2012 Vigna D'Alceo
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Tasting notes
The Castello dei Rampolla 2012 d'Alceo was born in a hot vintage that saw good rain at opportune moments. This wine opens to balsam herb with dark fruit and dried blackberry, but it also shows significant brawn, making this one of the bigger wines in this vertical tasting. You do feel richness and extraction on the finish, and the impression of freshness is somewhat diminished compared to the cooler vintages. Given these characteristics, I recommend drinking this wine now. Castello dei Rampolla rebuilt the fermentation area in 2012, and starting with that vintage, d'Alceo went from being aged in barrique for two years to going into larger oak vessels (barrique and 500-liter tonneaux), with 6,000-liter casks introduced to the program in 2019 and 2020. After that, the wine goes into bottle for two to thee years, depending on the vintage. An even bigger 12-hectoliter botte was introduced in 2025. All metal was removed from the winery 15 years ago and replaced with cement, ceramic, cocciopesto and terracotta. Punch-downs are executed twice daily for two to three weeks and delicate pumpers are used at the end of fermentation.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Fragrant and enticing with flower petal, dried black tea and berry aromas. Full to medium body, chewy tannins and a fruity finish. Needs to come together still. Better in 2019.
The 2012 d'Alceo is sweet, round and enveloping. Silky tannins give the 2012 much of its shape, while adding to the wine's appeal. Plum, black cherry, menthol, licorice and sweet spices wrap around the fleshy, succulent finish. Like the Sammarco, d'Alceo is a bit restrained in this vintage.
The 2012 D’Alceo is a pretty, delicate wine that shows the more understated side of this hillside estate. Crushed flowers, sweet red-toned fruit, mint, spice and white pepper lend notable aromatic presence. The 2012 has always been on the lighter side (because of heavy rain during the summer) as it is once again today. Think of the 2012 as a D’Alceo with Pinot like structure, but decidedly Tuscan acids. It is a fine choice for drinking now and over the next decade or so. Perhaps more importantly, it points to the more finessed style that is the norm these days.