1996 Vigna D'Alceo

In 1996, Castello dei Rampolla produced an extremely limited production (about 200 cases) Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon/Petite Verdot blend called Vigna d'Alceo. This terrific wine bears more than a passing resemblance to a top-class Medoc. The opaque purple color is followed by gobs of toasty new oak, and jammy cassis fruit intermixed with minerals, spice, and cedar. Medium-bodied, with outstanding purity and concentration, exceptional harmony, and moderately high tannin, this is a promising, seriously-endowed wine for readers with the patience to wait 4-5 years. It should keep for two decades.

The Castello dei Rampolla 1996 d'Alceo reveals an aged bouquet with dried fruit, rust and dusty flint. It shows a great sense of depth and focus, but the concentration and natural richness is on full display, giving this wine a broad, open-knit texture nonetheless. Aromas of cured meat and tobacco rise to the top of this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. I also got a hint of forest floor and wild mushroom. The wine is generous and rich today, but it's definitely at the end of its drinking window.

A new wine from Rampolla, potentially the Château Mouton-Rothschild of Tuscany. A fabulous, superbly structured red, overflowing with black currant, lead pencil and mint aromas. Full-bodied, with layers of velvety tannins and a long aftertaste of ripe fruit and spearmint. Gorgeous. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best after 2004. 830 cases made.