Now that there is peace in the Chianti Classico hills, the famed gallo nero will adorn all bottles of Chianti’s most important wine for the first time in nearly a generation.
Chianti Classico -a return to tipicità
By Kerin O'KeefeWhat do a black rooster and a green alligator have in common?
Quite a lot, according to Castello di Ama's Marco Pallanti, one of Italy's most revered winemakers: "For the first time in nearly 20 years, the symbol of the black rooster is once again on every bottle of Chianti Classico. Our goal is that our unmistakable logo will become a guarantee of an exceptional and unique wine, the same way the green alligator symbolizes Lacoste's outstanding and individual clothing." Pallanti's sleek, world-class wines are among the most sought-after in the appellation, but his words reflect an almost shocking turnaround, given that he was, until recently, among a breakaway group of Chianti Classico's elite estates that for years shunned the black rooster and its growers' union. That Pallanti has become the first elected president of the newly unified Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico reflects the winds of change sweeping through Italy's oldest, most recognized - yet least understood - appellation that now verges on greatness after years of struggle and inner turmoil.
At their best, today's Chianti Classicos can rival even top Brunellos and Super Tuscans. Yet this has not always been the case, and the wine still suffers from the stigma generated by its spectacular downfall in the 1960s. Leading producer Piero Antinori, 68, whose opulent and finely crafted wines are known the world over, explains that the wine's disgrace was caused by an inadequate production code that pushed quantity over quality and relied on blending with white grapes. "When the Chianti formula was created, the red wines were particularly harsh because the whole grape bunch was utilized, even stalks, and no one knew about malolactic fermentation. This made it necessary to use a percentage of white grapes - originally malvasia - to soften the wine. Then it proved convenient and useful to add white grapes all the time so the more productive and hardy trebbiano became the white grape of choice. Over time, Chianti came to be made with 30 percent trebbiano and this radically altered the nature of Chianti. By the late 1960s, it was lighter in color with a simple structure and, worse still, it was unsuitable for aging."
Realizing that a great red wine could not be made with such a high percentage of white grapes, Antinori was among the first to shake up the appellation in 1971 when he began producing Tignanello with less white grapes. But because it no longer adhered to the established production code, the wine was labeled as simple "Vino da Tavola," and by 1975, no white varieties were utilized for it. Later credited as the first Super Tuscan, critics and consumers alike quickly hailed its superiority over Chianti.
After the success of Antinori's pioneering Tignanello, many other producers followed suit and soon the best wines of the Chianti Classico zone were not Chianti at all, but rather the so-called Super Tuscans, such as Fontodi's magnificent Flaccianello della Pieve made from 100 percent sangiovese, that deviated from the rules. Utterly shamed, Chianti Classico producers began cleaning up their act to try to return Tuscany's most historical wine, lauded as early as the 16th century by Italian poet Redi in his dithyramb, "Bacco in Toscana," to its former glory. Unfortunately, many of the wine's recent transformations and hard-won quality victories have often gone unnoticed due, in large part, to consumer confusion.
"Even many Italian wine aficionados don't realize that Chianti Classico and Chianti are two different wines, and this has caused us a lot of problems," Pallanti declares. After years of fighting for independence, Chianti Classico, a former subzone of the Chianti appellation, split from the Chianti DOCG in 1996 and is now a separate appellation with its own, more rigorous production code. Since the appellation's autonomy, Chianti Classico DOCG can be made with up to 100 percent sangiovese and white grapes were immediately reduced, with a total ban on them starting with the 2006 vintage. Yet the American public's perennial association of Chianti with checkered tablecloths, pizza and rustic, straw-covered wine bottles (known as the fiasco) continues to hinder the appellation's remarkable strides.
