💯🕰️ A 25 year vertical at Fattoria di Grignano

🔎 In this article, I reflect on the Chianti Rufina territory.

Chianti Classico has been riding a wave of success in recent years. An abundance of high quality wines at relatively low prices has enhanced its already strong brand; with progressive amendments to the appellation such as the Gran Selezione tier and recent implementation of UGA, the zone is formidable competition and hoovers up lots of attention. Meanwhile, the quietly improving wines emerging from the ‘other’ Chianti DOCG drift quietly under the radar.

As talk of climate change, excessive heat, water stress, and the search for higher altitude vines pervades the wine world however, we might want to look again at some of the sub-zone terroirs of this sprawling appellation. In particular, the small territory of Rùfina stands out. Here, the high elevation and steep, well drained vineyards give a lighter, fresher expression of Sangiovese, one with aromatic complexity and distinctive minerality. What could be more on trend?

Rùfina, just north east of the Florentine hills, is an area of historically important estates, many of which boast prestigious villas and renaissance pedigree. Despite its proximity to Florence, it has struggled to make its voice heard. At Fattoria di Grignano, a property once owned by Caterina de Medici, we find a young entrepreneur working hard to transition his family estate into a viable winery and help shape a new identity for the wines of Rùfina. Following some valuable marketing experience at Ferrero Rocher, Tommaso Inghirami took over in 2018 and has injected new energy and new ideas.

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