Castello di Ama

At cool, stony heights in the subdistrict of Gaiole, Castello di Ama did much to raise the image of Chianti Classico at a time when the region was underperforming. Today, it retains its status as one of the top players of this now dynamic denomination.

Daughter of one of the four founders, Lorenza Sebasti is the current CEO. Marco Pallanti has been the winemaker since 1982. Their 20-something-year-old son Arturo officially joined them in 2021. Despite having studied oenology, he confessions an enthusiasm for management and has assumed responsibility with confidence and ease.

The leitmotif of the range is polish and sophistication. The estate’s annata Chianti Classico was born in 2010 after extensive replanting in the 1990s. It is made from younger, more productive plants while San Lorenzo hails from older vines. The latter is one of the best quality/price ratio Gran Selezione of the entire zone.

Alas, after long championing this new category, Castello di Ama is one of the few estates to lose out with the recent changes to the discipline. As international varieties will soon be prohibited for Gran Selezione, San Lorenzo will no longer be blended with Merlot. Conversely, La Casuccia will be declassified to IGT as of the 2022 vintage to retain its identity. As for Bellavista, which was among Chianti Classico’s earliest single vineyard bottlings in 1978, it will see a reduction of Malvasia Nera to conform to the stricter 90% Sangiovese minimum.

DOCG drama aside, one of the other not-to-be-missed gems is L’Apparita. Tuscany’s first commercially-produced 100% Merlot in 1985, it allies the soft, supple curves, intrinsic to variety, with unmistakable flavours of place.