The black rooster itself has generated as much befuddlement as Classico's first name. For decades, starting in 1924, this historical figure graced all bottles of Chianti Classico, the officially designated name of the original growing area of Chianti first delimited in 1716, effectively making this Italy's oldest recognized appellation. The black rooster differentiated Chianti Classico bottlings from lesser Chiantis that hailed from more recently expanded, less suitable growing areas. But a division among producers and their syndicates meant that for nearly 20 years, the symbol was to be found on some, but not all, bottles of Chianti Classico. "Chianti Classico's single growers' union, or consorzio, split into two separate entities in 1987. The one calling itself Vino Chianti Classico took charge of technical and institutional functions safeguarding the denomination, while the Marchio Storico took over the marketing side and laid exclusive claim to the historical black rooster icon," explains Silvia Fiorentini, Chianti Classico's marketing director. Problems arose shortly after the division when various producers opted out of one or both of the consortiums, preferring instead to market their wines independently. Among those renegades were some of Chianti Classico's most prestigious estates, such as Castello di Ama, Monsanto, Felsina and Antinori (who had already left the consorzio in the mid-1970s). Because they were out of the Marchio Storico Consorzio, these top producers could not use the legendary symbol, resulting in widespread misconceptions over the rooster's significance on the part of confused consumers.
"To combat the public's misunderstanding, and to facilitate a recent government decree giving Italy's top consorzios complete authority to oversee every aspect of grape growing and wine production, Chianti Classico's two consortiums decided to set aside their differences and reunite," Fiorentini continues. Since merging in 2005, most of the appellation's prodigal producers have returned to the fold and excitement has been buzzing among the hills stretching from Florence to Siena ever since, as the denomination undergoes a true renaissance. The notable exception is Antinori, who applauds the initiative, but prefers to wait and see if the new consorzio lives up to its expectations before thinking seriously about rejoining. "Everything takes time. First, let's see if the consorzio is able to accomplish its objectives with this new set up, then we could consider re-evaluating our position," says Antinori, whose three daughters, Albiera, director of communication (among other responsibilities), Allegra, who oversees the four Cantinetta Antinori restaurants, and Alessia, who manages markets in Asia, will have much to say about the winery's 21st-century stance.
An added benefit of the unification is that all bottles of Chianti Classico, including those from Antinori and the less than five percent of producers who remain outside of the growers' union will, from now on, be adorned with the black rooster, making it easier for consumers to clearly distinguish Chianti Classicos from myriad other Chiantis. Even more importantly, what is now Italy's largest, most powerful and efficient consorzio will take care of crucial marketing matters for the entire appellation in an increasingly competitive industry pervaded by cheaper New World bottlings. This frees up producers, often in conjunction with technical support from the consorzio, to get on with the critical issue of raising the bar on quality across the appellation and to work on creating a sense of identity that will be as recognizable to consumers as the black rooster.
"Merging the two consortiums was the first fundamental step in making the denomination more consumer friendly," says Giovanni Manetti of leading estate Fontodi, whose superb wines are known for their impeccable balance of power and grace. "But now the future of Chianti Classico lies in developing a more typical style that consumers will perceive as being unique to Chianti Classico," he notes. In fact, addressing Chianti Classico's minefield of vastly different styles and quality levels is one of the appellation's biggest challenges. Resolving the situation will not be easy because this is Italy's largest appellation stretching across 172,900 acres of land - 17,290 acres of which are registered to Chianti Classico - resulting in a wide range of diverse soils, temperatures and altitudes. "With such a large production area, dividing the DOCG into recognized geographical subzones is essential since they all have individual attributes," Manetti continues. "For example, Fontodi is in the center of the growing zone in Panzano, where the high altitudes of the vineyards give the wines their elegance and complex bouquets thanks to day and night temperature changes. The area's long hours of sunlight give the wines their full structure and power." To highlight these natural advantages, Manetti uses only natural yeasts for fermentation and eschews chemicals in the vineyards to ensure that the terroir-driven attributes of his wines remain intact.
