2019 Chianti Classico San Lorenzo Gran Selezione
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Tasting Notes
The San Lorenzo from Castello di Ama is fantastic in 2019, so elegant from start to finish. The wine offers a complex array of aromas – cherry, rosehip and blackberry confit matched with a sweeter touch of vanilla, dry spice and red peppercorns from some top-quality oak. The tannins are so refined for a Sangiovese-dominant wine, while retaining the variety’s vibrant acidity that brings a brightness and freshness to the palate. The mid-palate plushness of fruit is also impressive for this cuvée, which is not always this rich. There’s great length to the finish, with lingering blackberry notes that showcase the quality of the fruit in this vintage.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Lorenzo draws its fruit from various sites selected throughout the estate, and for that reason, it is often the most representative wine from Castello di Ama (despite its more approachable price). This vintage is especially interesting, showing a more formal quality of tannins for longer aging potential and softly extracted dark fruit that sets it apart. Vintner Marco Pallanti likens 2019 to 2004 or 2016, some of the best vintages in recent memory. The wine is partially aged in new oak, and the percentage of new barrels used depends on the vintage conditions. This edition sees 20% new oak, medium toast and fine grains. The team is working with lower temperatures during fermentation with more numerous pump-overs for the first couple of weeks, then the wine is left alone. Fresh cherry fruit, blackberry, spice and grilled herb emerge. This is a production of 80,000 bottles.
Perfumed and beautiful with flowers, cherries and raspberries. Forest fruits, too. Full-bodied with extremely fine tannins that run the length of the wine and are wonderfully integrated, spreading across the palate. Lasts for minutes. Better after 2025, but already fantastic.
The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Ama San Lorenzo is a wild, beautifully layered wine. Touches of Merlot and Malvasia Nera lend striking complexity and dimension to a mid-weight yet fleshy Gran Selezione. Iron, cured meats, spice, leather and dried leaves all take shape in this deceptively mid-weight yet deep, highly expressive Gran Selezione.
About the producer
Castello di Ama is one of the pre-eminent estates in Chianti Classico. Situated in the southern-most district of the appellation, the estate has only been making wine since the late 1970s but has since built a reputation as one of the region’s best.