THE PRODUCER
Castello di Ama. One of Chianti and Tuscany’s absolute top estates, Castello di
Ama was founded in 1976 and is today run by Lorenza Sebasti (daughter of one of
the founder’s) who took over the management of the estate in 1993. 75 ha of
vineyards are spread around the village of Ama, in Gaiole-in-Chianti, at
elevations of between 420-527 m above sea level which ensures excellent
trademark freshness in all the wines.

Marco Palanti, winemaker and technical director since 1982, is recognised for
adopting the idea of single vineyard wines in Chianti. Castello di Ama’s Vigneto
Bellavista is a blend of 80% Sangiovese with Malvasia Nera; while Vigneto La
Casuccia is 85% Sangiovese with Merlot – both wines are aged in 50% new French
oak – and are amongst the finest in Chianti Classico Gran Selezione.

THE WINE
La Casuccia derives from the 12.58-hectare eponymous vineyard, planted first in
1978. A blend of 85% Sangiovese with Merlot, it ferments in steel tanks,
followed by blending of the two grape varieties and finally ageing for 14 months
in oak barriques of which 40% are new. An richly complex, energetic and vibrant
wine, with suave and sensual texture.

INFORMATION
Type:RedVintage:2016Country:ItalyRegion:Tuscany
Sub region:Chianti Classico
Grape:80% Sangiovese & 20% MerlotStyle:Savory and ClassicSweetness:DryABV:13.5%
Drinking window:2020 - 2041Size:750mlFood match:Lamb


CRITICS SCORES
We choose our wines based on a range of criteria(seehow we choose our wines)of
which critic scores is justone. Rather than simply highlight the best score to
promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided
by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do
not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more
weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores
like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a92/100average critic score or
better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a
high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we
offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the
market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and
representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide
to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add
individual critic scores to our website in the future.