2020 Castello di Ama Vigna L'Apparita IGT, Tuscany

The 2020 L'Apparita opens to a midnight black color and an impenetrable appearance. This Merlot set the benchmark for the grape in Tuscany and continues to do so today, despite the various challenges to an early-ripening variety facing climate change. The 2020 vintage remains rich and opulent, even heavy on the mid-palate, with lots of thick fruit layering and soft tannins. It ends with sweet fruit and barbecue spice.

95 points Monica Larner robertparker.com

L’Apparita, the first purebred Merlot produced in Tuscany, has been an iconic wine since its initial harvest in 1985. Two parcels at the top of the Bellavista vineyard comprise the L’Apparita cru. Vines were firstly planted in 1975 with Canaiolo and Malvasia Bianca, they have been replanted in 1982 with Merlot, using the clone nr 342. The open-lyre training system and the predominately clay soil make this cru a crown jewel in world winemaking. Since the first vintage, this wine has maintained its unique expression in which the distinguishing features of Merlot are elevated by the terroir of Ama. CLIMATE The great difference in temperature between day and night we had in Autumn allowed a good development of aromas. That is why wines from 2018 vintage are going to be fruity with an excellent freshness and a good balance of alcohol. The extraordinary polyphenols content will provide thoroughbred wines, elegant, powerful and with a good body. What we have always liked. After several samples and organoleptic analysis in our vineyards and laboratory, harvest have been carried out by hand in 10-12-kg crates on August 29th and it ended up on October 15th. VINIFICATION The vinification started using ambient yeasts, in steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 30/33°, with manual pumpovers and a total cuvaison of 28 days. After the first racking, the wine was transferred into steel tanks for the malolactic fermentation. REFINEMENT After the malolactic fermentation, the wine has been transferred in oak barriques of fine grain, 50% of which were new and the rest were second-passage barriques, for approximately 14 months.

Colour: purple red with violet nuances. Impenetrable.

Nose: Refined and elegant on the nose. Aromas of red and black fruits, lavender, mint, sage, spice, new leather and cloves. The finish has a balsamic note. Layered, perfumed and wonderfully nuanced.

Taste:, extremely elegant with rich concentration of the fruit, juicy and bright acidity

 L’Apparita, the first purebred Merlot produced in Tuscany, has been an iconic wine since its initial harvest in 1985. Two parcels at the top of the Bellavista vineyard comprise the L’Apparita cru. The open-lyre training system and the predominately clay soil make this cru a crown jewel in world winemaking. Since the first vintage, this wine has maintained its unique expression in which the distinguishing features of Merlot are elevated by the terroir of Ama.