Winemaker Notes
Ventaglio is the first single vineyard on the estate and expresses its peak production in terms of location, soil and climate characteristics and quality of the grapes. Of superior complexity and structure, balanced by its elegance, Ventaglio presents itself as the expressive summa of the Cabernet Franc planted in the Bolgheri area.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Ventaglio is a deep but reflective blood red color and is more expressive of classic Cabernet Franc aromas in its focused, layered aromatics of graphite, eucalyptus, kirsch, redcurrant, and cedar. The palate is both full and weightless, with even, refreshing acidity, well-defined tannins, and a long, gently tapering finish, with salty freshness lasting long after the wine is gone. I love this vintage for this wine, and it’s one I would scramble to stash away, although it’s going to be hard to resist now.
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James Suckling
A beautiful, complex red with blackcurrants, sage, rosemary and sweet tobacco. Red tile, too. Full-bodied, very linear and fine-grained with great intensity and power. Such purity and length. This 100% cabernet franc is made from only one hectare, producing 3,000 bottles. Needs another three to four years to open and definitely one for the cellar.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Argentiera 2016 Ventaglio is simply gorgeous, with a sharp and linear quality of fruit that embraces spice, dried blackberry, rosemary and crushed stone. When I first reviewed this wine a few years back, I wrote, “If there is a heaven where grapevines live, the Ventaglio vineyard may just be it.”
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Wine Spectator
This red has a lot going on, featuring intense, saturated flavors of black cherry, plum, fig, wild rosemary and iron, with a vibrant, dense structure. Balanced, with a long, resonant finish.
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
An outstanding wine region made famous by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines for his own consumption in 1940s on his San Guido estate, and called the resulting wine, Sassicaia. Today the region’s Tuscan reds are based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which can be made as single varietal wines or blends. The local Sangiovese can make up no more than 50% of the blends. Today Sassicaia has its own DOC designation within the Bogheri DOC appellation.