2004 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Bellavista

The 2004 Chianti Classico Vigneto Bellavista impresses for its length and gorgeous inner perfume. This understated wine shows the finessed side of Bellavista. Sweet red fruit, flowers, mint and spices wrap around the silky, eternal finish. The 2004 is all about class and personality, both of which it has in spades. The only weak spot for the 2004 is the naturally high yields of the vintage. Still, it seems quite clear the 2004 has a bright future ahead of it. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. 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. From his very first vintage, 1982, Marco Pallanti was clearly onto something big. Readers still lucky enough to own that wine are in for a real treat. The single-vineyard 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 Castellina 3. A powerful, intense Chianti Classico 4. Aging potential: 20-30 years

Ama's 2004 Chianti Classico Bellavista is a blend of 80% Sangiovese with 20% Malvasia Nera, which gives the wine its characteristic tannic spine. At once riper yet more backward than the Casuccia, it is another awesome effort from this estate, with expressive aromatics and notes of black cherries, tar and minerals that are woven into a more structured, somewhat austere frame. Although it comes across as more linear in its personality than the Casuccia my impression is that it is still holding back much of its potential.