Manetti and other producers agree that subzones will be essential in the future, but there are other issues that must be resolved before they can address zoning, such as extremes in winemaking techniques, as well as the flexible grape choices allowed in the production code. These man-made decisions also make it exasperatingly difficult for Chianti Classico to attain a defining style. While the rules require a minimum of 80 percent sangiovese, the remaining 20 percent can be nearly any red grape grown in the area; besides sangiovese, favored varieties include merlot and cabernet sauvignon, though traditional native Tuscan grapes canaiolo and colorino are making a comeback. With so many variables, determining a quintessential Chianti Classico prototype seems nearly impossible; yet, as most major players agree, it is necessary.
"This is the original Chianti and Italy's oldest recognized appellation. We shouldn't try to make something that could be mistaken for a wine from somewhere in the New World, but should instead make wines that reflect our superior growing conditions as well as our cultural heritage," Pallanti says. "But these days, complete faith in technology has impoverished wines so that they are beginning to resemble soft drinks and no longer reflect a sense of place," he adds with conviction. Pallanti is referring to an over-reliance on international grapes and the misuse of small French barrels, as well as forceful vinification techniques that yield darker, more extracted wine. These trends, which peaked in the late 1990s and early into the 2000s, were perhaps an understandable, though exaggerated, response to the wine's tired and watery past. But because aggressively international-styled wines have little to do with sangiovese or Tuscany, many producers are now calling for a return to basics, exalting Chianti Classico's elegant floral and bright cherry characteristics rather than replace them with more universal chocolate and coffee sensations.
Combining an appreciation for tradition with modern winemaking techniques that soften Chianti Classico's harsh tannins, but that don't betray the wine's unique character, is key to the wine's future. As Laura Bianchi of the majestic Castello di Monsanto estate succinctly puts it: "We're traditional in the sense that we respect the traditions of the past, but we're not old-fashioned. We want a modern rendition of a time-honored wine that appeals to today's palates without betraying the tipicità of sangiovese." Their Il Poggio, the first-ever single vineyard Chianti Classico and the first Chianti to abandon white grapes back in 1968 despite major disputes with the consorzio of the day, succeeds admirably in bridging the past and the present. Made with 90 percent sangiovese and a combination of canaiolo and colorino for the remainder, the wine beautifully combines sangiovese's earthiness and finesse with the ripe fruit that appeals to modern tastes. A vertical tasting of Il Poggio from 1977 to 2003 hosted at the winery wonderfully demonstrated the estate's subtle winemaking evolution that has not altered the basic character of the wines or their tremendous aging potential. The changes over the years, such as switching from large chestnut casks to Slavonian oak to today's small French barrels of varying ages, have made the wine's tannins softer, but do not impede in the least the wine's floral bouquet or earthy, cherry flavors.
Fortunately, there are many neo-traditionalists in the appellation that now make classic wines that are both polished and easily approachable, without the astringent tannins of the past that took years to soften. Among these is the historic Barone Ricasoli estate that invented the original Chianti "formula" in 1874 (sangiovese for aroma and vigor, canaiolo to temper sangiovese's austerity and some malvasia to soften, which would be eliminated in wines destined for aging), and is run today by descendent Francesco Ricasoli.
Other estates include quality pioneer Carpineto and the up-and-coming Castello di Tornano, as well as the magnificent Vigna Maggio estate, the birthplace of Mona Lisa and Tuscan legend Cecchi, whose excellent Chianti Classicos, like those from its Villa Cerna estate that belie the firm's overall large output, wonderfully combine tradition with the application of modern technology and vineyard management. Andrea Cecchi, whose family has been making wine in Tuscany since 1893, believes the true rebirth for Chianti Classico lies in better raw material. "Replanting with superior clones of sangiovese is crucial to the denomination," he says.
