A racy red, with high-pitched aromas of tart cherry and rose hip signaling the bracing acidity. Intense, picking up wild herbs, mineral, leather and a smoky note on the palate. Shows excellent balance and length. Best from 2025 through 2042.
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During the 17th and 18th centuries, England and France were frequently at war with each other, which among other things meant that England was periodically cut off from its usual sources of wine across the Channel. Looking farther afield, they found substitutes for their French clarets in far-away Tuscany. The market for Chianti and other Tuscan wines grew and brought in significant revenue, to the point that Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici, ruler of Tuscany for more than 50 years beginning in 1670, realized that this market sector needed some regulation to protect its value. Therefore, in 1716, he issued a bando (decree) that defined exactly which parts of his realm were suitable for the production of its most renowned wines. Among the four areas that Cosimo elaborated was a zone called Pomino.
Pomino is the name of a current wine denomination, but the Pomino region defined by Cosimo III was much larger—essentially the same as the Rùfina subzone of the Chianti DOCG today. Thus, Chianti Rùfina was one of the areas (along with Chianti Classico, Carmignano, and Val d’Arno di Sopra) defined in the world’s earliest-known denomination protection law. It celebrated the bando’s 300th anniversary in 2016.
Selvapiana is among the best-known and most respected of the two dozen growers in Rùfina—the smallest subzone of Chianti—and as it happens is also one of only two wineries to produce wine from the tiny Pomino DOC. The Selvapiana winery, like all of Chianti Rùfina, lies close to the Sieve River, a tributary of the Arno upriver from Florence. The air is cooler and cleaner here than in the city, which is why these hills have long been a retreat for aristocrats escaping Florence’s summer heat. During the Renaissance, one noble Florentine family constructed the Selvapiana residence by enlarging a medieval watchtower that was one of the outposts guarding Florence from invading enemies.
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SELVAPIANA “FORNACE” TOSCANA IGT
Fornace is Selvapiana’s Super Tuscan wine, based entirely on Bordeaux grape varieties—Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc—grown on the estate. |
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LOCATIONWINERY: Rùfina (suburb of Florence), Tuscany VINEYARD: Rùfina subzone of Chianti, Tuscany VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS REGION DETAILS |
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93
OCTOBER 2023
Selvapiana “Bucerchiale” Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG 2019
![]() A racy red, with high-pitched aromas of tart cherry and rose hip signaling the bracing acidity. Intense, picking up wild herbs, mineral, leather and a smoky note on the palate. Shows excellent balance and length. Best from 2025 through 2042. 93
APRIL 2024
Selvapiana "Vigneto Erchi" Chianti Rufina DOCG Riserva 2019
![]() In the bottle with the bluish-green label, the 2019 Chianti Rufina Riserva Vigneto Erchi shows great balance and displays the quality found across these enjoyable wines from Selvapiana. The bouquet interjects with dark cherry, iris, earth and blood orange. The wine is firm and quite concentrated in terms of mouthfeel; however, it feels bright and lifted all the while. 90
JULY 2020
Selvapiana Chianti Rufina DOCG 2018
![]() Chianti Rufina 2018 is the least expensive ($19), the easiest to enjoy, and the readiest to drink. Its nose is surprisingly fruity and vibrant for a Chianti; it suggests fresh red cherries, dried herbs, fresh mint and thyme, and licorice. In your mouth, the wine is dry and medium-bodied, a light-ish red with a spine of acidity and just a medium amount of tannin, with fruity flavors similar to its aromas. A noteworthy aspect of this wine is how well it “hangs” in your mouth — fruitiness in the front, acidity up the middle and a combination of fruitiness and textured tannin in the back. It’s a complete wine that delivers all across your mouth. Did I mention the price? Despite these connotations of “lesser than,” it’s the wine I really want to drink, especially now, in July. 92
MAY 2023
Selvapiana "Vigneto Erchi" Chianti Rufina DOCG Riserva 2017
![]() Overflowing with black cherry, blackberry, plum, wild herbs and toasty oak flavors, this rich red is also harmonious and not all fruit and lush texture, showing some firm tannins underneath for support. Drink now through 2030. 300 cases made, 100 cases imported. 94
AUGUST 2023
Selvapiana “Bucerchiale” Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG 2019
![]() Bricks and Bing cherries and an almost ethereal aroma of orange blossom on top of crushed rock and graphite are on the nose, with more savory notes of leather and spice developing on the palate, emphasized by the austerity of chalky tannins. 95
APRIL 2024
Selvapiana Vin Santo del Chianti Rufina DOC 2013
![]() This precious dessert wine pours from its little 500-milliliter bottle with super thick and glossy intensity. The 2013 Vin Santo del Chianti Rufina makes a big impact on the senses, first for its glycerin-rich texture and second for its large span of aromas; there is maple syrup, candied almond, melted honey, sweet tea leaf and a hint of rose or fragrant flower buried somewhere within. Compared to the I Veroni Vin Santo, this one from Selvapiana tastes a little bit sweeter. It ages in small barrels called "caratelli" for nine years. Only 4,000 bottles were made. 94
AUGUST 2021
Selvapiana “Bucerchiale” Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG 2018
![]() A very pure and beautiful red with cherry and strawberry. Subtle spice, such as nutmeg and cedar. Orange peel, too. Medium to full body. Firm, silky tannins melt nicely into the wine. Fresh and clean finish. A little tight at the end. A beautiful single-vineyard Chianti Rufina with structure. Drinkable now, but better after 2023, when it will have softened a little. 93
JUNE 2022
Selvapiana Chianti Rufina DOCG 2020
![]() So much crushed-stone character here with citrus and black-cherry aromas. Medium-bodied with iodine and oyster-shell undertones to the blue fruit. Lemon rind at the end. Drink or hold. |