Chianti Rufina DOCG
Grapes: Sangiovese and Canaiolo

2016

Damson, spice and basil on the nose. Black cherry with fine ripe, elegant tannins that add a strand of leather and porcini, expanding into delicate rose and violet flavours. An exceptional wine from an extraordinary vintage.
14%

Link to Colognole producer page

Chianti Rùfina is one of Tuscany’s notable wines, it is a small, high altitude zone, 30km northeast of Florence with just over 20 producers making wine, the largest by far is Frescobaldi. Colognole are in a superb position, their land is sheltered by Mount Giovi, the vineyards fall south, with views through the valley to Florence. The vineyards are surrounded by woodland which provides both biodiversity and protection.

The terroir is a slate like rock with negligible topsoils on the upper vineyards (650m), with galestro and white clays lower down (400m). It is great ‘dirt’ for vines, but it is the altitude that makes these wines unique, long sunny days and cold nights mean the grapes mature slowly and each berry holds its acidity and it is this balance of tannin, sugar and acidity that gives this wine such ageing potential.

All the work in the vineyard is manual, the vines run up and down the slope and are planted using a Guyot system, there are 15 different clones of Sangiovese planted and the Canaiolo is an old biotype from the estate. The bunches are sorted and de-stemmed before being fermented in temperature-controlled steel tanks. The wine is aged and goes through malolactic transformation in botti (large old barrels), this usually lasts 12 months.