Made with Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Ampeleia gives us a unique view onto a grape variety that we are seeing with increasingly successful results along the coast of Tuscany. In this case, you get punchy (macerated) fruit flavors of candied blueberry and cherry and lots of vertical lift from a producer who always offers interesting winemaking interpretations in wines from Tuscany and in the far north of Italy under the Elisabetta Foradori brand. The wine winds down slowly with lingering notes of cigar ash, smoke and tar.

The 2019 Ampeleia (Cabernet Franc) is deep, flashy and super-expressive. In 2019, Ampeleia seems to offer a bit more volume and brooding intensity than in most years. Black cherry, mocha, dried herbs and espresso lend notable sepia­toned intensity throughout. This potent Franc is a winner. I suggest giving the 2019, and all these wines, frankly, a bit of aeration, as oxygen is so beneficial.

Presents perfumed aromas of cherry, raspberry, cedar, leather, wild herbs and spices, which echo on the palate. An intense red, with a firm structure, this builds to a long, complex finish. Needs a bit more time to integrate the dusty tannins. Best from 2025 through 2036. 1,250 cases made, 280 cases imported.