AMPELEIA
TUSCANY / MAREMMA
Ampeleia is a winery that embodies the essence of terroir, a celebration of the land and its unique characteristics. Established in 2002 by Elisabetta Foradori and two friends, Ampeleia was born from a desire to capture the distinct terroir of the Colline Metallifere, a region within the Maremma characterized by mineral-rich hills that have been mined since ancient Etruscan times.The Colline Metallifere is a land of rugged beauty, unspoiled by intensive agriculture and boasting some of the lowest population density in all of Italy. A national park and UNESCO Global Geopark site, the region's unspoiled nature and inherent biodiversity provide the perfect backdrop for the biodynamic farming practices that have come to define Ampeleia's wines.
At the helm of Ampeleia is Marco Tait, a young enologist who has been with the winery since its inception. Marco's deep understanding and connection to the land is evident in the way he cultivates the 35 hectares of diverse land, identifying 4 unique vineyard and focusing on grape varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Alicante Nero. Each parcel is vinified separately.
Ampeleia is wine, of course. But it is also wheat and oil. It is vineyard, but also vegetable garden and olive groves. It is people, but also animals. It is high and it is low, it is small and it is large. It is work and opportunity for both professional and personal growth. A place for discussion and coming together. It was created through conscious choices, ours, we who decided to come here. – Ampeleia.
Ampeleia is one of the stars of the Tuscan coast.....At their best, the Ampeleia wines are among the most pure, transparent expressions of the coast readers will find. Elisabetta Foradori and her team are doing important work here. Ampeleia is a young estate. There is every reason to believe the best is yet to come. –Antonio Galloni.
Owner
Winemaker
Region
Sub-region
Farming
Harvest
Size
Grapes Grown
Website
Vineland Rep.
Elisabetta Foradori & Giovanni Podini
Marco Tait
Tuscany
Maremma
Organic / Biodynamic / Natural
Manual
35 hectares
Trebbiano, Malvasia, Ansonica, Cabernet Franc, Alicante Nero, Carignano, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, Alicante Bouschet
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Bianco di Ampeleia
Through Bianco di Ampeleia we can express the identity of our territory in a different way than the red wines. We wanted to recover the tradition of co-planted vineyards, where different varieties live together in the same vineyard and become a single wine. This is what our Bianco speaks of: of how harmony can be created through diversity.
The Bianco vineyards were grafted by selecting wood from an old vineyard close to the estate, choosing the healthiest and most well balanced plants. Here Trebbiano is the predominant grape, sharing rows with Malvasia Bianca and Ansonica.
Appellation: IGT Toscana bianco
Grape varieties: Trebbiano, Malvasia, Ansonica.
Training system: guyot
Alcohol content: 10.5% vol
Altitude: from 300 to 550 m/asl
Yield/ha: 55 hl
Vinification notes: maceration on the skins for 2 days
Ageing: 6 months in concrete tanks
First vintage: 2016
Bottles produced: 25,000
Notes: With each passing year, co-planting gives a more rounded and elegant Bianco. Brief maceration produces a colour tending towards golden, sapidity and acidity go hand in hand, accompanying the succession of tropical fruit, citrus, camomile and rosemary. A true gastronomic white perfect with any food. Have fun pairing it!
Rosato di Ampeleia
Rosato di Ampeleia is the result of combining two grape varieties: whole clusters of Alicante Nero are left to infuse in the must of Carignano grapes and are pushed to the surface by fermentation, where they sway and delicately release their flavour. Rosato di Ampeleia comes from parcels grown on reddish brown clay/sandy/limestone soils with round pebbles. Although there is not much sand in our soils, the vineyards that produce the grapes for Rosato are an exception. Here the extraordinary soil diversity of the local territory is reflected in the luminosity of Rosato di Ampeleia.
Appellation: IGT Toscana Rosato
Grape varieties: Carignano, Alicante Nero
Training system: spurred cordon, guyot
Alcohol content: 11.5% vol
Altitude: 250 m/asl
Yield/ha: 55 hl
Vinification notes: 20% whole clusters
Ageing: 6 months in concrete tanks
First vintage: 2019
Bottles produced: 40,000
Notes: Rosato di Ampeleia has a deep pink colour; it is a wine characterized by a marked sapidity accompanied by specific and lasting acidity. This is combined with a good body, notwithstanding its low alcohol content, light tannin and pleasant fruited note. It should be served chilled but not too cold, ideal for an aperitif or to start off a nice meal on a light note.
Ampeleia 'AMPELEIA'
Ampeleia represents the beginning, the pride and excellence of our estate, which it takes its name from. We have grown together with it and thanks to it. Its essence comes from Cabernet Franc, a sensitive grape variety that is difficult to work with and only shows its qualities in the right soil. This is one thing we are sure of: Roccatederighi and Cabernet Franc have a rare synergy, capable of expressing the full potential of both. Here Cabernet tastes of Roccatederighi. In 2002 this synergy resulted in Ampeleia. Coming from vineyards scattered around the estate, on the clay-limestone soil on which Roccatederighi was built, it has evolved through time: although its soul has always been Cabernet Franc, it was only in 2015 that it left behind the other varieties to express its purity.
