2013 Sammarco, Castello dei Rampolla, Tuscany, Italy

Wines from the Castello dei Rampolla property show an impressive and especially chiseled quality that gives them a very direct and immediate quality. These are frank and honest wines that stay true to the identity set forth years ago at this historic estate. They stay the course, so to speak. The 2013 Sammarco is Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese and Merlot that tastes nothing like the many blended Bordeaux-inspired reds you find in this part of Italy. Instead, the wine is all-Tuscan in its appeal, with sun-drenched cherry, Mediterranean herb and a pretty balsam note that recalls the thick underbrush and woods of the Chianti Classico countryside. This vintage soars in intensity and beauty.Monica Larner - 31/10/2017