The 2013 Sammarco is a stunning wine. Super-expressive aromatics make a strong opening statement in a wine endowed with myriad dimensions of nuance and complexity. The 2013 is deep and fleshy, with generous fruit, beautifully integrated tannins and exceptional finesse. Readers should not plan on opening a bottle of this any time soon, though, as it seems likely to age at a glacial pace.

A complex wine with cherries, strawberries, black currants and hot stones. So clean and precise. Full body, firm tannins, high acidity and a long and fresh finish. Tight. Still needs some time.

A polished, blackberry- and black currant–infused red, with accents of wild herbs and spice, this is both saturated, intense and racy. All the elements are in the correct proportions, this just needs time to express itself fully. BS

Wines from the Castello dei Rampolla property show an impressive and especially chiseled quality that gives them a very direct and immediate quality. These are frank and honest wines that stay true to the identity set forth years ago at this historic estate. They stay the course, so to speak. The 2013 Sammarco is Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese and Merlot that tastes nothing like the many blended Bordeaux-inspired reds you find in this part of Italy. Instead, the wine is all-Tuscan in its appeal, with sun-drenched cherry, Mediterranean herb and a pretty balsam note that recalls the thick underbrush and woods of the Chianti Classico countryside. This vintage soars in intensity and beauty. ML