Luigi Cappellini, owner of the prestigious Castello di Verrazzano estate (the birthplace of Giovanni da Verrazzano, who discovered what would be named New York Bay in 1524), agrees. "Clearly, international grape varieties played an important role in Chianti Classico. But I think it's a phenomenon that has reached its peak. Thanks to enormous progress in new clones, more producers are returning to their sangiovese roots," Cappellini enthuses.
Clonal research into sangiovese is having a major impact on Chianti Classico, and the consorzio's "Chianti Classico 2000" project, a collaboration with the universities of Florence and Pisa, is aimed at research and experimentation with various clones of sangiovese, as well as planting densities and training systems. Launched in late 1988, positive results are just coming in and seven new clones of sangiovese have been officially recognized. Many producers are already planting the new clones and root stalks that best suit their growing areas, and estates have also undertaken their own clonal research, perhaps none as intently as Ruffino.
One of Italy's most esteemed houses, Ruffino has seven spectacular properties throughout Tuscany, three of which are situated in the heart of Chianti Classico, and the firm relies heavily on local hero sangiovese. Ruffino has invested a veritable fortune in studying the grape, the ideal conditions for it and identifying the right clones. It even held a sangiovese symposium last May where some of the most esteemed researchers in Italian viticulture spoke out on behalf of the grape, which is the most widely planted in Italy. As Ruffino's agronomy director, Maurizio Bogoni, explains, "Sangiovese is a very high-yielding grape that has to be pruned and have the bunches thinned out or the grapes will never ripen properly. Since the bunch is so tightly compact, the inner grapes often do not reach ripeness, and because sangiovese is a very late ripener with not very thick skins, it is susceptible to late season rot." One may wonder why then, would anyone want to cultivate such a grape? The answer is quite simply, that when all the conditions are met, wines based entirely or primarily on sangiovese are dazzling and unique, thanks largely to their earthy and floral charm.
Until the 1990s, however, there were very few clones of sangiovese available to growers and these were not quality oriented. Professor Attilio Scienza, Italy's leading authority on viticulture, notes, "In the '70s and '80s, the few existing clones on the market favored production and quantity aspects at the expense of quality." Today's clones, on the other hand, are selected for features that lead to high-quality wine, such as more open bunches and grapes with thicker skins that mature better yet also yield darker colored juice. Sangiovese's naturally light color, a beautiful translucent ruby-garnet, has often been criticized by pundits and wine lovers alike who tend to associate a dark, dense color with higher quality. The Tuscan grape's predilection toward tough, green tannins and sharp acidity also makes sangiovese-based wines a challenge. Ruffino's CEO Adolfo Folonari admits, "In the past, sangiovese yielded wines that were too rustic for today's palates. Better clones that give softer wines with better color and riper tannins are vital for Chianti Classico to be competitive in today's market."
"I'm excited about the new clones, especially those that highlight sangiovese's floral nose. Even though I've already planted three of the new clones, it will be years before I know definitive results. It takes at least ten years before the vineyards begin to produce at their top potential, and then years before the wine ages to see how the clones performed," says Francesco Franzinelli. He and his sister revived La Casaccia, their family's historic Chianti Classico estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga, in 1995 after their maternal grandfather, Luigi Socini Guelfi, a veritable icon of Tuscan winemaking and now 97 years old, retired. Franzinelli adheres to the enlightened traditional school and uses untoasted Slavonian casks, albeit smaller than the days of yore, and practices the Bordeaux maceration méthode delestage to gently enrich color and structure. La Casaccia's superb Chianti Classico and Riservas are more graceful than powerful with enticing violet and rose bouquets.
