Wine Advisor
Castello di Ama, L'Apparita Toscana IGT 2019
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
One of the stars of Italian enology, this iconic wine is Merlot in name but Tuscan in spirit. The L'Apparita is a gorgeous wine and one that brings an enormous sense of excitement and energy to those who drink it. Its texture is soft and rich, yet the tannins are gentle and round. There is plenty of substance and structure here, however, with seamless layers of black fruit, cherry, sweet spice and tobacco. The wine's complexity is enhanced by elegant mineral tones and a subtle, menthol-like signature. Temperature control and careful pump-overs are executed, and great care is taken during harvest to avoid any overripe berries. Cool, calcareous soils with many stones serve to insulate the roots and lock in freshness. The secret of this wine is magic of site, exposure and geology. This is another collectors' edition of L'Apparita.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2019 L'Apparita is incredibly powerful in this vintage. Huge searing tannins wrap around a core of dark-fleshed fruit. Incense, tobacco, chocolate, mocha, lavender and spice open, but only reluctantly. Whereas most 2019s in the Ama range are quite inviting at this stage, L'Apparita is a wine for the cellar. In other words, the 2019 is a tight, backward Apparita that demands patience.
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.