Appellation: IGT Toscana Rosso
Grape variety: 100% Cabernet Franc
Training system: guyot
Alcohol content: 12.5%vol
Altitude: 500 m/asl
Yield/ha: 30 hl
Vinification notes: 15% whole clusters
Ageing: 6 months in concrete tanks, 6 months in wooden barrels
First vintage: 2002
Bottles produced: 15,000
Notes: Ampeleia is dark in colour and represents a perfect example of the harmonious blend of our different Cabernet Franc parcels. Its minerality “shouts elegantly” of the Roccatederighi terroir and you can lose yourself in forest berries, balsamic notes, aromatic herbs and spices: deep, with silky tannins. Opening the bottle marks the start of a journey, to be savoured to the end. A journey lasting 18 years, the number of vintages we have produced.
93
2016
WS
93
2017
FALSTAFF
Ampeleia 'UNLITRO'
Placing a one-litre flask of wine on the table is a habit and age-old tradition, a symbol of conviviality.
This led us to come up with the name “Unlitro” and a bottle of a shape and size that conjures up the joy and carefreeness of being together. Unlitro is produced from a blend of Alicante, Carignano, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese and Alicante Bouschet grapes coming from the youngest vineyards close to the sea. It reflects our desire to express the territory in a lighter and more immediate way, without losing any of its character.
Appellation: IGT Toscana Rosso
Grape varieties: Alicante Nero, Carignano, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, Alicante Bouschet
Training system: spurred cordon, guyot
Alcohol content: 12% vol
Altitude: from 200 to 350 m/asl
Yield/ha: 65 hl
Vinification notes: maceration on the skins for 2-3 days
Ageing: 6 months in concrete tanks
First vintage: 2011
Bottles produced: 160,000
Notes: Unlitro displays intense aromas and an immediate and harmonious mouth, characterized by an explosion of fruit laced with delicate balsamic and spicy notes. Unlitro is our light, dynamic and immediate offering, starting from its name, and to drink in company.
Ampeleia 'Alicante Nero'
Biodynamic viticulture also means rediscovering traditions, abandoned in favour of more commercial non-native varieties. Alicante Nero represents our way of being winemakers. Alicante Nero is a native variety of Upper Maremma, which was removed to make space for other varieties with deeper colours and stronger bodies. We returned it to its native land in 2003, when we tenaciously started to plant Alicante vineyards, with the strong belief that this grape variety could be the most genuine and authentic expression of the Mediterranean Maremma. We were right and today it is one of our most precious gems. It has found its natural habitat in the “La Pieve” vineyards: clay soils mixed with pebbles and conglomerates give a light, delicate and harmonious character.
Denomination: IGT Toscana Alicante Nero
Grape variety: Alicante nero
Training system: spurred cordon
Alcohol content: 12,5% vol
Altitude: 250 m/asl
Yield/ha: 45 hl
Vinification notes: 20 % whole clusters
Ageing: 10 months in concrete tanks
First vintage: 2013
Bottles produced: 13.000
Notes: A wine that is surprising and enjoyable due to its dual nature. Behind the joyful and fresh character lies an elegance and a unique finesse. It captivates you with its strawberry and floral notes and then grabs you with notes of earth, graphite and spices.
90
2017
WS
90
2018
FALSTAFF
Ampeleia 'Cabernet Franc'
It is commonly thought that clay soil produces more structured wines, but this is not the case at Roccatederighi. It is here that the “dell’Asina” vineyard (the “Donkey vineyard”), that produces our Cabernet Franc, is located, in soil rich in clay and marked by typical schist and palombino limestone rocks. This unique land creates a Cabernet Franc that is the expression of pure fruit, with a sincere and vibrant identity.
Appellation: IGT Toscana Cabernet Franc
Grape variety: Cabernet Franc
Training system: guyot
Alcohol content: 12.5% vol
Altitude: 500 m/asl
Harvest period: mid-September
Yield/ha: 30 hl
Vinification notes: 15% whole clusters
Ageing: 10 months in concrete tanks
First vintage: 2014
Bottles produced: 7,000
Notes: The Cabernet Franc is characterized by a hint of menthol typical of this variety in harmony with fresh and never boring fruit. The lingering mineral finishing notes invite you to drink more.
A prime example of Cabernet Franc, which allows you to learn what this wine is and how it can find its best expression in the Upper Maremma region of Tuscany.
93
2018
WS
Ampeleia 'Empatia'
Empatia (empathy) is the ability to understand the feelings, thoughts and emotions of another and is the cornerstone of friendship. Empatia is our most exclusive and intimate wine, as ever since its first vintage in 2007 it has been reserved for Ampeleia’s partners and closest friends.
Empatia is big like friendship and for this reason is only bottled in magnum format.
Empatia derives from an intuition; on the point of removing the oldest vineyard on the estate, planted only with Merlot, following the first vintages we discovered a Merlot with a different, uncharacteristic tone and with an unexpected depth of expression and extraordinary character: the character of Roccatederighi. Empatia is a great wine with a reputation that has grown over time through word of mouth, and has brought prestige to our estate. For this reason, in 2017 decided to start to share it with all our aficionados.
Appellation: IGT Toscana Merlot
Grape variety: 100% Merlot
Training system: spurred cordon
Alcohol content: 14% vol
Altitude:500 m/asl
Yield/ha: 30 hl
Vinification notes: Maceration on the skins for 15-20 days. Fermented with whole berries.
Ageing: 12 months in concrete tanks
First vintage: 2007
Bottles produced: 250
Notes: Intense, lively colour, with aromas of small berries, cassis and menthol notes to the nose. It has a rich matter, sustained by a marked acidity that gives it an intriguing and enveloping mouth and a lasting and elegant finishing note.
