2006 D'Alceo

This complete vertical of Castello dei Rampolla's d'Alceo was remarkable for many reasons, most importantly the absolute brilliance of the wines across vintages of all kinds.

Castello dei Rampolla is located in Panzano's famous Conca d'Oro or ‘golden basin,' an amphitheater of striking, pristine hillside vineyards. Rampolla's neighbors include Fontodi, La Massa and Villa Cafaggio. The di Napoli family has owned the property since 1739. Alceo di Napoli inherited the estate in 1965. Shortly thereafter, di Napoli planted Canaiolo, Malvasia, Trebbiano and Sangiovese. At the time, Rampolla was essentially a summer residence. Wheat, olive trees and other mixed crops were cultivated, but there were no vineyards. In the early days, Rampolla sold their fruit to Antinori. In 1975, Rampolla began making their own wines under the guidance of legendary oenologist Giacomo Tachis.

Alceo di Napoli dreamt of planting high-density vineyards with Bordeaux varieties, something that was unheard of in Chianti Classico at the time. In 1988, di Napoli started clearing the land, which at the time was planted with olive trees and housed the property's stables. Importantly, this land had never been farmed for grapes before, so it was virgin land. The first terraces were planted with Cabernet Sauvignon in 1990. Petit Verdot followed in 1991 and 1992. Sadly, Alceo di Napoli passed away in 1991, but his children Luca and Maurizia stepped-in to run the family estate. In 1994, Rampolla converted to biodynamic farming, the d'Alceo plots have essentially been farmed biodynamically since the beginning, as they had no real previous history to speak of, nor conventional farming regime from which to adjust.

All of the wines in this tasting were frankly stunning, including the inaugural 1996. A stylistic change towards greater finesse is evident beginning in 2001, which coincides with the seventh year of biodynamic farming, one of the first inflection points for followers of that school. By 2004, d'Alceo is even more elegant and polished than just a few years prior.

Today, d'Alceo is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Petit Verdot. The first vintages spent about 18 months in French oak barrels. Since 2007, d'Alceo spends 10-12 months in barrel, with only 10-15% new barrels, a decision Rampolla took to preserve more freshness and reduce the flavor impact of oak. In truth, I did not detect any significant or overbearing presence of oak, even in the early years, although the wines are clearly shaped texturally by aging in small barrels. More recently, Rampolla has moved increasingly towards larger 500-liter tonneaux. For more on the history of d'Alceo, readers might enjoy this short video I shot with proprietor Luca di Napoli just after this tasting. Di Napoli discusses biodynamics and other aspects of his approach to viticulture and winemaking here.

Castello dei Rampolla is one of the benchmark properties in Tuscany, and for good reason. At their finest, these are some of the most elegant, luscious wines readers will come across. A recent bottle of the 1999 Vigna d'Alceo was easily one of the very finest Tuscan wines I have ever had the privilege of drinking.