Winemaker Notes
Perfect with game, chicken, turkey, ham, aged cheese and mushrooms.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A focused, balanced style, evoking pure cherry, raspberry, mineral and floral aromas and flavors, this is elegant and fluid yet dense and well-structured, ending with lively acidity and dusty tannins. The finish goes on and on. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2025.
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Wine Enthusiast
Earthy aromas of tilled soil, underbrush, leather, purple flower, cedar and ripe black-skinned berry lead the way on this delicious blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Petit Verdot. The smooth full-bodied palate doles out juicy blackberry, red currant, licorice, exotic spice, mocha and a hint of game while tightly knit but velvety tannins lend both structure and finesse. It's already compelling but give it time to fully develop. Drink 2018–2027.
Cellar Selection. -
James Suckling
Fragrant and enticing with flower petal, dried black tea and berry aromas. Full to medium body, chewy tannins and a fruity finish. Needs to come together still. Better in 2019.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Castello dei Rampolla 2012 d'Alceo was born in a hot vintage that saw good rain at opportune moments. This wine opens to balsam herb with dark fruit and dried blackberry, but it also shows significant brawn, making this one of the bigger wines in this vertical tasting. You do feel richness and extraction on the finish, and the impression of freshness is somewhat diminished compared to the cooler vintages.
Legendary in Italy for its Renaissance art and striking landscape, Tuscany is also home to many of the country’s best red wines. Sangiovese reigns supreme here, as either the single varietal, or a dominant player, in almost all of Tuscany’s best.
A remarkable Chianti, named for its region of origin, will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and plenty of cherry fruit character. From the hills and valleys surrounding the medieval village of Montalcino, come the distinguished and age-worthy wines based on Brunello (Sangiovese). Earning global acclaim since the 1970s, the Tuscan Blends are composed solely of international grape varieties or a mix of international and Sangiovese. The wine called Vine Nobile di Montepulciano, composed of Prognolo Gentile (Sangiovese) and is recognized both for finesse and power.