Felsina is another top Chianti Classico winery in Castelnuovo Berardenga. Situated in the extreme south of the growing area, the estate straddles the Chianti Classico and the Chianti Colli Senesi zones. Its excellent single-vineyard riserva, Rancia, is entirely in the Classico zone, but benefits from both the rocky calcareous soil of the latter and the sandy clay soil of the Senesi zone. The Felsina estate also boasts its own unique clone of sangiovese that attains perfect ripening. Despite the ideal conditions and critical acclaim Felsina enjoys, Giuseppe Mazzocolin, a former schoolteacher who has passionately run his father-in-law's estate since the late-70s, is concerned about a pressing issue facing Chianti Classico: price. "Consumers compare us with New World wines and say we're overpriced," Mazzocolin notes. Touring the vineyards in a 4WD truck, he stops at the top of a hill where vines march down the rocky, vertiginous slope. "Not only do Italy's severe labor laws make it incredibly expensive to employ field hands, how can you compare working this land with the great expanses of flat terrain under vine, say, in Australia?" Mazzocolin poses. To underscore his point, he points to three huge boulders on the crest of the slope, each roughly the size of a large SUV. "There were dozens of those in this small plot and each one had to be painfully removed. I leave them here to show to people who complain about Classico's prices. The soil and terrain is what makes Chianti Classico great, but there is a price to be paid for working the difficult land here, and consumers have to be made aware of the situation," Mazzocolin declares.
Despite many hardships, Chianti Classico is heading full speed toward distinction and well-deserved success. The appellation's achievements have not gone unnoticed by quality-minded producers in the adjacent Chianti appellation, many of whom have started to emulate their Classico neighbors. Chained as they are to an inefficient production code that still allows white grape blending (though producers are free to use all red or even 100 percent sangiovese if they wish) and higher yields, Chianti winemakers still lag behind Chianti Classico, though one particular area is closing in.
Rufina, the smallest of the seven subzones in the Chianti appellation, is pulling ahead of the rest of them largely because of the pioneering efforts of the area's two leading producers, Frescobaldi and Selvapiana. These two storied houses have rallied against Rufina's former low image that had been created by wine merchants who, until a short time ago, bought grapes from local producers and, more often than not, subsequently released poorly made and inexpensive wine. Because of the success of Frescobaldi's Castello di Nipozzano estate and Selvapiana, other growers have come to understand the area's great potential and now prefer to make good wines themselves rather than sell their grapes to enterprising négociants. The best wines from Chianti Rufina have structure, but in the past the wines were deemed too austere and bitterly tannic because the focus was, like in other areas of Chianti, on quantity and not quality. The viticultural revolution that swept through Classico in the 1990s also helped transform Rufina; practices such as bunch thinning and employing better clones resulted in better ripening and sweeter tannins.
Today's Chianti Rufina is all about finesse and freshness. The growing area is centered around the towns of Pontassieve and Rufina northeast of Florence, and it is the northernmost zone in Chianti. Though soils are diverse, the high percentage of limestone gives the wine its impressive structure, complexity and aging ability. Microclimate also plays a major role. According to Federico Giuntini Masseti, managing director of Selvapiana, "Rufina's geographical location further north translates into a longer growing season, with cool nights and extreme differences between day and night temperatures in the crucial ripening period. These varying temperatures generate Rufina's intense, aromatic profile and its refreshing acidity, which is also responsible for the wine's amazing longevity." The estate's cult single-vineyard bottling Bucerchiale, 100 percent sangiovese, is incredibly long lived (Masseti notes that the 1979 is still fantastically youthful).
The Frescobaldis, the Tuscan winemaking family dynasty that dates back to the 14th century, have been making wine at their regal Castello di Nipozzano estate since it became part of the family's holdings in 1863. Lamberto Frescobaldi, who, along with Niccolò D'Afflitto, heads the winemaking team, explains that Rufina's climate is perfect for sangiovese which "ripens later here than in most other areas of Chianti. This late ripening enhances the grape's maturation, and this in turn gives the wines their layers of aromas," Frescobaldi says. Castello di Nipozzano's flagship wine, the single vineyard Montesodi made from 100 percent sangiovese grown at 1,148 feet, is Rufina's most famous wine and a point of reference for the subzone. Made from exceedingly low yields and a long maceration followed by aging for 18 months in new barriques, the wine is dense with well-integrated yet evident oak and shows the opulent fruit and chocolate sensations that one expects more from a Super Tuscan. But the wine's firm acidity, long mineral- and black cherry-close are pure Rufina, and display Frescobaldi's hallmark combination of power and poise.
