Cellarx Competitors

Independent review of Italian wines, varietals and wine producers; monthly wine recommendations; updates on the Italian wine scene; and where to stay, dine and taste wines in Italy.

From a cellar in Italy's Tuscany region, we see some bottles of Chianti Rufina at the famed Selvapiana winery. Most wine drinkers know the wines of the Chianti Classico region, an area south of Florence and north of Siena. And it's there you'll find some very famous wineries with famously-priced wines. Selvapiana is a smallish estate of about 60 hectares and it has been in existence since the early 1800s. These days there are maybe 20, or so, estates in the Rufina region, some 20 kilometers northeast of Florence. The region is a bit cooler than Florence, hence it was a well-regarded summer get-away retreat for those wealthy Florentine families. We've been lucky enough to have tasted some good, well-aged bottles from Selvapiana, as Federico Giuntini Massetti, whose step-father is an Antinori, has been generous to open some venerable vintages. The 1990 is still youthful, thanks to its good level of acidity which gives Selvapiana wines structure and aging ability. We've tasted vintages going back to the early 1960s and, yes, they're old, but still had survived. We have the 2017 Chianti Rufina in the shop for just $19.99...a lovely, snappy Sangiovese which will dress up a burger, sausages or pizza. If you're dining in a somewhat more "noble" fashion, consider the special bottling called Bucerchiale. That's a 2016 and is $33.99. It's a reserve bottling from a single vineyard and Federico says they only produce this in top vintages. It's entirely Sangiovese and has a maceration time rivaling many Nebbiolo wines in Barolo and Barbaresco. A few new wines arrived recently... Siro Pacenti 2018 Rosso di Montalcino captures a floral and red fruit character of Sangiovese from southern Tuscany. It's matured for about a year in small French oak barriques, so you'll find it differs from traditionally-styled Montalcino reds. A winery rep from another estate brought in a $200 bottle of their reserve wine and we were not impressed. We poured this for comparison...much better!!! From Spain's Ribera del Duero we finally have back ...