2015 Castello di Ama Vigneto La Casuccia, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, DOCG, Italy (750ml)

WINEMAKER’S NOTES:

CLIMATE: Wine from vintage 2015 are fresh, with a nice alcohol degree and fruity, due to the significant temperature excursions between night and day during autumn which have facilitated the aromatic structures. Summer started late and first veraison was in early August. Until mid-September there were sunny days and summer heat, then temperatures dropped again, especially at night. After several samples and organoleptic analysis in our vineyards and laboratory, harvest has been carried out by hand in 10-12-kg crates on 14th September for Merlot and on October 4th for Sangiovese.

VINIFICATION: Vinification has started through ambient yeasts, separately for each grape variety, in steel tanks at controlled temperature between 30 and 33 C, with manual pumping over and a total cuvaison of 22 days for Sangiovese and 25 days for Merlot. After the first draining off, the wine was transferred into barriques for malolactic fermentation.

REFINEMENT: The assemblage of the two grapes varieties takes place at the end of the malolactic fermentation. Afterwards the wine is transferred into fine grain oak barrique of which 40% are new and the rest one year old, for approximately 14 months. This wine has been bottled in June 2017.