Castello di Ama L'Apparita Toscana 2019 - 750ml

98pts Vinous

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. Drink: 2027-2044.

98pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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. Drink 2025-2046 

97pts James Suckling

Enticing aromas of blackberries and violets with some fresh black olives. Fresh violets as well. Full-bodied and very rich and layered with velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Lingering flavors of dark chocolate in the finish. Powerful merlot here. Drink after 2026. 

96pts Falstaff

Dark, bright ruby red. Mint, cranberry and cedar wood on the nose, with elegant blackberry nuances. Very polished and multi-layered on the palate, dark berry core with great grip, tightly woven, great length with rich drive on the finish, can still age a little.

95pts Wine Spectator

A red of great depth, with a rich, fleshy profile and black cherry, plum, mineral and spice flavors yielding to a firm, racy structure. Shows enticing fruit wed to dense tannins, which should absorb well with time. Classy. Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2042. 690 cases made, 50 cases imported.

About the Wine

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.