2011 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico San Lorenzo Gran Selezione 750 ml

96pt Castello di Ama Gran Selezione: #6 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 last year.
And this year?

In the mid-1990s, a band of Tuscan pioneers, tired of being upstaged by Montalcino, wrote a two-part blueprint designed to match the richness and density of Brunello while retaining the chiseled structure of the cool soils of Chianti Classico. In recent months, that blueprint has paid monster dividends as the new “Super-Riserva” class of Gran Selezione wines was released to much fanfare across the globe.

While Antinori, Fontodi, Fonterutoli, and Lilliano all shined brightly, far and away the most extraordinary new release came from the brilliant winemaker at Castello di Ama, Marco Pallanti. The 2011 Castello di Ama “San Lorenzo” Gran Selezione not only garnered 96 points from James Suckling, it also has the winegrowing elite of Montalcino shaking in their Tuscan boots!

Recognizing the global trend towards richer, weightier, and more voluptuous red wines, a handful of the most inventive winegrowers in Chianti Classico resolved to take a run at Brunello. The challenge was clear. The summers are not only hotter on the hills of Montalcino, but the soils are warmer, retaining the heat through the early evening hours, egging on the ripening process.

But to the north, the soils are rugged and cold in this gorgeous cut-out in and around the ancient village of Greve, the very heart of the Chianti Classico region. While Castello di Ama’s Chianti always featured beautifully delineated structure, late-maturing Sangiovese often struggled to reach full phenolic ripeness.

The first part of the plan that would help account for the luscious red-fruit concentration and sumptuous structure of Pallanti’s 2011 Gran Selezione was called Chianti 2000. For 16 years, researchers from the Agrarian Science departments at the University of Florence and the University of Pisa worked with growers to identify early-maturing Sangiovese clones, which were then planted in tightly spaced rows. In some cases, the number of plants per hectare was increased from 3,000 to nearly 6,000. It wouldn’t take long for the strategy to pay off. By the turn of the century, the top names of Chianti Classico were harvesting Sangiovese of Montalcino-like ripeness without sacrificing a gram of cold-soil acidity and vibrancy.

The second piece of the blueprint would take another decade to draw up. This time the work had far more to do with the cellars than the vines. While you might need a Harvard law degree sort out the Consorzio’s new regulations and restrictions on wines approved for Gran Selezione status, Marco Pallanti’s strategy for making “San Lorenzo” is as old as the Tuscan hills.

After hand-selecting less than 10% of the barrels of the 2011 Chianti Classico Riserva and prioritizing that selection for weight, girth, and concentration, the Gambero Rosso Winemaker of the Year spent six months on his final assemblage, making for a Gran Selezione that comfortably outpoints most $100+ bottles of Brunello di Montalcino Riservas.

The 2011 Castello di Ama “San Lorenzo” is brilliant deep-ruby/purple. Beautifully expressive nose of black cherry, tar, spice, and plum, touched with new-wood cedar. Rich and plush on the attack, filled with sweet black cherry, blackberry, and black tea, wrapped up in firm but ripe tannins, finishing with superb vibrancy and acid cut. Mouth-filling, intense, and voluptuous, focused and compact, with a well-knit core of dark fruits. 13% alcohol. Drink now-2025.

96 points from the former Wine Spectator Italian wine guru, James Suckling. $55 on release. Just $44 today — as WineAccess is the first to offer one of the most extraordinary and highly rated Tuscan reds of the year. Shipping included on 4 bottles.