2004 Castello di Argiano Brunello di Montalcino
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Tasting notes
The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino smolders with an earthen bouquet, mixing flowery underbrush, ashen stones, cedar spice box and dried wild berries. It's lively within, juicy and fruit-focused, leaning toward ripeness with a salty core of minerality that balances the experience nicely. The finish is a bit short yet clean and resolved, leaving hints of balsamic spice and a pleasant chewiness that lingers. This is in a pretty place today, though its downslope journey is right around the corner. It's important to note that the 2004 was made in a very different style than Argiano favors today, with an approach that relied more on new oak and small barrels.
Critic scores
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
This is really complex with blackberry, spice and floral aromas that follow through to a full body, with firm and chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Shows great length and presence. Top stuff. Even better than I remember. Drink now and onwards.
Ruby with lots of rusty development at the rim. Dusty, earthy nose – it really does smell as though some vineyard dust were dissolved in this. Then sweet and without quite enough refreshment factor. (JR)
The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is the first Brunello oenologist Hans Vinding-Diers made from start to finish at Argiano, and it represents a significant stylistic shift in direction. Among the changes Vinding-Diers instituted are lower temperatures in fermentation, which have given his wines gorgeous, detailed aromatics as well as notable textural elegance. The medium-bodied 2004 Brunello di Montalcino possesses perfumed layers of sweet ripe fruit that flow gracefully onto the palate, where sweet notes of tobacco, leather and spices come to life, adding further complexity. Finessed tannins round out this beautiful Brunello that is more about elegance rather than sheer power alone.