Fattoria Selvapiana Chianti Rufina 2024

Fattoria Selvapiana 2024, the spirit of Chianti Rufina

In the cool hills of Chianti Rufina, the Fattoria Selvapiana 2024 belongs to an ancient history and a mountain landscape. I recommend it to those who like to understand a wine through its place as much as through its aging: here, Canaiolo dominates the blend, and the wood accompanies the wine without the available information making it a heavily oaked profile.

A historic estate on the slopes of the Apennines

This red carries the DOCG Chianti Rufina appellation, the smallest of the designation. The Fattoria Selvapiana property covers 250 hectares spread across Rufina, Pelago and Pontassieve, in the Apennine hills. Its history goes back to the Middle Ages, when the site served as a watchtower and defensive post for Florence. It later became a summer residence for bishops and Florentine noble families. In 1826, the banker Michele Giunti acquired it; the property has since been passed down from generation to generation. It is today run by Silvia and Federico Masseti.

Chianti Rufina is the flagship wine of Fattoria Selvapiana and a pillar of its production. The estate is also known for having been the first to produce reds from Sangiovese alone, an orientation associated with Francesco Giunti, who led the estate from 1957 to 1997. For the 2024 vintage presented here, however, the blend indicated is different: 95% Canaiolo and 5% other red varieties. Cool summers and the marked gap between daytime and nighttime temperatures favor a slow ripening of the grapes, with good balance and appreciable acidity.

The harvest is carried out partly by hand and partly by machine. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, with indigenous yeasts, then the wine remains about 25 days on the skins, with pump-overs. It is then aged for nearly ten months in French oak barrels. The available tasting notes do not specify the color, any particular aromas, or the details of the palate: I prefer not to invent them. They do, however, place the wine halfway between fruit and spice, between youthfulness and barrel aging, with a fairly generous structure. This gives style reference points rather than a detailed aromatic description.

At the table, from simple dishes to generous meals

At the table, the suggested pairings open several directions: pizza, pasta, or risotto for a convivial meal, or soft or aged cheeses to extend the tasting. You can also serve it with red meat or game, depending on the menu. This is a wine to consider when you want a Tuscan red tied to a specific terroir and a long family history. I would let it accompany the meal without trying to attribute aromas that the sources do not describe: the estate, the blend, and the aging already provide plenty to discover.