Ampeleia Costa Toscana Rosso "Unlitro" 2020

Producer: Ampeleia

Varietals: 40% Alicante Nero (aka Grenache), 25% Mourvedre, 15% Carignano, 15% Sangiovese, 5% Alicante Bouschet

Region: Upper Maremma, Tuscany, Italy

Ampeleia is many things. It is wine, yes, but it is also wheat and olive oil. It is vineyards and vegetables, animals and woodlands. It is, as well, people, insofar as they fill their niche. But that niche is only as caretakers and observers, stewards and changemakers. In their words, it is "a place for discussion and coming together. It was created through conscious choices, ours, we who decided to come here."

Established in 2002, their 35 hectares are given over to regenerative winegrowing. The diversified portrait of their work makes of the vineyard a sustaining ecosystem structured with biodynamic agricultural principles in mind. Of their grapes, they emphasize native varietals. Most notably is their Alicante Nero, a native subvariety of Grenache. As with its French and Spanish renditions, Alicante Nero speaks to a gamey, indulgent sensuality, one that skirts something both utterly civilized and absolutely untamed.

Ampeleia's one-litre bottle is an homage to the Italian dedication to conviviality. There are times when a bottle of wine is less an object to adore and more a means of conjuring lighthearted joy. This is that bottle.

Unlitro is a blend of Alicante Nero, Carignano, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese and Alicante Bouschet grapes coming from Ampeleia's seaside Cannucceto vineyard. Crops of wheat and sunflowers grow alongside the trellised vines. These vines are the youngest of Ampeleia's holdings, leading to wines that are bright, fruit-forward, and playful. After aging just 6 months in concrete, the wine is ready to drink.