The Story
L’Apparita was Tuscany’s first pure 100% Merlot wine made in Italy with its debut vintage of 1985.
Castello di Ama and L'Apparita made a breakthrough on 8 February when L’Apparita 1987 was awarded as the best Merlot wine in a blind tasting hosted by the Academie du Vin in Switzerland— with a jury led by no less than world-renowned wine consultant, Michel Rolland. It left behind 15 other Merlot wines including the legendary Pétrus and its 1988 vintage.
The small parcels that make up the 3.84 hectares of the L’Apparita vineyard are set atop the Vigneto Bellavista hill, at an altitude of 490 metres. In 1975 they were planted with Canaiolo and Malvasia Bianca, then grafted over with Merlot clone 342 between 1982 and 1985.
Blend: 100% Merlot (Clone 342)
First planted: 1982-1985
Viticulture: Open lyre training in 490 metres with 2,800 vines/acre in clay rich soil.
Average age of vines: 32 years
Soil: calcareous with clay
Vinification: Fermented with indigenous yeasts only
Ageing: aged in thin-grained French oak barriques 35% new, 65% once used for 18 months.
First vintage: 1985
Winemaker's Notes: Purple red color with violet nuances. Impenetrable. Aroma: red fruits, blackberry. Spices such as vanilla, black pepper in grains and juniper. The finish has a balsamic note. The taste is extremely elegant, smooth and enveloping, with a silky yet powerful tannin. Clearly fresh, very persistent, never ending.
Wine Information
Vinification
On September 17, the estate harvested 90 quintals of selected grapes in the vineyard. Fermentation was regular and occurred at a temperature of about 32-33°C. The wine was gently pumped over the cap throughout fermentation. After a maceration of 26 days with the skins, the wine went through malolactic fermentation, carried out in barriques of Allier oak, 40% of which were new.
Maturation
In january 2009, once malolactic fermentation had been completed, the wine was racked and assembled, then returned to the barrels. Maturation in wood, during which the wine was periodically tasted, lasted about 18 months. The wine was bottled the 10th of june 2009, and provided 7.200 Bordeaux bottles, 600 magnums and 130 double magnum.
Vineyard profile
The Apparita vineyard is formed by several small parcels (numbers 23, 24 and 25 in the estate’s vineyard register) situated at the upper end of the Vigneto Bellavista. The area amounts to 3.844 hectares (9.495 acres).
Canaiolo and Malvasia Bianca were planted in 1975 but Merlot clone 342 was regrafted to the rootstocks in 1982-1985. The vines are trained in the open lyre system and the soils are particularly rich in clay. Both factors make this small cru a jewel of world enology.
Technical data
Total acidity: 5,70
Volatile acidity: 0,40
pH: 3,32
Alcohol: 14,00
Total dry extract: 31,50
U.V.280: 80,00