2011 Vigna D'Alceo
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2011 d'Alceo is a stunning blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon with 15% Petit Verdot. The bouquet is perfumed and enticing with dark rose, cherry fruit, spice, leather, cola, grilled herb and so much more. Fruit comes from a six-hectare single vineyard (whereas fruit for the Sammarco represents a special selection from various vineyards.) The intensity and purity is what sets this wine apart. Both are impeccable. In the mouth, d'Alceo feels long, linear and meaningful. Castello dei Rampolla practices biodynamic farming.
Critic scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2011 d'Alceo is fascinating to taste next to the Sammarco, as it is much more open-knit, silky and expressive. Cherry jam, pomegranate, spice and new leather flesh out in the glass. The integration of fruit, tannin and acidity is further along than in the Sammarco. The 2011 d'Alceo should open up pretty early, which will be welcome news to readers cellaring some of the more tannic vintages. I expect the 2011 will provide readers with a long drinking window of pure pleasure.
Tasted from tank just prior to bottling, the 2011 d'Alceo is shaping up to be magnificent. Blackberry jam, white flowers and fragrant spices saturate the palate in a stunning wine endowed with superb pedigree and class. It is so rare to find a wine that combines this level of ripeness and acidity, without feeling heavy at all. The 2011 clocks in a 14.6% in alcohol and a whopping 6.4% acidity, a balance of elements that is exceedingly rare. Once again, picking early was the key. What a gorgeous wine this is!
The 2011 d'Alceo, tasted from tank just prior to bottling, is shaping up to be magnificent. Blackberry jam, white flowers and fragrant spices saturate the palate in a stunning wine endowed with superb pedigree and class. It is so rare to find a wine that combines this level of ripeness and acidity, without feeling heavy at all. The 2011 clocks in a 14.6% in alcohol and a whopping 6.4% acidity, a balance of elements that is exceedingly rare. Once again, picking early was the key. What a gorgeous wine!