About the wine

The di Napoli-Rampolla family is one of the long-established landowners in Tuscany. However, they have only been involved in viticulture since 1965, with the first vintage being bottled in 1975. Alceo di Napoli was the first to plant the Bordeaux grape Cabernet Sauvignon in the Chianti area; on the one hand to press novel wines and on the other hand to give traditional Chianti a new dimension. Since 1994, the daughter and son of Alceo di Napoli, Maurizia and Luca, have been responsible for the family winery. One of the first decisions they made after their start was to switch to biodynamic management — the process came to an end in 1998. Appropriate certification is dispensed with. In parallel, the two significantly reduced the number of vines and concentrated on the best locations in the immediate vicinity of Castello dei Rampolla. The estate soon found its way back to success and was able to build on the history of the Italian wine revolution, which it had helped write in the 1970s. As far as biodynamics is concerned, there is no “grandissima intenzione,” no great intention associated with it, says Maurizia. The concept is nothing more than “the implementation of the wisdom of the people who have always lived with and in the countryside.” You do it, but you don't talk about it. Anyone visiting the Castello should be amazed by its beauty and the simplicity with which they work in the cellar. What is striking is the fact that there are 8000 to 10,000 vines per hectare in the vineyards and each vine bears very few grapes. This strengthens the plant's resistance and concentrates its energy on the fruit.