First-Taste Guide to Chianti Rùfina

12 min read

When you think about Tuscan wine, you invariably think about Sangiovese, a grape that accounts for roughly 60-65% of Tuscany’s vines. This dominance used to mean quite a bit of sameness, but not anymore. With a better scientific understanding of soil and grape clones, producers across Tuscany are answering the call from fine wine enthusiasts to let the terroir shine. Few places demonstrate this trend as well as Chianti Rùfina, which today remains Tuscany’s best kept secret as far as wine regions go.

“We often make this joke here, that Rùfina is the Burgundy of Tuscany. Then we look at our bank account, and we’re still clearly Rùfina!”
Federico Giuntini Masseti
Winemaker, Fattoria Selvapiana

The area is an idyllic landscape of bulky, forested mountains and gentle streams, which yields wines of both concentrated power and freshness — a combination you don’t often find in red wines. The one thing Chianti Rùfina lacks in comparison to the more famous Chianti Classico is a kind of modern-day rhapsodizing from wine’s most influential voices. It remains an insider’s pick (maybe that’s why I love it so much). Here is a zone that exalts Sangiovese like few others, and its modest prices make it an attractive buy in this economic climate.

I’ve felt this way for several years, but had never given the region its proper due with a First-Taste Guide. So earlier this year, I traveled back to the region, camera in hand, and spent the day with a man who knows this place as well as anyone: Federico Giuntini Masseti of the beloved Chianti Rùfina estate Fattoria Selvapiana. Together, we also visited Frascole and I Veroni, and I spoke with Gerardo Gondi, the President of the Consorzio Chianti Rùfina.

“We often make this joke here, that Rùfina is the Burgundy of Tuscany,” Giuntini Masseti told me when discussing the region’s signature elegance. “Then we look at our bank account, and we’re still clearly Rùfina!”

What the visit revealed to me was a soulful slice of Tuscany that will likely never suffer from overtourism, but which is steadily increasing its stature with wine professionals in-the-know.

Let’s pull back the curtain on one of Central Italy’s greatest wine terroirs.

3 Reasons to Try Chianti Rùfina

1. You Want Something Else to Compare to Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico – There is no question that these two appellations produce many of Italy’s greatest Sangiovese wines. Is there room atop the pedestal for one more? I would say yes.
2. You Are Looking to Pad Your Italian Wine Collection – Chianti Rùfina should be an ace-up-the-sleeve for anyone with an Italian-focused collection. It is an age-worthy, structured red wine at a reasonable price. I am not here to dissuade Brunello or Chianti Classico fans from stocking their shelves with those classics; rather, I’d urge a complement of Chianti Rùfina, too. Learn more about my Wine Cellar Consultation Services.
3. You Seek Intimacy with the Landscape Behind Your Wine – Chianti Rùfina has the hills, the forest and the rural grape-and-olive idylls to match the aesthetic of Chianti Classico, but it also has two grand rivers, the Sieve and Arno, and it lies well off-the-beaten tourist path. It’s quite an image to conjure when you have it in your glass.

What is Chianti Rùfina?

Chianti Rùfina is the smallest subzone by vineyard acreage of the overarching Chianti DOCG appellation. This appellation is distinctly different from the Chianti Classico DOCG, which regulates wines from the historic heart of Tuscany where Sangiovese blends became famous. As an outsider, I often feel like it is best to view Chianti Rùfina as though it were a distinct appellation, even if technically it is not. That’s because unlike the other subzones of the Chianti DOCG, Chianti Rùfina has tremendous historical significance and a very clear identity.

All wines must come from within the subzone’s designated boundaries, which surround the communities of Rùfina, Pontassieve, Dicomano, Londa and Pelago in northeastern Tuscany.

There are three categories of Chianti Rùfina wines, and I recommend one wine per category below.

Ease and Grace: Chianti Rùfina

The annata or annual wine is the standard bearer, and is labeled merely as Chianti Rùfina. These wines are released every year and sold at the most affordable price point. They need to be at a minimum 70% Sangiovese with a smattering of other allowable red and white grapes to round out the rest of the blend. In practice, these wines are usually varietal Sangiovese or close to it. Together, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc cannot exceed 15% of the blend. White grapes, though rarely used, cannot comprise more than 10% of the blend. These wines cannot be released before September 1 of the year following harvest.

