2006 Chianti Classico Bellavista Gran Selezione
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Tasting notes
The Bellavista 2006 has a super complex, deep and savoury nose – leather, tobacco, cedar, black plum, blackberry and smoke. On the palate the wine feels very firm with an almost austere slatey character – although the tannins are fully resolved and wonderfully smooth. With air, even more complexity evolves with mushroom, forest floor, sweet wood and smoked meat notes. Benefits from decanting.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The 2006 Chianti Classico Vigneto Bellavista boasts compelling inner sweetness, great power and huge overall structure. Dark cherries, flowers, licorice, tobacco and incense are some of the many notes that burst from the glass in this explosive, totally seductive Bellavista. The 2006 needs time to fully integrate its French oak, but it is shaping up to be a jewel. It is quite clear from this tasting the 2006 is evolving at a glacial pace. Readers who can be patient will be amply rewarded. It is conceivable that the 2006 could one day eclipse the 2004.
The 2006 Chianti Classico Vigneto Bellavista boasts compelling inner sweetness, great power and huge overall structure. Dark cherries, flowers, licorice, tobacco and incense are some of the many notes that burst from the glass in this explosive, totally seductive Bellavista. The 2006 needs time to fully integrate its French oak, but it is shaping up to be a jewel. It is quite clear from this tasting the 2006 is evolving at a glacial pace. Readers who can be patient will be amply rewarded. It is conceivable that the 2006 could one day eclipse the 2004.
The 2006 Chianti Classico Vigneto Bellavista boasts compelling inner sweetness, great power and huge overall structure. Dark cherries, flowers, licorice, tobacco and incense are some of the many notes that burst from the glass in this explosive, totally seductive Bellavista. The 2006 needs time to fully integrate its French oak, but it is shaping up to be a jewel. It is quite clear from this tasting the 2006 is evolving at a glacial pace. Readers who can be patient will be amply rewarded. It is conceivable that the 2006 could one day eclipse the 2004. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2036. 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
About the producer
Castello di Ama is one of the pre-eminent estates in Chianti Classico. Situated in the southern-most district of the appellation, the estate has only been making wine since the late 1970s but has since built a reputation as one of the region’s best.