Wine Advisor
Castello di Ama, L'Apparita Toscana IGT 2008
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
A more exotic side of this site emerges from the 2008 L’Apparita. According to Marco Pallanti, the weather was quite warm in 2008. Rain towards the end of the season was more problematic for the later-ripening varieties, but that was not an issue for the Merlot. Black cherry, plum, smoke and licorice overtones add to an impression of darkness. Silky, beautifully ripe tannins and unctuous fruit with the natural richness that is achieved in late harvests add to the wine’s considerable appeal. This is one of my favorite wines of the afternoon.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2008 L'Apparita (Merlot) is very, very beautiful. This is a gorgeous vintage for the Apparita. Sweet dark cherries, chocolate, mint, licorice and spices are some of the many notes that emerge from the glass. The 2008 possesses striking inner perfume and sweetness. The 2008 is a decidedly mid-weight vintage, but it works. Graceful and elegant through to the long finish, the 2008 Apparita is a wine that convinces for its balance and overall sense of harmony. This bottle is far better than the two examples I tasted last year.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2008 L'Apparita (Merlot) appears to be rather forward in this vintage. Tobacco, licorice and smoke add some complexity to the dark fruit. The wine shows good up-front intensity but then tapers off rather quickly. Ultimately the 2008 comes across as a relatively simple and one-dimensional Apparita. Even Marco Pallanti couldn't make a profound wine in this vintage. Hard tannins clamp down on the finish.
About the Producer
Castello di Ama is located in the village of Ama in the Italian province of Siena, next to the Village of Lecchi in Chianti, and is a well-known winery in the Tuscany region. The Diamant winery was founded in the 1970s by several local families. At one time, the winery was located in an area that was a thriving agricultural and winemaking centre. When the winery was created, the families made it their mission to restore the former prosperity of the village of Diamant and to produce the world-renowned classic Chianti. The winery is now run by the second generation of one of the founding families, Lorenza Sebasti, and his husband Marco Pallanti, who have been making unique wines for over 30 years. Gambero Rosso magazine in 2005. The main grape variety grown at Diamant is Sangiovese and the vineyards cover a total area of approximately 75 hectares and are divided into four plots: Vigneto Bellavista, Vigneto La Casuccia, Vigneto San Lorenzo and Vigneto Montebuoni. The 23.76 hectares of the Vigneto estate are used for the production of Sangiovese, mainly for the Castello di Ama Vigneto Bellavista Chianti Classico, which is only made in good vintages, and for the production of the L'Oreal L'Oreal L'Oreal. L'Apparita, with a small proportion of Merlot, Canaiolo and Malvasia Bianca; Casua, which covers an area of about 18.5 hectares, has predominantly clay soils with some pebbles and gravel; and San Loren, which covers 19.17 hectares and faces south-east. It has a south-easterly orientation and is composed of calcareous soils and shale; the 14.31 hectares of Montebuni are made up of clay and calcareous soils with rocky slopes on the higher slopes. The wines are made from its own grapes and the winery believes in respecting the natural flavours of each grape, so that the wines reflect the terroir of the vineyard. San Lorenzo Chianti Classico DOCG was ranked 6th on Wine Spectator's list of the world's top 100 wines in 2014.
