Winemaker Notes
Ruby red with vermillion nuances. Aromas are fruity with red fresh fruits, cherry and raspberry notes. The palate is elegant and harmonic with well-balanced spicy notes already at the first impact.
Blend: 96% Sangiovese, 4% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Fragrant and refined, this features enticing aromas of rose, iris, woodland berry and crushed botanical herb. Medium bodied and loaded with finesse, the elegant palate features juicy Marasca cherry, strawberry compote and dark culinary spice. Polished tannins and fresh acidity keep it well balanced. Drink through 2028. The Sorting Table.
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James Suckling
A tight, juicy red with lots of cherries and hints of orange peel and stone. Medium to full body and light, polished tannins. Fresh finish. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is the quintessential happy wine from Tuscany that will easily pair with wintery pici al ragù or summery pasta al pomorodo. There is enormous versatility in the all-season Castello di Ama 2018 Chianti Classico Ama. The wine is round, plump and approachable. It offers enormous freshness and the bright berry intensity of the Sangiovese grape. Red cherry and cassis are backed by red rose petal and softly fragrant potting soil. I tasted this wine immediately after Castello di Ama's Pinot Nero di Toscana Il Chiuso, and I was struck by the similarities of the two wines in terms of silkiness and those pretty rose aromas.
Rating: 92+
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.