Press

• Score: 96 Vintage 2020 The Wine Advocate The Castello dei Rampolla 2020 Sammarco is a celebrated blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese from beautiful Panzano in Chianti. This is an abundant and explosive expression that delivers beautiful intensity with sharp black fruits backed by a mineral or metallic note of iron ore or rusty nail. The wine remains very focused and direct over a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel with velvety tannins. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2020 James Suckling Very attractive aromas of dark chocolate, kirsch and dried raspberries with hints of anisette, dried orange peel and cedar. Medium- to full-bodied, long and persistent. It shows firm and chewy tannin and deep, succulent fruit. Broad and persistent. Better from 2028. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2020 Vinous The 2020 Sammarco is elegant and polished to the core. Crushed flowers, red-toned fruit, spice, rose petals and a kick of blood orange are some of the many notes that grace this understated, beautifully refined edition of Sammarco. Bright acids pull it all together on the creamy, resonant finish. The blend is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 3% Sangiovese. The Merlot adds some mid-palate creaminess that is quite attractive. In reality, though, the 2020 is a wine from Rampolla. The 2020 spent 12 months in wood, barrique and tonneau for the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and 12HL cask for the Sangiovese. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2019 Wine Advocate A blend of (organic and biodynamic) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese, the 2019 Sammarco is more austere and even robust compared to the punchier style prized throughout this portfolio. This is a firmly grounded wine, with a bigger baseline of aromas, spanning black fruit, baked plum, spice, tobacco and crushed limestone. You feel the natural concentration of the 2019 vintage and beautifully managed tannins in this wine. This is a release of 25,837 bottles and 292 magnums. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2019 James Suckling Currants and black berries with citrus undertones as well as flowers. Medium-bodied with medium velvety tannins and a freshness and brightness. Lots of energy. Cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese and merlot. Drinkable now but better in three or four years. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2019 Wine Spectator Insider Weekly Newsletter Lush and fluid, this intense red offers black currant, blackberry, wild herb, graphite, loam and tobacco flavors. Fresh, balanced and long, with lively acidity, pointed tannins and a long finish of dark fruit. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot. Best from 2026 through 2043. —B.S. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2019 Vinous Media The 2019 Sammarco is a very pretty, elegant wine with gorgeous aromatic intensity from the Cabernet Sauvignon that makes up the majority of the blend this year. Sweet pipe tobacco, cedar, mint, dried cherry, incense and crushed leaves lend notable aromatic presence to this young, nascent Sammarco. Time in the glass brings out striking inner perfume and sweetness. In 2019, Sammarco is more finesse than power. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 98 Vintage 2018 Vinous Media The 2018 Sammarco is brilliant. Bright and explosive, with tons of linear drive, the 2018 is exceptionally polished. Cabernet Sauvignon is up to 80% of the blend, and that very much comes through in a wine endowed with tremendous purity. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, sage, mint and blood orange all race across the palate. I love the freshness here. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2018 James Suckling Gorgeous aromas of blackberries and redcurrants with violets and rosemary follow through to a medium body with fine, tense tannins and an intense, minerally finish. Racy and polished at the end. Long-lasting. Drink after 2026. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2018 Wine Advocate The Castello dei Rampolla 2018 Sammarco is Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese. This wine grips tightly to the palate with ample fruit weight and rich concentration. It is chiseled and tight, mostly thanks to its structure and tannins, giving this wine great promise for future aging. The Sammarco stands apart from the other wines in this portfolio that all promote a punchy, bright or natural style. This bottle brings on the brawn, ripe fruit, black olive and a much greater sense of lasting power. Production is 16,672 bottles and 150 magnums. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2018 Wine Spectator While saturated with cherry, plum, earth and tobacco flavors, this rich red is also dense and leaves a tactile feel, with dusty tannins on the finish. Fresh and long, this builds in intensity and complexity. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot. Drink now through 2036. 1,800 cases made, 400 cases imported. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 98 Vintage 2017 James Suckling Such beautiful balance and refinement to this legendary red with cherries, chocolate, walnuts, hazelnuts and autumn leaves. It’s medium to full-bodied with wonderful, creamy tannins and a persistent and complete finish. Better than the exquisite 2015? A blend of cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese and merlot. Needs three to four years to show all it has. Definitely one for the cellar. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2017 Wine Enthusiast A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot, this delicious, juicy red offers inviting aromas of new leather, blue flower, ripe black-skinned fruit and grilled herb. On the smooth, savory palate, tightly knit, fine-grained tannins seamlessly support fleshy black cherry, raspberry compote, licorice and tobacco before closing on a mocha note. Drink through 2029.  Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2017 Wine Spectator A beam of pure cherry energizes this red, which is defined by vivid acidity. Floral, loamy earth, cocoa and sanguine notes add depth as the muscular tannins take hold on the finish. This has the goods, but just needs time. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2043. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2017 Wine Advocate Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a tiny part Sangiovese, the 2017 Sammarco is lush, generous and soft. This wine captures the spirit of generosity and richness that characterizes this sunny vintage. It reveals softer lines and more pliant contours compared to some of the cooler vintages of the past, and you get a generous down pouring of dark fruit, dried blackberry, cinnamon spice and cured leather or tobacco. The tannins are quite robust, but the wine also shows an immediate and accessible approach that distinguishes this growing season. You might notice that my review for the 2016 vintage is missing. That's because the 2016 vintage will be released after 2017 when that older wine has benefitted from more cellaring. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2017 Vinous Media The 2017 Sammarco is heady, exotic and totally beautiful. It is also not anywhere near ready to show all it's got. Iron, smoke, red cherry fruit, leather, blood orange and spice are some of the many notes that infuse the 2017 with layers of complexity. Firm, muscular tannins are going to need time to soften. Even so, the 2017 is a rare Sammarco that will require only minimal cellaring, which is why the estate decided to release it ahead of the 2016. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 98 Vintage 2016 Vinous Media The 2016 Sammarco is a dense, flamboyant wine. Inky red fruit, spice, cedar, tobacco, menthol and licorice are some of the notes that build in a statuesque Sammarco that dazzles from start to finish. A wine of stunning textural richness and intensity, Sammarco is translucent, sculpted and full of character. All the elements are so well balanced. Rose petal, cedar, tobacco and mint linger on the eternal finish. The 2016 is a magical wine that can be, surprisingly, enjoyed now or cellared for a number of years. Time in the glass just brings out its energy and vertical drive. Sammarco is quite possibly the single greatest value in high-end Italian wine. Don't miss it. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 97 Vintage 2016 Wine Enthusiast A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese, this opens with earthy aromas of truffle, leather, game, cassis and blue flower. Delicious and bursting with personality, the full-bodied palate doles out ripe black plum, fleshy black cherry, crushed black olive and licorice. Velvety, fine-grained tannins provide support. Drink 2023–2036. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2016 Wine Advocate A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese, the Castello dei Rampolla 2016 Sammarco was held back for an extra year of aging before its commercial release. In fact, I already reviewed the 2017 vintage last year because that wine is many times more accessible and immediate than this one. The issue at hand are the tannins, which remain very tight and grippy in this bottle. That extra year in bottle has helped them to integrate, but this wine still has a very long way to go. Keep that in mind if you collect Sammarco. Despite that slight astringency, this is a wine of courage and vision. It shows expertly measured fruit weight and lots of lively intensity on the bouquet. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2016 James Suckling Plenty of currant and blackberry with some coffee and toasted oak on the nose. It’s full-bodied with a dense palate and round, polished tannins that fold nicely into this young wine. It’s very drinkable, even though it’s structured and so serious. Cool in the end, Cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese and merlot. Unfiltered. This will age beautifully. Drink after 2023, but a beauty already. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 98 Vintage 2015 Wine Enthusiast Sunbaked earth, mature black-plum, fragrant blue-flower and leather aromas mingle with balsamic whiffs of camphor on this full-bodied, delicious red. Made with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Sangiovese, the creamy palate is earthy and full of flavor, boasting juicy blackberry, raspberry, dried mint, cocoa and licorice. Taut velvety tannins provide plenty of support and finesse. Drink through 2035. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 98 Vintage 2015 James Suckling I love the meatiness to this wine, but also the purity of fruit; think charcuterie, prosciutto, bay leaf, capsicum, blueberries, blackcurrants and crushed stones. You just can’t get over the way this manages to deliver a powerful, muscular package with stunning finesse and poise. The tapestry of intricate texture and detail is wrought in a flashy but sincere and heartwarming style. The balance takes your breath away. Best ever from here. Impossible to resist now, but better from 2025. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2015 Wine Spectator This is dense and muscular, revealing a tightly wound matrix of black cherry, blackberry, iron, earth and tobacco flavors. Balsamic elements of wild juniper and rosemary emerge as this extends on the finish. Though gripping, this is also very pure, fresh and balanced. Needs time. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot. Best from 2022 through 2036. From Italy Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2015 Wine Advocate The 2015 Sammarco (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese) shines the brightest spotlight onto the Cabernet Sauvignon element, and you can immediately make out the distinctive sharpness and structure of that variety. The bouquet offers notes of black fruit, toasted spice and grilled herb, along with wild flower, terracotta and tilled earth. There is some spice on the close, and the tannins do leave their mark with youthful astringency. Give the wine some time in the cellar, and one day it will be fantastic with a tagliatelle and porcini. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2014 Wine Advocate The 2014 Sammarco was bottled in August and will be released in January 2019. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Sangiovese. At this young stage, the wine already offers an impressive array of complex aromas with dark berry, spice and grilled herb neatly overlapping. Those tones are delivered with perfume-like grace and intensity. This vintage is streamlined and compact in terms of mouthfeel, and those youthful tannins remind us that this wine will award the best results to those who have the patience to wait. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2014 Vinous Media The 2014 Sammarco is distinctly savory and nervous in this vintage, both reflections of the cool growing season that favored Cabernet Sauvignon over the other varieties in the blend. Sweet tobacco, grilled herbs, red cherry, menthol and dried flowers struggle to fully emerge, as the 2014 remains a touch compact today. Hints of rose petal and mint add a touch of freshness to this mid-weight, yet deeply expressive Sammarco. The 2014 is going to need time to fully emerge, but I expect it will always be a relatively understated Sammarco. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 90 Vintage 2014 Wine Spectator This is mellowing, yet still fresh, boasting cherry, black currant, wild Mediterranean scrub and minerally aromas and flavors. On the lean side, yet should be ideal with food. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot. Drink now through 2024. 1,833 cases made, 100 cases imported. –BS Shelf Talker Full Page Review