Stature and Poise: Chianti Rùfina Riserva

One level up, you will find Chianti Rùfina Riserva. These wines must be include 90% Sangiovese in the blend (many are varietal anyway) with the remaining balance being comprised of only the sanctioned red wine grapes of the area (e.g. Colorino, Canaiolo, Merlot, etc.). Just as importantly, the wine must be aged for two years before release, with a mandated 6 months in oak barrels.

Terroir-Specificity: Chianti Rùfina Riserva Terrælectae

A new category, called Chianti Rùfina Riserva Terrælectae, is reserved for the most outstanding and exceptional single-vineyard Riserva wines of the area. Unlike the other categories, Terrælectae must be 100% Sangiovese, and aged for a minimum of 30 months (of which 18 of those must be in oak, while 6 months must be in bottle).

About the Subzone and Its Wines

Chianti Rùfina is located roughly 10 miles east of Florence, where the Sieve River flows out of the Toscan-Romagnolo Appennines to join the Arno. Vineyards are heavily concentrated in the southern end of the zone, particularly around Pontassieve and Pelago, but there are also scattered plots up into the mountains around Rùfina and Dicomano. As with Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino, the higher elevation vineyards tend to yield crisper wines, while those from the lower elevations are more robust.

The History

Chianti Rùfina’s history is closely tied to the Medici’s, the political dynasty that ruled Florence for centuries. In 1716, Cosimo III de’Medici issued an edict known as the Bando which set about protections for wine producing areas under his governance. They included what is now known as Chianti Classico, as well as Carmignano, Valdarno di Sopra and Pomino. Pomino included Rùfina, although it should be noted that the Pomino DOC is today a separate, smaller appellation for white and red wine blends.

“The only part that was called ‘Chianti’ back in the days was the historical part, what we now call Chianti Classico,” Federico Giuntini Masseti told me as we drove up the Sieve River into the heart of Rùfina. “So that was Castellina, Radda, Gaiole and Greve in the mountains between Florence and Siena.”

From the Chianti Classico region came a blended wine with Sangiovese at the forefront, and — taking note — other regions in the vicinity began to loosely follow the formula. Chianti the Place became Chianti the Product, and by 1967, all of it would be protected as an appellation of unique origin under Italian law going by the name Chianti. (Chianti Classico would be granted its own DOCG in 1996).

“I have a friend in Gaiole who jokes that we are the ‘stolen Chianti,’” Masseti noted. While there is some truth that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, in the case of Rùfina and Pomino, the grapes used in the Chianti formula were just as historic to their zone as to Chianti Classico. It was the proportions and how they were employed in the blend that mattered.

In the 19th century, French grapes were introduced to the area, and little Pomino — an isolated, high-elevation village east of Rùfina whose name once covered the broader area under the Bando — would become better known for blends using those grapes. The historic Sangiovese expression of the area would go under the name of Chianti Rùfina.

But the 20th century would pose the biggest challenge to Chianti Rùfina’s viticultural economy.

A few nights earlier in Florence — at a focused wine dinner devoted to Chianti Rùfina’s new category of Terrælectae wines — Gerardo Gondi of the estate Marchesi Gondi spoke of this moment in Rùfina’s history.

“We were like the Burgundy of Tuscany in terms of innovation and the study of viticulture,” Gondi said of the region’s reputation in the early 20th century. But because of Chianti Rùfina’s strategic location along the Arno River, it became a fiercely fought-over piece of land during World War II. This was nothing new for Chianti Rùfina — it had long been a battlefront throughout its history — but the scale of the bombardment was unprecedented. “We had to restart everything, but there were around 70 bottlers and the quality was low. The price [of Chianti Rùfina] diminished by the 1960s, and it collapsed our economy.”

It has been a slow and steady climb back to prestige for the producers of Chianti Rùfina. The region’s small size has made it hard to draw attention in the sea of Tuscany’s red wines, but it is perhaps the subzone’s brand confusion — both with the broader Chianti category as well as the Ruffino winery (see note above) — that has proved to be the biggest obstacle.

But, Gondi noted, Chianti Rùfina has one important competitive edge: the climate.

