Producer Profile
About Castello dei Rampolla
Tuscany’s Conca d’Oro, or golden bowl, is a blessed spot for winemaking. This whorl of sundrenched hills nestles in the center of Chianti Classico. On one side perches Fontodi, and on the other sits Castello dei Rampolla. Makers of Super-Tuscan superstars Sammarco and Vigna d’Alceo (along with traditional Chianti Classico; newcomer Liù, a Merlot; and other fine wines), Castello dei Rampolla has been in the di Napoli family since 1793, and this former vacation house became a wine producer with the 1975 release of its Chianti Classico. But owner Alceo di Napoli, a cousin of both Sassicaia creator Mario Incisa della Rocchetta and Tignanello inventor Piero Antinori, felt inspired. Alceo borrowed renowned enologist Giacomo Tachis from Piero, and with his help, he created Sammarco, which debuted with the 1980 vintage. Sadly, Alceo passed away in 1991, but his children, Luca and Maurizia, picked up where he left off, taking the estate biodynamic in 1994; debuting their Super-Tuscan tribute to their father, d’Alceo, with the 1996 vintage; introducing terracotta aging tanks in 2008; removing sulfites in 2010; and constantly striving to make finer wine. As impressive as Castello dei Rampolla’s wines are, the fact that their makers have made them even better while increasing biodiversity, relying on fully biodynamic approaches both in the vineyards and in the cantina, and working with nature like a colleague is even more remarkable — but when your estate occupies a prized location like the Conca d’Oro, it’s only natural to let the light, the rain, and the wild grasses shine in your wine.
