1999 Chianti Classico Bellavista Gran Selezione

The 1999 Chianti Classico Vigneto Bellavista comes across as big, rich and powerful. It doesn’t initially have the freshness of some of the more structured years, but then the fruit opens up and the wine literally explodes on the palate. If opened today the 1999 needs a lot of air. The wine is constantly changing in the glass, making it hard to peg down, but endlessly fascinating. Dried rose petals, mint, licorice and tobacco wrap around a vibrant finish that is at once powerful and seductive. Stylistically the 1999 lies somewhere between the truly opulent years and the more structured vintages, making it relatively accessible for this wine. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2029. 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