1987 Castello di Ama L'Apparita Toscana IGT

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 94.5 points

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  10/26/2022 - forceberry wrote: 96 Points

  100% Merlot from Vigna l'Apparita Cru in Chianti Classico, planted in 1982. This 1987 vintage was the third ever produced. Fermented spontaneously in stainless steel, macerated for a month with the skins, aged for 14 months in a combination of new and old French oak barriques (normally 50/50). Bottle #5529 of total 9971 bottles. 13,5% alcohol.
  
  Deep, moderately evolved and still wonderfully luminous black cherry color with aged, syrupy brown highlights. The nose feels sweet-toned, evolved and wonderfully complex with seductive aromas of wizened dark plums, some fragrant minty notes, a little bit of fresh blackcurrant, light nuances of pipe tobacco, a hint of balsamic VA and a touch of roasted game. The wine feels ripe, firm and juicy on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and intense, dry flavors of fresh blackcurrants and old leather, some minty green notes, a little bit of cranberry sauce, light toasty wood nuances, a meaty hint of bloody game and a sweeter touch of wizened figs. The wine feels wonderfully fresh and focused with its high acidity and its almost ample yet fully resolved, silky tannins mainly contribute to the suave texture of the wine. The beautifully complex finish feels long, ripe and gently grippy with a subtly sweetly-fruited aftertaste of ripe blackcurrants, some cherry marmalade, a little bit of sweet toasty oak, light minty notes, an evolved hint of balsamic richness and a touch of leather saddle.
  
  An extraordinary vintage of l'Apparita that shows its age, but doesn't feel one bit too senescent. Unlike many younger vintages of l'Apparita, which have been still quite tough and grippy, this vintage feels like it is more or less fully resolved - the tannins are still there, gently sweeping across your gums, but not really turning this wine into a tough, tannic beast anymore. The flavors have taken on fascinating tertiary hues without losing much of the vibrant, still surprisingly youthful blackcurrant-and-cherry-driven fruit. Most of the oak has receded nicely into the background and the bright acidity lifts the finer nuances to the fore while giving the wine so much energy and precision. I don't know if this is the greatest epitome of what Merlot can attain, but it's getting quite close to it. Pomerol beware! You have a challenger in Tuscany.

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  4/12/2021 - sunnylea57 wrote:

  Pristine cork with tight seal, but the wine was too advanced to be drinkable.

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  2/13/2020 - sunnylea57 wrote: flawed

  Corked

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  1/31/2020 - phgnan wrote: 92 Points

  Wow! Two hours of slow oxidation in the bottle. Dark red with even more intense profiles. Very varied bouquet with dominant berries, undergrowth and tobacco followed by balsamic and coffee notes. Nice balance between acidity and tannins. Long and intense finish. Fantastic 100% merlot, curious to try other vintages.

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  1/11/2020 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 95 Points

  I hadn't expected much based on AG's note, but wow. I kept questioning myself: is this really as good as I think it is? The answer I kept coming back to: yes. Yes it is as good as I think it is. I've had Masseto that wasn't nearly as complex, complete and satiny as this. This was right up there with the best Tuscan and Bordeaux Merlet I've sampled.
  
  It was one of those wines where the "angel" part of you wishes you could call up a bunch of wine geek friends and get them to drop everything and rush on over to share the experience, and the "other" part of you is glad it's just you and your wife who get to drink it.

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