Rufina's quality future looks bright and Lamberto Frescobaldi and the majority of producers here expect that the elite subzone will act as a role model for the rest of the appellation. "I hope that Rufina will become a benchmark of all Chianti," says Frescobaldi. However, a growing minority of Rufina producers share the feelings of some of their Classico colleagues - that their association with Chianti has hindered their upward progress. Selvapiana's Masseti is very direct: "The future of this denomination hinges first on gaining consumer recognition. Once we get that, I think the next logical step would be to some day have our own denomination, Rufina DOC, made with 100 percent sangiovese," emphatically declares the winemaker.
True to their Tuscan roots, Chianti Classico and Chianti Rufina are undergoing a renewal that balances age-old traditions with modern polish, in turn catapulting both appellations to the forefront of Italy's fine wine scene. Tasting Bar
The Chianti Classicos and Rufinas that follow were tasted with the producers in Italy; they were not tasted blind.
Chianti Classico
Antinori, 2001 Marchese Antinori, Chianti Classico Riserva - $31: Ripe black fruit, pepper and earth aromas. Dense wild cherry flavors balanced with packed, round tannins. Long mineral finish with a coffee and chocolate conclusion. Score: 93
Antinori, 2004 Pèppoli, Chianti Classico - $25: Modern take on Classico with fruit-forward blackberry aromas and flavors. Well-structured, easy-drinking Chianti that finishes on a coffee note. Score: 89
Barone Ricasoli, 2004 Brolio, Chianti Classico - $20: Lush blackberry aromas and flavors with soft oak nuances and a hint of earth, still somewhat closed. Fine acidity balanced with aggressive tannins. Long, smoky finish. Needs time. Score: 89
Carpineto, 2005 Chianti Classico - $18: Classic varietal aromas of ripe woodland fruit and earth with mouthwatering crushed cherry flavors. Great structure with a long, smooth finish. Perfectly balanced. Score: 92
Castello di Ama, 2003 Chianti Classico - $37: Sleek and elegant with a beautiful floral nose and a hint of spice. Succulent wild cherry flavors with a long, earthy and minerally close. Impeccably balanced and youthful with tannic backbone that suggests it will age gracefully, but is still wonderful now. Score: 94
Castello di Monsanto, 2003 Chianti Classico Riserva - $20: Enticing floral and berry bouquet with lush cherry-berry fruit flavors. Surprisingly fresh for the vintage with firm tannins and a long, licorice close. Score: 92
Castello di Monsanto, 2000 Il Poggio, Chianti Classico Riserva - $50: Classic sangiovese aromas of violets, wild cherry, earth and truffles. Ripe black cherry flavors with an impressively long, liqueur-like finish and big, round tannins. Concludes on a mineral note. Score: 95
Castello di Tornano, 2004 Chianti Classico - $14: Lush black cherry nose with hints of vanilla and truffle that carry over to the palate. Bright acidity and firm but silky-smooth tannins with great length. Incredible value. An estate to watch. Score: 92
Castello di Verrazzano, 2004 Chianti Classico - $23: Ripe berry nose with bare hints of vanilla and oak. Opulent but fresh with lively tannins and a refined structure. Long, spicy finish. Score: 91
Felsina, 2005 Chianti Classico - $22: Alluring nose of violets and rose petals with a whiff of talcum powder. Ripe blackberry flavors balanced by vibrant acidity and firm tannins that close on a smoky black pepper note. Score: 94
Felsina, 2001 Rancia, Chianti Classico Riserva - $35: Inviting aromas of rose and sumptuous plum with hints of smoke and incense. Lush berry and plum flavors with a delicious hint of truffle; a super long finish. Superbly balanced with vibrant acidity and bracing tannins. Sublime. Score: 95
