Argiano
Giuseppe-Maria and Sarah Sesti own this sublime 102 hectare estate, Castello di Argiano, in the hills south of Montalcino, overlooking the Orcia valley. There are 9 hectares of vines, with the rest of the estate a mixture of olive groves, grazing and woodland. The Castello is a 12th century hilltop fortification occupying a site first settled by Etruscans, then by Romans and then by Cistercian monks sent from the nearby abbey of San Antimo. It is the Cistercians’ 9th century oratory which still stands at the heart of the hamlet, dominated by the tower built to keep watch over this important strategic site on the southern marches of the old republic of Siena. Sesti began planting vines in the early 1990s, and over the last 15 years has established a strong reputation for the outstanding quality of his wines. Everything here is run strictly according to the influence of lunar phases, reflecting Giugi’s other great area of expertise – astronomy. Their daughter Elisa, was born at Argiano and educated in Italy and England. In 1999 she returned to Argiano where she is now co-director, and involved in all aspects of running the estate.
Red
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2017 Phenomena, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Sesti, Castello di Argiano x 62023-20336 Bottles£399.00£498.00
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2018 Brunello di Montalcino, Sesti, Castello di Argiano x 62023-20336 Bottles£304.00£384.00
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2018 Phenomena, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Sesti, Castello di Argiano x 62024-20346 Bottles£420.00£523.20
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2019 Brunello di Montalcino, Sesti, Castello di Argiano x 62024-20346 Bottles£320.00£403.20
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2021 Monteleccio, Sesti, Castello di Argiano2023-202812 Bottles£143.00£210.00
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2022 Monteleccio, Sesti, Castello di Argiano2024-202912 Bottles£150.50£219.00
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2022 Rosso di Montalcino, Sesti, Castello di Argiano2024-203112 Bottles£213.00£294.00
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