Selvapiana, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Vintage: 2024
| Vintage | Product Code | Format | Closure | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | SE450F24 | 6 x 50 | Other | Contact Us |
Producer
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.
Olive Groves
Selvapiana Extra Virgin olive oil is made from mainly Frantoio olives grown at 250-300 metres above sea level. This is a late ripening variety, so the olives are greener when picked, resulting in a spicy, green oil. Selvapiana is situated in the Sieve Valley, northeast of Florence, where a cool current of mountain air is funnelled through a pass in the Apennines down the valley. This makes it one of the coolest grape and olive growing regions in Tuscany, giving oils that are among the greatest and most spicy in Tuscany.
Harvest
After a difficult harvest in 2023, followed by a very mild winter, the 2024 season started with exceptionally abundant flowering in May despite rainy conditions that lasted until early June. A dry, hot summer followed without disease pressures or pest-related issues, ensuring that the olives were perfectly healthy. The harvest began mid October and is currently looking abundant, with excellent quality. However, the resa is currently around 10%, meaning oil yield from the fruit is currently quite low, though this may improve as we approach December when the harvest is expected to finish.
Production
Ultra-modern, stainless steel continuous presses are used. Most experts now agree that this method of pressing results in fresher, cleaner oils that retain their colour and fruitiness for a longer period of time. The oil was settled in a mixture of terracotta orci (urns), and stainless steel. It was bottled after a light filtration through cotton.
Tasting Notes & Technical Details
The oil is vivid green in colour with great viscosity, it has fresh and clean aromas with notes of artichoke, freshly cut grass and green tomatoes. On the palate, it is ripe and viscous with lovely purity and intensity and a spicy, peppery character on the finish.
Other wines from this producer
Producer | Wine | Product Code | Features | Style | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selvapiana | Chianti Rufina | SE401 | R | ||
| `Vigneto Bucerchiale` Chianti Rufina Riserva | SE403 | R | |||
| Vin Santo del Chianti Rufina | SE404 | Sw | |||
| `Vigneto Erchi` Chianti Rufina | SE408 | R |