Castello di Ama in Toronto: A Tasting with Lorenza Sebasti | Halpern

There are places that stay with you long after you leave. For us, Castello di Ama is one of them. The hamlet sits high in the hills above Gaiole in Chianti. There are stone buildings, vineyards falling away in every direction, and contemporary artworks tucked into cellars, chapels and gardens. Anyone who has visited knows the feeling. It is a working estate, a family home and a place of quiet wonder all at once.

So when Lorenza Sebasti told us she would be coming to Toronto this September, the challenge was clear. How do you bring that magic to a city six thousand kilometres away? We decided the answer was simple. You let Lorenza tell the story.

The family behind the estate

In the 1970s, a small group of Roman families, Lorenza's among them, set out to restore Ama and its vineyards. Lorenza and her husband Marco Pallanti, the estate's winemaker, have since spent decades shaping it into one of the most site-expressive estates in Tuscany. They have always believed that a great wine should speak of exactly one place. Their son Arturo now works alongside them, so the story continues into its next generation.

That same philosophy extends beyond the vineyard. Since 2000, Castello di Ama has invited internationally renowned artists to create site-specific works for the estate, including Anish Kapoor and Louise Bourgeois. When Lorenza talks about wine, she talks about it the way an artist talks about a piece: as a response to a place, a moment and a feeling.

Three crus, fifteen wines, one evening at Sotto Sotto

On Thursday, September 17th, we gathered at Sotto Sotto for something rarely done outside the estate. It was a seated retrospective of Ama's three great crus across five vintages, 2004, 2006, 2013, 2018 and 2021, all chosen by Lorenza herself. Michael Godel, one of Canada's leading voices on Italian wine, guided the conversation.

Lorenza walked us through each flight vintage by vintage, sharing what the growing season brought, what the family was living through at the time, and why each wine tastes the way it does.

San Lorenzo Gran Selezione is the estate's flagship. It is Sangiovese with small amounts of Merlot and Malvasia Nera, drawn from Ama's highest vineyards.

Vigneto Bellavista Gran Selezione comes from a single vineyard, made only in exceptional years and widely considered one of the finest sites in Chianti Classico.

L'Apparita was the first purebred Merlot produced in Tuscany, first harvested in 1985 from a tiny parcel at Ama.

Tasted side by side, the three wines showed just how distinct each cru is. They come from the same estate and the same family, yet each has an entirely different personality. By the end of the evening, the room understood Ama in a way no tasting note could explain.

At the table with the trade

The next day, Lorenza sat down with sommeliers and buyers from across Toronto at Aria for a seated trade tasting.

Bring Ama home

Following the tasting, we are pleased to offer a library release direct from the estate, alongside incoming vintages arriving in winter 2026. It includes San Lorenzo, Vigneto Bellavista and L'Apparita across several vintages and formats, from 750 mL to 9 L. Quantities are very limited, and allocations will be filled in the order reservations come in. Contact your Halpern representative to request the full offer.