Selvapiana is a highly respected producer in Chianti making a broad range of wines. This Bucherchiale is a single vineyard Chianti made from one of the best vineyards in the region.

Chianti From Brand to Terroir

Selvapiana has a long connection with Florentine history, first owned by a bishop, then passing to merchants and finally being purchased by the Selvapiana family and becoming an fully fledged vineyard in the early 19th century. Selvapiana is a huge 240 acre estate with 45 acres dedicated to wine and 31 dedicated to the other Tuscan staple, olives.

In many ways Chianti is the origin of modern Italian wine. As the first officially demarcated wine making zone, it both represents the beginning of Italians’ attempt to discover and express place and an important part of Italian political history. The famous Medici family of Florence were the original sponsors of Italian wine regulation, right in the heart of Chianti. After Italian unification, it was the baron Ricasoli (of the previously discussed Castello di Brolio) that created the Chianti DOC.

As time moved on, Chianti became more of a brand than a place. The wines were drunk based on associations with a certain Italian lifestyle. The majority of wines were very poorly made and served at not-so-great Italian trattoria.

The modern age has seen a rediscovery of Chianti as place, which has also meant that, as time and lobby pressure expanded first the Chianti Classico and then the Chianti zone, in the 1970’s and 1980’s a group of producers began rediscovering Chianti as a place rather than a brand. Now Chianti Classico is home to many very high quality producers, of which Salvapiana is a great example. In the late 1980’s and 90’s, regulations caught up with the avant garde quality-oriented producers, ensuring a standard of higher quality wines across the region. As improvements continue more Chiantis will be made with 100% Sangiovese, as this wine is. Eventually Chianti will likely earn its place amongst the great terroir regions of the world – but there is still work to be done.

Pure Chianti

This is a 100% Sangiovese Chianti – an increasing rarity. It sees long 20+ days maceration in steel and then 15 months aging in barriques and medium-sized sessile oak casks. This is a slightly more modernist approach than the huge botti traditionally used. However, I did not find it hid the fruit or unique character of the site but rather managed to provide the wine with a suitable structure for aging and long term expression of these fantastic grapes.

Pouring a medium-dark red, this wine is decidedly in the modernist camp: cherry liqueur, earth and sweet oak on the nose transform into tart cherry on the palate. There is nice intensity in this wine, with its mid-range body, long finish and slightly above average acid. I did find the wine a bit hot on the finish, but it may be that the serving temperature was a bit above ideal or that this wine has seen less than ideal storage. Ultimately, this is delicious wine made well, though in this market it is perhaps too expensive compared to great wines like the 2007 Fontodi Chianti Classico at $25 less. Regardless, it is a great example of modernist pure Sangiovese that could only be made in Italy’s original wine region.

Very Good+
$60 at Liberty Wines

I’d never heard of Montecucco before drinking this wine. It is a DOC in southwest Tuscany on the river Ombrone growing classic Tuscan Grapes, with whites focused on Trebbiano and Vermentino and reds on Sangiovese. Wines labelled “Sangiovese”, like this one, must have at least 85% of that grape in the blend.

The Middle Road: Of Oak and Sangiovese

I think one of the most appealing aspects of Italian wine is its ability to be bitter and sweet simultaneously. This mouthwatering quality is present in the best Sangioveses as well. Even as a grape that takes well to oak (it doesn’t seem to take in the flavours as much as other varieties), it is important to ensure that the oak aging doesn’t overpower the wonderful bittersweet fruit flavours that naturally occur in the grape.

On the one hand are more traditional wines that focus on herbs, bitter cherry, leather and tobacco while on the other, more modernist hand, are wines that get into darker, sweeter fruits and greater opulence. I find that these modern wines, aged in new oak, can often change the wonderful bitter and textural firmness of Sangiovese into creamy, sweet wines that may appeal to certain palates but that also lose the authenticity of the grape.

It is all the more impressive, then, to taste a wine that deftly manages to integrate new oak with Sangiovese without losing its indigenous traits. It also helps that Perazzeta’s selection standards are high, keeping only about ⅓ of the fruit on the vine for vinification, and that the terroir is an interesting mix of river stones, quartz and ancient marine shells. The wine sees 12 months in new French barriques.

Deliciously Rich

An impressive nose of leather, minerals, dark cherry, tobacco and leaves. The palate brings out some darker red fruits because of the new oak aging. The wine is balanced well, though it needs to pair with heavier foods compared to a classic chianti or old-oak aged Sangiovese.

While I liked this wine, I found it interesting how the oak toned every flavour characteristic differently, transforming the juice from its unadulterated peppy self into a richer darker, creamier wine. 14.5% abv

Very Good to Very Good+
~$35 at Everything Wine

Rosso di Montalcino is generally considered to be great value Sangiovese. Made from young vines growing in the Brunello di Montalcino areas, this is top quality vineyard land made affordable by the youth of the vines.

Youthfulness does not mean worse quality, but rather different quality. You won’t get long aging wines with deep brooding flavours like you do with Brunello. But you will get very high quality fruit forward, acid driven wines with a lot of character. When purchased from a traditional producer, these are some of the best Sangiovese based wines at their price point.

Top Vineyards

Founded in the 1970’s, the Sassetti Livio estate in Montalcino grew from a long traditional wine making family that moved from elsewhere in Tuscany in order to seek better vineyard land. The vineyards are located in the Montosoli hill north of Montalcino. These are some of the prime vineyard lands in Brunello, especially for traditionalist producers.

Classic Young Sangiovese

This is classic Sangiovese, with cherry, saddle leather and herbs on the nose. A structured high acid wine with bright cherry and a beautiful tart mouthwatering mouthfeel. There is also plenty of leather in this thoroughly traditional wine. It may not be as drinkable without food for those not used to the traditional style – but these sorts of wines are meant to compliment food and can only be fully experienced with a good pairing. All the classics will work: pasta, veal, tomato based sauces and pizzas.

Generally this is a far brighter, peppier wine than Brunello – a product of the youthful vines. The northern vineyards bring the acids fully to the fore of this highly structured and yet extremely youthful wine. An impressive and delicious effort.

Very Good+
~$45 at Kitsilano Wine Cellar