2004 Chianti Classico Vigneto Bellavista

This vertical of Castello di Ama’s flagship Chianti Classico Vigneto Bellavista was one of the more remarkable tastings I have ever had the privilege of participating in. The Ama wines have always been rich, immediate and luscious, but it is their capacity to age that has always impressed me most. That was certainly the case once again in this magnificent retrospective.

From their very first Bellavista in 1982 proprietors Lorenza Sebaste and Marco Pallanti were clearly onto something special. Readers still lucky enough to own that wine are in for a real treat. The single-vineyard Chianti Classico Bellavista is 80% Sangiovese and 20% Malvasia Nera, a combination of indigenous grapes that works beautifully. The early vintages included a dollop of Canaiolo that was planted in the vineyard up until 1988, when it was ripped out in favor of the Merlot that would go on to produce L’Apparita. I also tasted the 2011 Bellavista in barrel, the first since 2007, and a year that it resembles from a stylistic standpoint.

Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Bellavista Key Points:

1. 80% Sangiovese/20% Malvasia Nera aged in French oak barrels

2. Made from Ama’s Bellavista vineyard, a high-altitude plot in Gaiole

3. A powerful, intense Chianti Classico

4. Aging potential: 20-30 years

No single producer has done more to promote an upscale image for Chianti Classico than Marco Pallanti and Castello di Ama. While the vast majority of estates market their top selections under the more fashionable IGT designation Ama continues to label their top bottlings as Chianti Classico. Perhaps for that reason Pallanti was recently elected as President for the Consorzio del Chianti Classico. Highly respected as well as admired by his colleagues, Pallanti appears to be the perfect choice to move the Consorzio forward. Castello di Ama's style could be synthesized as relying on low yields from old vineyards planted at high altitudes. The soil types range from those that are richer in clay, to those that feature a higher content of gravel and pebbles. The estate releases three Chianti Classicos. The normal bottling is typically one of the best wines in the region. In top vintages the single-vineyard Chianti Classicos La Casuccia and Bellavista are also produced. When vintages are deemed to be good enough to produce the selections the fruit from those plots is added to the normal Chianti Classico, as was the case in both 2002 and 2003. La Casuccia is divided into 17 parcels planted at 480 to 526 meters, with soils that are mostly composed of clay and limestone. The wine is a blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Merlot, which gives the wine its characteristic round, supple character. At Bellavista the vines are planted at similar altitudes ranging from 456 to 530 meters, but the soils are a combination of clay and rocks. Ama's Chianti Classico Bellavista contains 20% Malvasia Nera in the blend, which gives the wine much of its structure. Ama also produces the distinctive single-vineyard Merlot, L'Apparita, from the upper portion of the Bellavista vineyard.