Selvapiana, `Vigneto Bucerchiale` Chianti Rufina Riserva

The Sangiovese grapes come from the 12.5-hectare Bucerchiale vineyard at Selvapiana, located at the foothills of the Apennine mountains. The oldest vines were planted in 1968, the youngest in 2001. The vineyard faces south/south-east and lies at 250–300 metres above sea level, on predominantly clay and limestone soils. Older vines, now 20–25 years old, are planted at 2,500 vines per hectare, while the younger vines are planted at 5,200 per hectare, using the Guyot system. The vineyard is cultivated organically, with cover crops.

The 2022 vintage began with a harsh winter, with several nights below freezing. Despite the cold, conditions remained dry. Mild temperatures and limited rainfall continued into spring, with budbreak occurring as expected. Summer was exceptionally warm and dry - one of the hottest in the past 30 years - with a drought lasting over 40 days. Rain finally arrived in mid-August, allowing the grapes to reach full ripeness, resulting in very healthy fruit at harvest.

Grapes were hand picked and selected both in the vineyard and at the cellar on sorting tables. Fermentation took place in temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks at 30°C and lasted 35 days, with no selected yeasts. Pumping over took place daily to extract both colour and tannins. After a short period of maceration, the wine was pressed off the skins and malolactic fermentation took place. In the January following harvest, the wine was transferred to medium-sized oak casks and French oak barriques (of which 10% were new) and was matured for 15 months before bottling.