Selvapiana, `Vigneto Erchi` Chianti Rufina

Rufina is the smallest of Chianti’s subzones, comprising only 600 hectares of vineyards, yet it is also one of the most special. Here, the cool breeze that blows down the Sieve Valley creates exceptional wines with a finesse and definition that few others in Chianti Classico can match. There is no better producer in Rufina than Selvapiana, which has been in the family of Francesco Giuntini since 1827.

Federico Giuntini Masseti now runs the property just north of the town of Pontassieve. The estate comprises 250 hectares, 60 of which are planted under vine (95% Sangiovese) 36 are olive groves, while woodland covers the rest. Most of the vineyards are west facing, though Selvapiana’s prized Bucerchiale vineyard faces south-west.

The Chianti Rufina is fine and elegant, perfectly exemplifying the Selvapiana style. Federico considers the ‘Vigneto Bucerchiale’ a more weighty and powerful expression of Rufina, though it still displays the vibrancy of fruit that characterises the Selvapiana wines. The ‘Vigneto Erchi’ hails from a six-hectare, south-facing vineyard that Selvapiana purchased in 1998 and replanted in 1999. This beautiful site is on the slightly warmer western side of the Rufina denomination. The resulting single-vineyard wine is made from only the finest grapes and offers serious power balanced by delicate finesse.