A very pure and beautiful red with cherry and strawberry. Subtle spice, such as nutmeg and cedar. Orange peel, too. Medium to full body. Firm, silky tannins melt nicely into the wine. Fresh and clean finish. A little tight at the end. A beautiful single-vineyard Chianti Rufina with structure. Drinkable now, but better after 2023, when it will have softened a little.

Chianti Rufina 2018 is the least expensive ($19), the easiest to enjoy, and the readiest to drink.  Its nose is surprisingly fruity and vibrant for a Chianti; it suggests fresh red cherries, dried herbs, fresh mint and thyme, and licorice.  In your mouth, the wine is dry and medium-bodied, a light-ish red with a spine of acidity and just a medium amount of tannin, with fruity flavors similar to its aromas. A noteworthy aspect of this wine is how well it “hangs” in your mouth — fruitiness in the front, acidity up the middle and a combination of fruitiness and textured tannin in the back. It’s a complete wine that delivers all across your mouth. Did I mention the price? Despite these connotations of “lesser than,” it’s the wine I really want to drink, especially now, in July.  

Savory, balsamic aromas and flavors of wild herbs and Tuscan scrub are a nice foil for the ripe cherry and macerated plum fruit in this expressive red, which is balanced and lively on the long finish. Drink now through 2028. 4,000 cases made, 1,500 cases imported.

This has aromas of wild raspberries, plums, almond blossom, sandalwood, clay and green olives on the nose. Medium-bodied with fine, creamy tannins. Supple and transparent. Very fine. Even better from 2024.

The 2016 Chianti Rufina Vigneto Bucerchiale is a dark, brooding wine. Swaths of tannin make a first impression. Gradually, black cherry, plum, lavender, cloves, leather and menthol start to emerge. This potent, massively tannic Chianti Rufina is going to need a number of years to come around. There is plenty of depth, but the elements are totally put together. The 2016 finishes with tremendous substance and gravitas. I expect the 2016 will always remain a brute.

The Selvapiana 2015 Chianti Rufina Riserva Vigneto Bucerchiale is a generous and exuberant expression of Sangiovese that remains ever­faithful to its traditional and territory-driven roots. This wine speaks with a Tuscan tongue, giving voice to wild berry, earthy truffle and aromas of Mediterranean herb. The finish is softly fruity with subtle structure (which is firm and binding nonetheless) and fresh acidity. - Monica Larner

In 1998, the Giuntini family purchased a new property in the Chianti Rufina wine region.  In 1999 they planted six hectares (14.8 acres) of Sangiovese cuttings from grapevines selected from their Bucerchiale vineyard, as well as other indigenous vines and olive trees.  The vineyard, like all Selvapiana vineyards, is farmed organically.  The wine is made solely from Sangiovese, fermented with indigenous yeasts, aged in French oak barriques for 18 months and spends one year in bottle before release.  It is an impressive wine with aromas of red cherries, dried woody herbs, blood orange and a touch of vanilla that pave the way for vivid flavors of red cherries, red currant, with notes of pipe tobacco and a whiff of dried mushroom. The ripeness of the fruit is balanced with zesty acidity and dusty tannins.        

The 2016 Chianti Rùfina Vigneto Bucerchiale is a real standout. 
A wine of vertical explosiveness and energy, the 2016 Bucerchiale is deep, wonderfully defined and full of nuance. Macerated cherry, kirsch, sweet tobacco, licorice, menthol, chocolate and spice abound in this super-expressive, nuanced Chianti Rùfina. Expressive savory notes add the closing shades of nuance.
This is a such a gorgeous and complete wine.