PoggioargentierA

THE HISTORY
Poggioargentiera was established in 1997 at Podere Adua, a farm that dates back to the early 1900s. It was founded by the Frascolla family, owners of the iconic winery Tua Rita, located in the upper Maremma since 1984, whose highly acclaimed wines are known for their unrelenting quality. Poggioargentiera is the extension of their tiny winemaking empire, run by third-generation Giovanni Frascolla and his team of innovative enologists. The winery’s philosophy is to best represent the grapes at the time of harvest in each and every bottle. Each grape must be the perfect representation of its terroir, thus there is very little intervention in the cellar and the
utmost respect for the grapes and the land. Owing to this, Poggioargentiera is fully eco-sustainable. True to its legendary roots, Poggioargentiera has enjoyed high ratings from vintage to vintage.

THE TERROIR
Poggioargentiera extends about 26 hectares in the lower Maremma area: 6 in Baccinello, 12 in Banditella, and 8 in Cupi. This area of Maremma, which is different from the upper Maremma where Tua Rita is located, sees mainly two types of terrain. One is along the coast, where the vineyards for Bellamarsilia are located, and the other is in the hills just a short distance inland. The coastal vineyards are about 6 km away from the sea, with sand and silt soils. Because of their location, climate and soils, the vines enjoy long maturation, thus show excellent aromatics, lovely fruit and zesty minerality. The grapes for Capatosta and Poggioraso call the hills their home
and the terrain is mainly alluvial, with sand and red clay, rich in oxidized iron and smooth river stones, which lend minerality and grand structure to the wines. They too see massive day/night temperature swings, allowing for slow and even ripening. On average, winters can be quite cold and summers scorching hot. But there is always a cool breeze, either from the sea or Monte Amiata and rainfall (about 500 mm per year) mainly in spring and fall allow the vineyards to build up their water reserves. The sea breezes that ventilate the grapes, also help keep the
vines dry and disease free. To combat rising summer temperatures, Poggioargentiera employs a canopy system that creates natural shade, protecting the grapes from sunburn. The proximity to Monte Amiata also helps the vineyards, working as a sort of natural air conditioner: Heat from the coast moves inland and towards the cool mountain (5,900 feet/1,800 meters above sea level), to then get pushed back down to the coast once cooled.