2023 Chianti Classico Ama

This is a spectacular set of new releases from Castello di Ama. In recent years, Marco Pallanti has backed off extractions, started doing less saignée and reduced the impact of oak. The results are nothing short of breathtaking. Every wine in the range is stellar, and some are utterly profound. “We had a very hot summer in 2022, then rain in both August and September,” Pallanti explained. “The challenge was waiting for phenolic ripeness. Our harvest wrapped up during the first week of October, which is on the later side for us by today’s standards.” Like many producers, Ama dealt with a very challenging growing season in 2023. The Chianti Classico Ama is the only Sangiovese-based wine they bottled.

Readers will note the La Casuccia (Sangiovese, Merlot) is no longer a Gran Selezione because updated regulations forbid the use of international grapes in Gran Seleziones. It’s a touchy subject at this address, given that Marco Pallanti served as President of the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico from 2006 to 2012 and Ama’s track record for turning out superb wines over the last several decades. In protest, Ama has taken La Casuccia out of the Chianti Classico appellation entirely and placed it under the broader IGT designation. Perhaps there might have been an opportunity to ‘grandfather’ in wines with a proven historical pedigree like La Casuccia, which has been produced since 1985 and brought quite a bit of attention to Chianti Classico over that time. On the other hand, consistency in applying regulations is understandable, especially considering how complex Italian wine as a subject is to the public. Regardless, I doubt many consumers even know which appellations the most iconic wines fall under, as those wines built their reputations before current regulations were created.

When it comes to what’s in the bottle, few do it better than Castello di Ama. There is simply no substitute for passion, ambition and hard work, qualities that have defined these wines since the 1980s.