Castello di Ama
Montebuoni Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG – 2021
Region: ITALY - TUSCANY
Castello di Ama
Castello di Ama was founded in 1976, and is located in Gaiole in Chianti, within the additional geographical unit of the same name (UGA), located in the heart of Tuscany. It is located about 12 miles northeast of Siena in the hills of Gaiole. This is the heart of Chianti Classico, a bucolic rolling landscape of woods, vineyards and olive groves.
The estate is currently helmed by CEO Lorenza Sebasti, a member of the second generation of one of the four founding families. Marco Pallanti, who was once the President of the Chianti Classico Consorzio, has been the winemaker and technical director at Castello di Ama since 1982.
The goal of the estate is to have each bottle of Castello di Ama express the uniqueness of the terroir, and be an authentic expression of the vintage. Ama has practiced sustainable viticulture since the end of the 1990s, and recently received Equalitas (Italy) certification.
The Wine
Vineyard Profile
Castello di Ama purchased and replanted the Montebuoni vineyard in 1997, nestled on the slope of the hill parallel to Bellavista vineyard. Managed since then following the 3-pillar conception of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental. 2018 was the debut wine from this vineyard.
- Altitude: 1375-1610 feet/420–500 meters
- Exposure: North-West/South-East
- Soil: Clay and calcareous with pebbly gravel
- Vine Planting Density: 5200 vines/ha
- Vine Training System: vertical trellis with single Guyot
- Clonal Selections: Sangiovese CH21, CH22, CC2002, CC2004; Merlot 181 & 343; Rootstock 420A
Harvest Notes
- Mild, rainy winter with few days below freezing followed by rather cold spring
- Almost no rain in June, average temperatures
- Hot July followed by dry August
- Cooler nights in late August
- Hand harvested September 13–October 6, 2021
- Each variety fermented separately using only indigenous yeasts at in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks at 82–86ºF
- Manual pumpovers for Sangiovese, total cuvaison for 25 days
- After racking, malolactic fermentation in oak barriques of thin grain
- Blended and aged 12 months in barriques
- Bottled in Spring 2023
Winemaker's Notes
Red ruby punctuated by purple glints. Fruity aromas of blackberry, raspberry, currant and blueberry. Sophisticated, elegant and balanced, with a persistent and harmonic finish.
Wine Summary
95% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot; alcohol: 13.5%; vineyard purchased and replanted 1997, on slope of hill parallel to Bellavista vineyard at 1375-1610 feet; hand harvested between September 13-October 6; varieties vinified separately using only indigenous yeasts in stainless steel; 25 days cuvaison with manual pumpovers; malolactic fermentation in thin-grained oak barriques; blended and aged 12 months in barriques; bottled Spring 2023.
Technical Information
- 95% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot
- Alcohol: 13.5%
- Total Acidity: 5.8 g/l
- Residual Sugar: < 1 g/l
- Extract 31 m/l
Reviews
94 Points
First released in 2018, this wine draws its fruit from a site about one kilometer over from the celebrated Vigneto Bellavista with similar conditions. The Castello di Ama 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva Montebuoni is a broad and rich expression of Sangiovese that offers concentrated blackberry, plum and velvety tannins. The wine shows attractive accessibility and a generous mid-weight mouthfeel. 2024 – 2032
© Wine Advocate, July, 2024
92 Points
The 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva Montebuoni is a bold, potent wine. Black fruit, leather, tobacco, grilled herbs, licorice and incense add to an impression of virile intensity. Ideally, readers will cellar this for a few years. It’s a serious wine that needs a bit of time. 2026 – 2036
Vinous - Antonio Galloni, June, 2024
93 Points
Black cherry, dark mushroom and some lemon rind aromas follow through to a medium body with a slightly lean mid-palate, but it’s long and energetic at the end. Drink or hold.
jamessuckling.com, August, 2024
94 Points
Rich and fleshy, with a supple texture, plus saturated flavors of cherry, raspberry, rose and mineral. Firms up yet keeps building on the palate to the persistent and complex aftertaste. Already beautifully balanced but should integrate even further with a few more years in the bottle. Sangiovese and Merlot. Best from 2026 through 2042.
Wine Spectator, May, 2025
17 Points
Gaiole. 95% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot.
Deep dark ruby with orange tinges. Rich, ripe cherry-compote nose with spice notes and just a suggestion of cinnamon bark. Supple, juicy fruit and more layered than the nose would have you believe. Very long and with finely ground tannins lifting the generous fruit. 2025 – 2034
JancisRobinson.com, May, 2025
93 Points
As I have mentioned in the past, the Montebuoni vineyard bottling of Chianti “Riserva” from Castello di Ama includes five percent merlot in with the sangiovese. This vineyard was planted in 1997, so it is just about twenty-five years of age now and really coming into its prime. The 2021 Montebuoni Riserva offers up a deep, complex and black fruity bouquet of dark berries, espresso, cigar smoke, dark soil tones, a lovely dollop of fresh oregano and a suave framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and seamlessly balanced, with a gorgeous core of fruit, a lovely foundation of soil, ripe, buried tannins, good acids and focus and a long, complex and very classy finish. Though this is still a young wine, it is so beautifully balanced that it is already very easy to drink. Its true apogee will be ten to fifteen years down the road, but despite its proper chassis of tannin, it is going to be hard not to drink on the way up. 2025 – 2055+
View From The Cellar, September, 2025
94 Points
Good full red-ruby. Savoury blackberry and plum duke it out for attention with violet and forest floor on the deep nose. Then velvety and fresh, with floral flavours of dark cherry and berries complicated by lemon peel and a dusting of minerals. The aftertaste is long and vibrant. There’s lots of wine here for one of Ama’s least expensive wines. A mostly Sangiovese with some Merlot blend. 2025 – 2030
Ian D'Agata Wine Review, December, 2025
General Info
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Tuscany |
| Appellation(s) | Chianti Classico |
| Proprietor/CEO | Lorenza Sebasti |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Winemaker | Marco Pallanti |
| Annual Production | 25,000 9L cases |
| Farming (Sustainable, organic, biodynamic) | Sustainable certified by Equalitas Italy |