Castello dei Rampolla Sammarco 2014

2014 was a difficult year due to the rather wet, cool summer , perhaps the most difficult since 2005. Fortunately, the warm, dry September still made for a nice ripening. Those who tasted the 2005 from this estate know that brother and sister di Napoli always deliver top wines. This is at the expense of quantity and this year only a few cartons of d'Alceo are coming to Belgium... I tasted the wines in April and was nevertheless impressed again: cooler fruit than in 2013, but really Tuscan with delicious dark fruit, yet again that wonderful concentration and at the same time light-footed, a particularly rare combination that can only be found with the really great ones. The tannins are relatively supple, which suggests to me that we're going to be able to enjoy this one a bit quicker than the more structured years.

"The 2014 Sammarco was bottled in August and will be released in January 2019. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Sangiovese. At this young stage, the wine already offers an impressive array of complex aromas with dark berry, spice and grilled herb neatly overlapping. Those tones are delivered with perfume-like grace and intensity. This vintage is streamlined and compact in terms of mouthfeel, and those youthful tannins remind us that this wine will award the best results to those who have the patience to wait." 94/100 (RP)