The estate
Poised at an altitude of 500 metres, the Castello di Ama estate enjoys a rich historical heritage, as the small village of "Ama" was already known for its agricultural activities and its production of Tuscan wines over five centuries ago.
The vineyard
The San Lorenzo Gran Selezione by Castello di Ama takes its name from a beautiful little valley, where the 18th century villas of the Pianigiani and Ricucci families are located, between Florence and Siena in the Tuscany region of Italy. This wine is made entirely from grapes grown in the Bellavista, Casuccia, San Lorenzo and Montebuoni vineyards, located in the historic heart of the Chianti Classico appellation.
The vintage
A mild, rainy winter preceded a hot, dry month of April. Although May and June were very unstable, summer set in from July. The alternation between hot days and cold nights favoured the gradual ripening of the grapes and the development of their aromatic palette. The hail storm at the end of August did not affect the quality of the grapes.
Vinification and ageing
Vinification by plot with ambient yeast, in temperature-controlled steel tanks, along with manual pumping over. Total vatting time of 22 to 26 days depending on the grape variety. Following the first draining, the wine is placed in barrels for malolactic fermentation. Blending is carried out at the end of malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged in oak barrels (22% of which are new) for approximately 12 months.
The blend
Sangiovese (80%)
Merlot (13%)
Malvasia Nera (7%)
The tasting
Colour
The colour is a beautiful ruby red.
Nose
The nose combines fruity notes (cherry, strawberry) with tertiary notes of leather.
Palate
The palate is seduced by this wine’s fruity expression (red and black fruits), its pleasant length, its delicate tannins and its notes of wet earth and wood.
The 2016 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Lorenzo is immediately more inky and balsamic in terms of aromas. As soon as you lift the wine to your nose, you get pretty tones of blackberry, cassis, rosemary essence, licorice and a touch of medicinal herb. I love when Sangiovese produces those elegant aromas, and for that reason, this wine stands tall among the three single-vineyard expressions from Marco Pallanti and Castello di Ama. It shows fiber, richness and lasting structure with a very well-managed quality of tannins.