2019 Castello Di Ama Al Poggio Chardonnay di Toscane

The history of Castello di Ama starts in the 1970s. A number of families bought a hamlet with historic vineyards, with the aim of restoring it. Lorenza Sebasti Pallanti, one of the founders, is the current owner and together with her husband and winemaker Marco Pallanti she has made Castello di Ama one of the most prestigious wine estates in Italy. In 2003 Marco was named Winemaker of the Year by Guida Vini d'Italia of Gambero Rosso. His wines are among the most sought after in the region and adorn wine lists of the best restaurants in the world. The flagship is the classic Chianti Classico San Lorenzo, but Castello di Ama is arguably more famous for its Super Tuscan L'Apparita, the first 100% merlot wine from Tuscany. The olive groves of Castello di Ama are located on slopes between 450 and 500 meters altitude: the part where the vines do not thrive optimally, but the olive trees all the better.

The Castello di Ama Chardonnay di Toscana Al Poggio takes advantage of high-altitude vineyards (approximately 500 meters above sea level) and the cool limestone soils of the Chianti Classico region to create this fresh, crisp and wonderfully accessible white wine. There are Chardonnays from Tuscany that taste like Chardonnays from every other part of the world, and then there are Chardonnays that taste like they come from Tuscany. This wine is firmly in the second group. The signature territory-specific elements you get here resemble apricot and peach, with a light dusting of Italian herbs like fresh oregano and rosemary sprig. Also distinguishable are the chalky and pebbly mineral notes that frame this vintage with lovely citrus aromas reminiscent of those sun-kissed lemon trees grown in red clay pots you see all over this part of Tuscany.