Chianti Classico is not the only Chianti. Just ask Federico Giuntini Masseti of the estate Fattoria Selvapiana. “In the wine world, the Chianti that is good and expensive for the consumer is the Chianti Classico,” he told me over lunch, as we sipped his exquisite and criminally underpriced single-vineyard Chianti Rufina called Vigneto Bucerchiale. “All the rest must be cheap, simple and you drink it when you are at university and you have no money.” There was a sly smile at the corner of his lips, but I’m sure the perception problem he was describing is not entirely a laughing matter. Continue reading on www.openingabottle.com

The Tuscany dossier of Vinum magazine, with reviews of Chianti wines d.o.c.g. Chianti DOCG - Lagenweine mit Pepp

Jancis Robinson Rewiew: A toast to Liberty Wines' David Gleave Selvapiana Vigneto Bucerchiale Chianti Rufina Riserva 2013, Chianti Rufina, Tuscany, Italy 17.5 points Pale fox red. Very sweet palate entry; you are really aware of the sunshine here! Transparency and considerable terroir effect. A real wine of place. Wonderfully long and tender. Vibrates. Selvapiana 2013 Pomino 17 points Dark and well-aged look. Rather Pomerol-like on the nose. Sweet and beautifully made with refined tannins but a little bite at the end – really lively! Like the perkiest claret imaginable. Good length.

90 Points - 2015 Selvapiana Chianti Rufina DOCG Pure cherry aromas and flavors are enhanced by a smoky element in this juicy, round red. Hints of earth and mineral add interest on the finish. Drink now through 2023. 7,000 cases made. — Bruce Sanderson Selvapiana Chianti Rufina 2015 review from Wine Spectator

Attached please find all press from this past month: Wine Spectator - Selvapiana Fornace Wine Spectator - Selvapiana Chianti Rufina Vigneto Bucerchiale Riserva Wine Spectator -Selvapiana Tuscany

SELVAPIANA – Toscana Fornace 2012 94 points | $30 | 150 cases imported | Red This is settling in nicely, showing fine texture and balance, with black currant, cedar, mineral and spice flavors taking on the character of a maturing Bordeaux, yet this remains slightly wild and earthy, offering hints of licorice and tar on the long aftertaste. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2027. From Italy. — B.S.

Attached please find all press from this past month: Wine Enthusiast - Selvapiana 2012 Telegram & Gazette - Selvapiana Chianti Rufina 2014 Forbes.com - Fattoria Selvapiana Pomino “Villa Petrognano” DOC, 2011

Bryce Wiatrak featured Selvapiana in his Vin Santo article for Vinous Media.  Selvapiana The furthest north I traveled in my exploration of Vin Santo was to Chianti Rùfina to visit Federico Giuntini at Selvapiana. I can hardly characterize an entire sub-region based solely on one producer, nonetheless for a wine as unpredictable as Vin Santo. But, Selvapiana’s Vin Santos show more finesse and less body than their more southerly relatives (including those of Giuntini’s cousin Roberto Stucchi Prinetti at Badia a Coltibuono), similar to how one might generally compare Chianti Rùfina with Chianti Classico. After harvest around the end of September, Giuntini hangs the grapes from bamboo rods to dry for five months. The wine spends six years in caratelli, made mostly from either French or Slavonian oak, but a few chestnut barrels remain. Giuntini misses the cherry caratelli, and would love to bring some back into the program. I had the distinct pleasure of tasting through ten vintages of Selvapiana’s Vin Santodel Chianti Rùfina. Giuntini tracked down bottles dating back to 1958 for this tasting. One quality that binds Selvapiana’s Vin Santos is a crystalline purity of flavor, unmatched by any of the other producers I visited. One hundred-percent Trebbiano, these are wines driven by acidity, untethered from their viscosity. In many respects, this is a more subdued variant of Vin Santo, more slender than many of its relatives. Beginning with the 2007, you immediately enjoy an orange juiciness that runs through the wine. It flashes all the other more savory notes associated with Vin Santo– garden herbs, buttered popcorn – but it’s never bogged down by them. It shows a rewarding viscidity without carrying a heaviness of flavor. The 2006 and 2003 are where Selvapiana’s Vin Santos really hit their stride. This extra time in bottle composes the wine into a Mozartian precision. Every note in these Vin Santos finds its way into a perfect contrapuntal balance. The 2006 demonstrates an iridescent, cold minerality that grows broad through a medley of fresh white peaches, nectarine and apricot. The 2003, too low in alcohol to achieve DOC recognition, boasts an even more expressive nose and unfolds slowly on palate. The acidity is so laser-like and long, it seems to finish far after the rest of the wine. Moving to the 2001, the Vin Santo at this age starts to imbue a more medicinal character – rosemary, quinine, sage. The fruit takes a backseat to these more earthly flavors. Federico explains that 2001 was a hotter vintage and he replaced many caratelli that year, which combined could account for the dramatic difference between this and the 2003. The 1999 treads a similar path as the 2001, the herbaceousness contributing a slight astringency. By 1998 we find a much darker Vin Santo, both in its hue and flavor profile. Notes of beeswax and bittersweet chocolate collide with the taste of wild mushrooms and ash. The 1997 seems to be aging at a tad slower pace. It’s a few shades brighter – caffè latte, rather than straight-up espresso. The 1993 shows darker still. Oxidation takes its toll on the Vin Santo, condensing the wine into a mass of burnt cashew, coffee grounds and cocoa beans. The astringency is undeniable, but it’s not an altogether unpleasant one. If anything, it’s an intellectually engaging experience tasting these lighter-bodied Vin Santos at this stage in their development, as was also the case with San Giusto a Rentenanno. While more unctuous renditions may never achieve the clarity of expression that defines these two producers’ Vin Santos, they nevertheless seem to outlive them, protected by that extra layer of insulation. Clusters hanging in the appassitoio at Selvapiana The last two Vin Santos in the flight, 1985 and 1958, are both in the winter of their lives, but reveal a fascinating window into the narrative of this product. Both vintages long before the creation of Vin Santo del Chianti DOC, these wines are labeled vino da tavola. The 1985 really embodies an amontillado character – saline and rich, like a perfect beef consommé. While the wine ends with a bitterness instead of that thrilling acidity, the butter flavors start to dance with more vitality than any of its younger brethren. The 1958 has lost much of its body by this age, whittled down to a salty skeleton. Much like its bottle, the wine shows a certain patina and tastes sprinkled with sawdust, the imbibable equivalent of walking into a cluttered antique shop, the dusty air illuminated by scattered rays of golden light. Federico defines these two wines as the old-style of Vin Santo, meant for the immediate consumption of friends rather than extended time in a collector’s cellar. So, they may not prove fully indicative of what will come of the more recent releases. What a treat it is, though, to taste history like this. Read the full article here: http://www.antoniogalloni.com/articles/tuscany-s-mysterious-self-making-vin-santo-mar-2016

With pleasure we publish the certificate of L'Impronta that Go Wine has acknowledged to Selvapiana on the new edition of the Guide "WINE OF ITALY 2017 - Guide to the Wine Tourist."

Antonio Galloni / Vinous press clips from December 2016