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Tasting notes
This was a very difficult vintage for Castello dei Rampolla, with heavy rains that led to fruit loss and diminished yields for the top wines. Production of d'Alceo was severely reduced to a mere 1,000 bottles, and leftover fruit went to this wine instead, to its certain betterment. The 2005 Sammarco (a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller parts Merlot and Sangiovese) is more tertiary in character, but it maintains its enduring freshness. Cool growing conditions have shaped a wine with complexity and elegance, although you don't get the power of a warmer year. This vintage is especially ethereal and offers a nice break between the more powerful 2004 and 2006 vintages. "Fashion fades. Only style remains the same, said Coco Chanel," Maurizia di Napoli Rampolla tells me. This is a motto to live by.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot aged 15 months in large oak. Sweet, round, fresh but with the tannins nicely evolved. Very smooth-textured. (JR)
The 2005 Sammarco is soft, silky and impeccable balanced. Still fresh and beautifully delineated, the 2005 possesses striking harmony in a mid-weight expression of this site. Sweet plum, violet, herbs, mint and sage notes add nuance on the finely-knit finish. There are no hard edges or angular contours here, just spike of acidity on the close that serves as a reminder of the cool, rainy conditions.
The 2005 Sammarco is soft, silky and impeccably balanced. Still fresh and beautifully delineated, the 2005 possesses striking harmony in a mid-weight expression of this site. Sweet plum, violet, herbs, mint and sage notes add nuance on the finely-knit finish. There are no hard edges or angular contours here, just a spike of acidity on the close that serves as a reminder of the cool, rainy conditions during what turned out to be a very challenging harvest at Rampolla. This is another wine that has really blossomed in bottle.