Wine Advisor
Castello Dei Rampolla, d'Alceo Toscana 1999
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Description
“D’Alceo” fully reflects the character of the vineyard from which it originates. It is intense, warm, refined and elegant. Well-ripened red fruits blend perfectly with delicate notes of cigar and tobacco – an amazing concentration with no heaviness.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A consistent note after the stunning bottle last year. It has that decadent, chocolate tinged bouquet that retains great delineation and poise, kirsch and creme de cassis developing with time in the glass. The palate is still beautifully balanced with a luscious dark plum, maraschino and glycerin-rich finish. Wonderful. Tasted June 2010.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The monumental 1999 Vigna d'Alceo is a 20,000-bottle cuvee of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Sangiovese aged in oak. It boasts an exceptionally provocative nose of liquid minerals, graphite, plums, creme de cassis, and cherry liqueur. It is fabulously concentrated yet remarkably light on its feet, with medium to full body, sweet tannin, and layer upon layer of flavor nuances. There is plenty of glycerin in this rich, but neither heavy nor overbearing effort. This is a thrilling tour de force! However, it requires cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2025. Bravo! Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at dinner at The Greenhouse. A lucid ruby hue. The nose is almost impenetrable at first, quite Bordeaux in style due to a pencil box aroma, but then revealing hints of dark Valrona chocolate, kirsch and cassis. Wonderful definition but you get the sense of it being a “tight fist” of a bouquet and there remains some unresolved oak. The palate is tannic, off dry, austere, a little harsh at first but improving all the time. An uncompromising wine, in some ways this is like an ’86 Claret, one that tests your patience in terms of its glacial evolution. Impressive, but not yielding an equal amount of pleasure at the moment. Drink 2015-2030. Tasted May 2009.
About the Producer
Castello dei Rampolla was founded in 1956, however the history of its owners, the Napoli Rampolla family, dates back on this site to 1739. The estate is based in the hilltop town of Panzano, and is famed for the Conca d’Oro (golden basin) – an outstanding natural amphitheatre composed of the village’s hillsides, neighbouring Fontodi. It was under the stewardship of Alceo di Napoli Rampolla in the second half of the twentieth century that Castello dei Rampolla began to make a name for itself. Having been inspired by Mario Incisa della Rocchetta – the legendary creator of Sassicaia – Alceo decided to attempt his own Bordeaux style wine with Cabernet Sauvignon. He recruited the help of world famous consultant oenologist Giacomo Tachis and soon enough Castello dei Rampolla’s ability to incarnate Bordeaux blends in Tuscany pushed the estate into the spotlight. Their wine, Sammarco, became a superstar in the Castello dei Rampolla collection, despite criticism from Chianti Classico traditionalists in the region.
