The 2000 L’Apparita is one of the better versions of Tuscany’s pioneering example of high class Merlot. The warmth of the vintage is felt in its ripe, smoky nose of raspberry fruit and cloves, and the velvety Pomerol-like texture, full, supple, and voluminous, promises another 15 years of maximum-pleasure drinking. The concentration and weight of the greatest vintages of this wine – 1987, 1992, and 1998 – are not present, but they are just over the horizon with the superb 2001. Importer: Lauber Imports, Somerville, NJ; tel. (908) 725-2100