1997 Castello dei Rampolla Vigna d'Alceo
Community Tasting Note
sfwinelover1 Likes this wine:
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 - One off ($135) from cellerage operation #3 about 6 months ago. On the nose and palate, truffles!, forest floor, black cherries and currants, plums, graphite, gravel, dark florals, anise, exotic spice, light to medium roast coffee, and increasingly over time, bittersweet chocolate. Medium ruby turning darker with air, medium bodied likewise filling out with air, medium to thick legs. Quite acidic off the pour, largely integrating with 30-45 minutes of air, light to medium tannins, no heat with a lovely 13% abv (when was the last time you saw a Cab or BDX blend with that?). VG++ complexity, good++ intensity, excellent persistence. This came out of the bottle very BDX-y, relatively good to go except for the acidic tail, relatively subdued, more savory than sweet, more secondary than primary, making me initially think that this might be post-prime. After the integration of the acidity, this steadily lengthened and strengthened, and while staying far closer to BDX than Napa, the fruit moved forward over the course of the next couple of hours, making for a beautifully balanced, elegant and slightly rustic drinking experience in the 95-96 range. Having just finished the last bottle in the lot of the ‘04 Peter Michael LP which was very good off the pour, but even when remaining corked, weakened noticeably with air not only on the second night but during the first, I wasn’t sure what to expect on night 2, but lo and behold, this hit another level, with the magnificent dark chocolate note really stepping up so that I’d put this more in the 97-98+ range, right at the top of the BDX-based IGTs I’ve had and making me think that this likely has years to go, at least if decently stored, very much in keeping with other ‘90s superstars of the past year or so like the ‘96 HSS and Insig and ‘97 David Arthur Elevation 1147 and Cain 5. Not the greatest choice with a deep dish pizza on the first night but much better with a wagyu ribeye on night 2, I still think I might like just a bit better as a cocktail wine, where it shone magnificently. I’ve been loving a lot of Cabs and BDX blends from the ‘04-‘10 run in the US and Tuscany, but this is another indication that, while you don’t want to empty your bank account on 25+ year old wines of uncertain provenance, when they hit, they can bring back a wonderful wave of nostalgia for a decade of the Yankees dynasty, the last meaningful period of bipartisanship, a revolutionary political dissident playwright inspired by the Velvet Underground leading a European country, the dawn of the internet before it went so off the rails, outsized stock market returns and even some quality Grunge, the last musical movement I’ve really been able to cotton to. Well, at least we’ve had some great vintages in the 21st century, even if not much else. Maybe the 2030s will be better; hope I’m around to see. Anyway, this is highly recommended, even if slightly more tepidly with the current WS price 2x what I paid.
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Comment posted by Gregmonroe:
9/6/2023 2:19:00 PM - I've never had this wine, but great review, I feel like I experienced it too! Thanks for the great description.
Comment posted by sfwinelover1:
9/6/2023 4:45:00 PM - Thanks! Very apropos for you, I think, since I was just reading and enjoying your notes on buying the older wine collection (compared to several bottles of which this was a relative infant!). Always fun to try older, high quality bottles when they click. Cheers!