Sammarco Castello dei Rampolla 2019 (750ML)

Cabernet Sauvignon leads the blend in the 2019 Sammarco, grown on galestro soils at 1,246 feet on slopes facing southwest and southeast. Maurizia and Luca Di Napoli own Castello dei Rampolla, and Luca makes the wine. Fermentation runs about a week in concrete, followed by a month on the skins; the wine then ages 14 to 16 months in French oak of several sizes, from barriques to 30-hectoliter casks, and two years in bottle before release. The 2019 favors grace over muscle. Tobacco leaf, cedar, dried cherry, mint and a whiff of incense rise from the glass, and air coaxes out a sweeter, more floral side. The palate is lean-framed and aromatic, built on detail. One critic has it opening around 2027 and drinking well through 2039. Match it with aged pecorino, venison loin or a wild boar stew.