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Castello di Ama, Toscana "L'Apparita", 2020

Red Wine from Tuscany, Italy
by Castello di Ama
$264.99
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What is this wine?
Castello di Ama’s L’Apparita 2020 is one of Italy’s most iconic and collectible Merlots, produced from a small, high-altitude vineyard in the heart of Chianti Classico. The Apparita vineyard, planted in the early 1980s on clay-rich soils above the village of Gaiole, was the first in Tuscany to be dedicated entirely to Merlot. The grapes are hand-harvested, fermented in stainless steel, and aged in new French oak barriques for about 14 months, resulting in a wine of depth, elegance, and unmistakable personality.

Why get this wine?
Often referred to as “Tuscany’s Pétrus,” L’Apparita represents the pinnacle of Italian Merlot—silky, structured, and intensely aromatic. The 2020 vintage, shaped by warm days and cool nights, produced a wine of remarkable balance and precision, with vibrant fruit and refined tannins. For collectors, this is a blue-chip Tuscan icon, consistently ranked among the world’s greatest reds.

What does this wine taste like?
Velvety and complex, with aromas of black cherry, plum, violet, and graphite. The palate is full-bodied yet graceful, showing layered dark fruit, fine-grained tannins, and hints of cocoa and spice. The finish is long, elegant, and mineral.

When should you drink this wine?
Best from 2026–2045. Decant for two hours if drinking young to reveal its full aromatic complexity. Perfect with roast lamb, filet mignon, or aged Pecorino.

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  • Provenance Assured: All wines are maintained in climate-controlled conditions at our shop until the moment of dispatch.

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Antonio Galloni

99 points

"The 2020 L'Apparita will soon take its place among the great Apparitas. Unctuous and layered in the glass, the 2020 possesses exceptional balance and tons of character right out of the gate. Exotic scents of blackberry jam, chocolate, new leather, licorice and smoke are so alluring. Imposing tannins need time to soften, but once that happens readers will be treated to a spectacular Apparita that captures all the best the vintage had to offer. Marco Pallanti waited until mid-September (late for the year) to bring in this fruit. That decision paid off handsomely." —Antonio Galloni

Robert Parker

95 points

"The 2020 L'Apparita opens to a midnight black color and an impenetrable appearance. This Merlot set the benchmark for the grape in Tuscany and continues to do so today, despite the various challenges to an early-ripening variety facing climate change. The 2020 vintage remains rich and opulent, even heavy on the mid-palate, with lots of thick fruit layering and soft tannins. It ends with sweet fruit and barbecue spice." —Monica Larner

Wine Spectator

95 points

"A viscous, salted licorice–tinged red, with plum, earth and spice flavors. Reveals a solid grip of tannins lining the finish, leaving a compact feeling today. Concentrated, powerful and complex, just needs time to come together."

More about Castello di Ama

Founded in 1976 on 500 meters of limestone-clayey soil between Siena and Florence, Ama is one of Tuscany's modern icons. In 1982, viticulturalist Marco Pallanti took operational control and transformed it into a world-beater within years. Today it's back in Wine Spectator's top 10. San Lorenzo Gran Selezione (from older vines on the same terroir) and L'Apparita (pure Merlot, one of Italy's greatest) prove what Chianti Classico can become when obsession meets terroir. Around 300,000 bottles annually from estate-grown grapes—quality over volume, always.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Merlot

  • Vintage

    2020

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Traditional

  • Style

    Elegant , Oaky , Rich

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Full Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

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Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Grilled steak, braised veal, wild mushroom pasta

Tasting Profile

Dark cherry, plum, spice, mineral notes. Full body with fine tannins and elegant finish.