The 2009 Contrada Rampante R comes across as a touch ethereal. Sweet dried fruit, herbs and spices are some of the nuances that emerge from the glass. The Rampante shows off gorgeous inner sweetness but less overt density than some of the other wines in this lineup. Not surprisingly, the Ramapante is the estate's highest parcel, which accounts for much of its personality. This is an inward, contemplative wine that will require a measure of patience. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029.
This is another set of fabulous wines from Andrea Franchetti. This year Franchetti has changed the labels of his single-contrada Nerello Mascaleses, which now only bear the first letter of their respective contradas on the front label. The back labels list the full information of each vineyard site. As good as the 2009s Nerellos are, I see less of a difference among the bottlings than in 2008.
Importer: T. Edward Wines, Ltd., New York, NY; tel. (212) 233-1504