Castello di Ama Chianti Classico San Lorenzo Gran Selezione 2018
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A pure ruby-red color. Fruity with cherry and strawberry notes. Some tertiary hints remind leather. Ripen red fruits, succulent, intriguing and long-lasting. Tannins are ripen and delicate. The aftertaste expresses a lively freshness with notes of dark red fruits, wet ground and wood.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A tight, polished red with a very beautiful texture of firm, polished yet integrated tannins. Full-bodied with plenty of subtle dark-berry and chocolate character. Hints of walnuts, too. Flavorful finish. A little tight at the end, but already really delicious. Serious young Gran Selezione. Drink or hold.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Smooth and delicious, this compelling red offers delicately enticing scents of dark-skinned fruit, pressed rose, violet and cedar. Boasting layers of flavor, the smooth palate is all about finesse, delivering ripe plum, spiced berries, licorice and crushed mint before a mocha close. Velvety tannins and fresh acidity provide seamless support and balance. Best After 2023
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Castello di Ama 2018 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Lorenzo is one of the most distinctive wines in the ample portfolio offered by this estate. I always seem to find a balsamic note in the San Lorenzo Sangiovese (a blend of some of the property's best fruit, with a touch of Merlot and Malvasia Nera thrown in), and it definitely comes through in this vintage with grilled rosemary and even a touch of black olive. This wine is truly Mediterranean in spirit and it boasts an all-Italian identity. Its supple, mid-weight texture is amplified by elegant fruit and spice. And the wine's fresh acidity makes it the ideal pairing partner with your favorite Tuscan pasta or pici recipes.
Rating: 94+ -
Wine Spectator
Supple at first and saturated with blackberry, dark plum and violet flavors, this red turns more tannic mid palate. gaining steam through the finish. Earth and iron elements chime in, and the ripe fruit returns on the ironclad finish. Sangiovese, Merlot and Malvasia Nera. Best from 2025.
Other Vintages
2019-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & - Decanter
-
Suckling
James
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine -
Wong
Wilfred
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Wong
Wilfred -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.