“In my opinion, the thing that distinguishes our wines is the elegance,” he said. “And that comes directly from our mountain terroir and cooler climate.”

The Terroir

Back on the road, Giuntini Masseti wanted to illustrate to me the range of terroir in Rùfina, so he drove me to the stunning vineyards of Frascole high in the mountains above Dicomano. Here, we met his friend Enrico Lippi for an impromptu tasting, but first we had to take in the views of forest, vine and orchard. Lippi came to the area with his wife in 1992 with a passion for gardening. In addition to managing 15 hectares of vines, he also cultivates peaches.

“We have a different climate up here. It is more cold at night, and we pick five or seven days later than the rest of Rùfina.” Lippi said. “And these cool nights have been good with these warmer vintages.” Like Chianti Classico, Chianti Rùfina boasts large stands of protected woodlands, which help to regulate the microclimates around them, and preserve biodiversity.

Additionally, the higher elevations have more limestone while the lower slopes have more clay, translating into more finesse and more power respectively. Some slopes boast the famed galestro soil, a type of white schist that gives Sangiovese a sense of verve on the palate. Because the variations of soil and climate can be so drastic in these hills, many producers have adapted to micro-vinifications that are later blended. At Frascole for instance, Lippi says that he can perform upwards of 30 different fermentations in order to get the best, most customized results from the terroir’s demands.

But, Giuntini Masseti noted, the right site for vines is a narrow window. “Rùfina can be too high in places,” he said. “And when it is too high, Sangiovese doesn’t ripen.”

Most of the vineyards lie in the lower end of the valley, on south-facing bench lands above the Arno River. Here, the climate and the presence of clay foster more power in the wine.

Another defining attribute of Chianti Rùfina’s terroir is its position farther from the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas than any other Tuscan region. Because of this fully continental climate, the zone experiences greater differences in temperature between day and night, leading to balanced ripening and retention of acidity. But late spring frosts can be a major issue, especially for vineyards closer to the two rivers.

The Winemaking

Despite its many unique traits culturally, historically and geographically, Chianti Rùfina shares one key attribute with its Tuscan peers: winemaking.

The region follows a lot of the same best practices for harvest, fermentation and aging of Sangiovese as I’ve found in Chianti Classico. Differences often come down to barrel size and the length of bottle aging, but that varies more at the producer level than between subzones. I often prefer those aged in larger barrels because they impart very little oak influence, but there are exceptions. For instance, Frascole’s brilliant Chianti Rùfina Riserva is aged in a mix of used barriques and tonneaux, which winemaker Enrico Lippi feels is a better fit for his mountain fruit’s structure. The results are hard to argue with.

Additionally, producers are increasingly embracing Sangiovese as the one and only protagonist in their wines, a trend seen all over Tuscany in the last decade. Once seen as a prerequisite for global attention, the international Bordeaux varieties allowed in the blend are now given proper caution, as their assertive personalities can quickly steal the show from Sangiovese’s delicacy.

Finding These Wines

Each year, the subzone of Chianti Rùfina produces around 2.7 million litres of wine (roughly 3.5 million 750 mL bottles). Much of this is exported to the United States and other countries. For comparison sake, the Chianti Classico DOCG produces the equivalent of 35 to 38 million bottles. Still, in my opinion, availability is fairly good for these wines outside of Italy. You will have to do some hunting for the smaller independent wineries, as two wineries account for a significant portion of the subzone’s output.

The best-known estate in the area is Frescobaldi, which boasts nearly eight times the amount of Chianti Rùfina production as the second-largest winery in the zone, Fattoria Selvapiana. But despite that discrepancy in volume, the region’s wineries are banded together to “lift all boats” for the zone.

“They own one-third of the appellation, and they bottle half of the appellation’s wines,” Federico Giuntini Masseti told me as we drove into the hills. “But Lamberto Frescobaldi is really a great help for the consortium. And his wine, while often the first Chianti Rùfina wine that people taste, is really a great value and we all respect it very much.”

Cooperation and collaboration at the consortium level is not something everyday drinkers need to be concerned about, but I have to say, as a wine writer and educator focused on the overall quality of wines with a distinct origin, it is hugely important to the preservation of a region’s identity, and its adaptation to an uncertain future. From everything I’ve seen, Chianti Rùfina is in good hands.