Fontodi, 2004 Chianti Classico - $25: Exquisite nose of violets with a hint of talcum powder. Packed with mouthwatering fruit and perfectly balanced with fresh acidity and firm tannins. Hallmark Chianti Classico. Score: 95
Fontodi, 2001 Vigna del Sorbo, Chianti Classico Riserva - $65: Seductive and complex floral bouquet with hints of talc, earth and leather. Layers of succulent, bright wild cherry flavors balanced with big yet round tannins. Closes on a spicy white pepper note. Glorious - worth every penny of its hefty price tag. Score: 96
La Casaccia, 2004 Chianti Classico - $22: One of the most graceful renditions of Chianti Classico tasted. Pure sangiovese nose of violets and rose petals. Bright crushed cherry-berry flavors with a long, earthy mineral finish. Closes on a note of sweet pipe tobacco. Score: 93
Ruffino, 2003 Il Ducale, Chianti Classico Riserva (beige label) - $24: Quintessential Chianti Classico with both muscle and charm. Enticing nose of ripe black cherry, earth and flowers. Lush marasca cherry flavors balanced with fresh acidity and firm tannins with a long, tobacco close. Score: 94
Ruffino, 2004 Santedame, Chianti Classico - $18: Wonderfully fresh and well-structured Chianti with varietal aromas and flavors, and just a hint of oak. Polished and refined and showing sangiovese's earthiness. Great value. Score: 90
San Leonino-Tenimenti Angelini, 2004 Chianti Classico - $18: Layers of succulent raspberry and red berries with earthy nuances on the nose that also carry over onto the palate. Fresh acidity with ample yet round tannins. A fine Chianti Classico and a good value. Score: 89
Vignamaggio, 2004 Chianti Classico - $18: Elegant and fresh with bright blackberry and floral aromas, and delicious, ripe fruit on the palate; exquisitely balanced with fresh acidity and big, round tannins. Score: 92
Villa Cerna, 2004 Chianti Classico Riserva - $22: Hails from the Cecchi family's beautiful estate and is one of its top Chianti Classicos. Alluring floral nose of violets and lily of the valley. Elegant with ripe red berry flavors and a long spicy finish. Well balanced. Score: 92
Chianti Rufina
Marchese de' Frescobaldi, 2003 Montesodi, Castello di Nipozzano, Chianti Rufina - $43: Lush and concentrated aromas of blackberry and solid, intense black cherry and plum flavors. Long finish closes on a black pepper note. Hit-you-over-the-head tannins will mellow beautifully over the next 3 to 5 years. Score: 93
Marchese de' Frescobaldi, 2003 Chianti Rufina Castello di Nipozzano Riserva - $22: Complex bouquet of plum, spice and lightly toasted oak. Fresh acidity and bracing tannins balanced by layers of blackberry flavors with hints of licorice. Long, toasty, black pepper finish. Score: 91
Selvapiana, 2004 Chianti Rufina - $19: This magnificent wine is truly Tuscany in a bottle. Classic, penetrating cherry and tobacco aromas with a whiff of Mediterranean herbs and leather. Succulent wild cherry flavors with mouthwatering acidity and big, round tannins; long, minerally close. All freshness and elegance. Score: 94
Selvapiana, 2003 Bucerchiale, Chianti Rufina Riserva - $34: Intense smoky nose with enticing violet and plum sensations; dense palate with black cherry-berry flavors and a spicy close. Surprisingly fresh and refined for the vintage, with firm tannins. Great concentration and length; will age wonderfully. Score: 95 - KO
Contributing Editor Kerin O'Keefe is an American wine writer who has lived in Italy since 1989, and is the author of Franco Biondi Santi, The Gentleman of Brunello.
