A castle, vineyards, barrels, a cellar, then lunch cooked by a Michelin-starred chef paired with Brunello — one of the Val d’Orcia top experiences in Argiano, Tuscany, a stone's throw from Montalcino, home to one of the oldest and most renowned Brunello wineries. Established in 1580, Argiano is home to Villa Bell'Aria, a noble country residence whose new owner, Brazilian tycoon Andrè Santos Esteves, commissioned a restoration.
Vines and Cinematic Landscapes
The exquisite territory can only be defined as "something out of a movie," and it’s no coincidence that the picturesque, undulating landscapes have served as the backdrop for several, including Eat, Pray, Love (2010) with Julia Roberts, and, most recently, Made in Italy (2020), The film stars Liam Neeson as an American who inherits a Tuscan farmhouse complete with a vineyard. The renovation project restores both the property and his relationship with his son, played by his real-life son Micheál Richardson.
The newly restored historic cellar
We walk around the vineyard then tour the cellars – the operational one first, where the bulk of the Brunello vintages age, then the historic one. The latter is a veritable gem of architectural recovery completed by Sienese architect Filippo Gastone Scheggi. His work includes the restoration of air vents to let the wine breathe in the barrels as well as the skillful recovery of the castle, such as properly treating the ceiling shards and the magnificent herringbone floor with ancient incrustations and wonderful irregularity.
The restoration plays on material elements, a coupling of the ancient foundation with modern additions, including a vertiginous, spiral staircase that descends into the cistern. It’s a journey into Brunello's past. "Each step is different from the other, laser-cut to fit the millimeter," explains the architect. Walking down the stairs is like traveling through the ages. The wealth of unobtainable bottles are not only from the Argiano winery but also from other local producers.
Where the wine rests
And then there are the barrels. Brunello rests strictly in barrels because Montalcino wine must be “wide” — barriques are smaller so the contact between wine and wood is stronger. “Brunello rests in barrels ranging from 60 to 70.5 hectoliters [1585 - 1682 gallons], but we have smaller barriques to refine our Supertuscan,” says Bernardino Sani, a young winemaker who’s the winery’s general manager. He brought Solengo, a sought-after product, back to its splendor by dusting off the recipes of the great oenologist Giacomo Tachis, who produced Sassicaia, Tignanello, and Argiano’s Supertuscan.
Val d’Orcia on the plate and in the glass
Dimore, the estate's farmhouse, is outfitted with apartments. Guests can book a chef to cook a meal to pair with the estate’s wines, all complete with a view overlooking the unmistakable Tuscan countryside.
Roberto Rossi, whose restaurant Silene holds the Val d’Orcia’s only star, prepared a meal that combined Tuscan traditions and the richness and elegance of Montalcino wines. From bread made from a mother yeast perfected via a collaboration of a professor from the University of Siena to tartare to a fabulous ravioli with a dough made from duck egg to pigeon, all the dishes represented the local cuisine.
Each dish was complemented by a crescendo in the wines, chosen and presented by Bernardino Sani. If a fresh tartare goes well with a younger Rosso di Montalcino, the pigeon is best with Brunello as the aging supports its sanguine flesh. There’s nothing quite like savoring Tuscany on the palate while gazing at the territory’s fabled hills with a glass in hand.