Tuscany's forgotten gem – Chianti from high Rufina
Vigna Il Corto
6 bottles – £150 £114 (£19 per bottle)
12 bottles – £300 £228 (£19 per bottle)
We’ve been working closely with Paolo and Anna Rita Masi for 30 years now. When we first met, Paolo had recently graduated top of his class from Florence university and was taking over the family estate from his father, Renzo. His passion for winemaking and drive to improve impressed us, as did his fabulous wines.
The family estate, Fattoria di Basciano, lies in the high hills of Rufina, a region that has been renowned for its wine quality, on a par with the Classico area, since 1716. Paolo's grandfather, also Paolo, founded it, winning a Gold in 1929.
Typically for this area, the property is small, just 30 hectares of vines, with 40 hectares of olive groves and woodland... all overlooking the beautiful Argomenna Valley. It’s a very special spot of high, sloping vineyards, cooler than most, with stony galestro soils ... all this adding up to perfect conditions for wine.
When Paolo took over, he loved the wines, but knew that he could make them even better, working hard over the last 30 years, replanting the vineyards with better clones, nurturing the soil and fine tuning in the cellar. The result has been many awards, including top Trophies, right across the range and praise for their great value.
Only very small production, Vigna Il Corto is Paolo’s pinnacle of winemaking – an ageworthy, single-vineyard red.
Paolo Masi has made an excellent impression with the estate wines of his family property”
– Robert parker, critic
a secret corner of Tuscany
Chianti Rufina is a small, ancient wine region which has existed for over a 1,000 years. The quality of its Chianti has been recognised over the centuries, not just locally but all over the world. Indeed, it was one of the first areas in Tuscany to export wine.
Back in 1717, the official body then, Bando di Granduca di Toscana, was the first to legally classify the areas of Tuscany for wine quality: two of those picked out were Chianti Classico and Rufina, both judged to be at the same quality level. Although today Rufina has become eclipsed by the bigger, more wealthy Classico area, the quality of the Rufina enclave is on a stellar rise and for some, including wine writer, Hugh Johnson, preferable to Classico.
Rufina lies high in the Apennine foothills, at 350-400 metres altitude, so it’s cool and breezy up there, great for slow, gentle ripening, aromatics and freshness too. Its steeply sloping, south-facing vineyards of stony soil, locally known as galestro, plus that cool microclimate are ideal for reds
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