Wine Advisor
Castello di Ama, L'Apparita Toscana IGT 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
This wine has earned its spot in a world of pantheons that is grande vini Italiani. The Castello di Ama 2018 L'Apparita is one of the world's greatest Merlots, and this slightly cooler growing season delivers on all the promise and pedigree that we should expect of this collectors' favorite. L'Apparita opens to an inky dark and blackish appearance, and the bouquet slowly reveals black fruit, ripe cherry, dark spice, smoke and barbecue rub. The wine's texture and finish, which is so velvety and rich, so supple and soft, is what will ultimately win you over. Indeed, this wine excels especially in terms of the elegance and fullness of the mouthfeel.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2018 L'Apparita is a total stunner. Ama's 100% Merlot is usually a wine of bombastic intensity, but the 2018 marks a departure from that style, as it is all finesse and nuance. Blackberry jam, spice, menthol and lavender are some of the aromas and flavors that open in an Apparita that dazzles with its precision and nuance. Rain at the end of August pushed out harvest and gave Marco Pallanti the ideal conditions to craft this gorgeous wine.
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.
