Chianti Rufina
キャンティ・ルフィナ
Chianti's highest, coolest, and most age-worthy sub-zone.
About Chianti Rufina
- Producers listed
- 9
Chianti Rufina is the smallest and highest-altitude of the seven Chianti DOCG sub-zones, located northeast of Florence around the towns of Pontassieve and Dicomano along the Sieve river, at the southern edge of the Mugello mountains. Vineyards climb from roughly 200m up to 500m (occasionally higher), among the highest elevations in the wider Chianti zone, resting on limestone-and-clay soils rich in galestro that retain moisture through the summer. The area's continental climate — hot days, cool nights, and pronounced diurnal swings driven by Apennine winds — slows ripening and preserves acidity, yielding Sangiovese-based wines (minimum 70%, often blended with Canaiolo, Colorino, or Merlot) with fine tannins, bright acidity, and notable aging potential. Historically recognized as early as 1716 in Cosimo III de' Medici's edict delimiting Tuscany's finest wine zones, Rufina today covers around 750 hectares and produces roughly three million bottles a year, led by estates such as Frescobaldi's Castello di Nipozzano, Selvapiana, and Frascole. Its Riserva wines in particular are prized for their structure and longevity, distinguishing Rufina as one of Chianti's most quality-focused and age-worthy sub-zones.
Best for
Collectors and Sangiovese lovers seeking elegant, age-worthy Tuscan reds with bright acidity.
Food Pairings
Bistecca alla Fiorentina, roasted game and wild boar, aged Pecorino Toscano, porcini mushroom dishes, and slow-braised meats.
Producers
ファットリア・コロニョーレ
Fattoria Colognole
Located in the heart of the Chianti Rufina zone near Pontassieve, Fattoria Colognole is a historic estate owned by the Spalletti family since 1892. The estate spans roughly 700 hectares, with 27 hectares of vineyards climbing the right bank of the Sieve river at altitudes of 250-520 meters on clayey, galestro-rich soils. Colognole specializes in elegant, terroir-driven Sangiovese wines that express the finesse and longevity characteristic of high-altitude Chianti Rufina, and also produces award-winning extra virgin olive oil (Laudemio).
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www.colognole.it/ファットリア・イル・ラーゴ
Fattoria Il Lago
Fattoria Il Lago is an ancient estate in the municipality of Dicomano, about 30 km northeast of Florence, in the heart of the Chianti Rufina DOCG zone. Once part of the holdings of the noble Florentine Vivai-Bartolini-Salimbeni family, the roughly 400-hectare property was acquired in 1962 by the Spagnoli family, who began a long process of restoration with particular attention to viticulture, focusing on the indigenous Sangiovese grape. The estate's 21 hectares of vineyards sit on the highest slopes of Chianti Rufina, between 300 and 600 meters above sea level, where cooling Apennine breezes and wide day-night temperature swings produce wines of notable elegance and freshness. The flagship wines are Chianti Rufina DOCG and Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG, alongside Pian de' Guardi — a pure Sangiovese made using a partial grape-drying method developed in the late 1990s that concentrates fruit and structure. The estate also produces Syrah, Pinot Nero, a Rosé, Vin Santo del Chianti Rufina DOC, and extra virgin olive oil, and operates as an agriturismo offering wine tastings and farm stays.
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www.fattoriaillago.com/ファットリア・ラヴァッキオ
Fattoria Lavacchio
Perched at 450 metres above the hills of Montefiesole in the Chianti Rufina appellation, Fattoria Lavacchio is a family-run estate whose history stretches back to the 1700s under the Peruzzi and later Strozzi Sacrati families. Since 1978 it has been revived by the Lottero family, who transformed the roughly 120-hectare property into one of the pioneering organic and biodynamic producers of the Rufina zone. Alongside vineyards, the estate cultivates olive groves and cereal crops, and has been part of Italy's VIVA sustainable viticulture project since 2018. Lavacchio's Chianti Rufina DOCG wines, built mainly on old-vine Sangiovese, are prized for their high acidity, fine tannins and pronounced mineral character shaped by the region's altitude and marked day-night temperature swings.
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fattorialavacchio.com/en/ファットリア・セルヴァピアーナ
Fattoria Selvapiana
Fattoria Selvapiana is the reference producer of Chianti Rufina, a 250-hectare estate near Pontassieve owned by the Giuntini family since 1827, when Florentine banker Michele Giuntini acquired the property. Under Francesco Giuntini and, since the late 1990s, Federico Giuntini Masseti, the estate pioneered a 100% Sangiovese Chianti Riserva in 1978 and launched the single-vineyard Vigneto Bucerchiale in 1979, establishing Rufina as a serious counterpart to Chianti Classico. The vineyards have been certified organic since 1987, and consulting oenologist Franco Bernabei has worked with the estate since 1978. Federico Giuntini Masseti also serves as president of the Consorzio Chianti Rufina, making Selvapiana's standards a touchstone for the whole subzone.
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www.selvapiana.it/ファットリア・ディ・バッシャーノ
Fattoria di Basciano
Fattoria di Basciano is a historic estate in the heart of the Chianti Rufina DOCG, owned by the Masi family since the early 1900s. The roughly 70-hectare property, of which about 30-35 hectares are under vine, sits on a hilltop overlooking the Sieve river valley at around 300 meters altitude, on the stony 'Galestro' soil typical of the appellation. Under Renzo Masi and his son Paolo, an agronomist, the estate blends traditional craftsmanship with modern technology to produce elegant, terroir-driven Sangiovese-based wines - most notably their Chianti Rufina and Chianti Rufina Riserva - that have earned praise from Wine Spectator and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for their vivid acidity, refined tannins, and excellent quality-to-price ratio. The estate is a member of the Consorzio Chianti Classico region's neighboring Rufina wine community and is widely regarded as one of the leading producers of Chianti Rufina.
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www.renzomasibasciano.it/en/ファットリア・ディ・ドッチャ
Fattoria di Doccia
Located in the Chianti Rufina zone near Florence in the municipality of Pontassieve, Fattoria di Doccia is a historic organic estate owned by the Sardelli family, who have run the property since 1991. Spanning approximately 250 hectares of forest, arable land, olive groves and vineyards at over 300 meters altitude, the estate is one of the largest in Rufina. About twenty-six hectares of vineyards are planted with Sangiovese, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Ciliegiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Trebbiano, Malvasia and Verdea, producing certified organic Chianti Rufina DOCG, IGT wine, and traditional Vin Santo. The estate is also a well-known producer of organic extra virgin olive oil and hosts events and tastings on its grounds.
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fattoriadidoccia.it/ファットリア・ディ・グリニャーノ
Fattoria di Grignano
Fattoria di Grignano is a historic Tuscan estate in the hills of Chianti Rufina, northeast of Florence, with roots stretching back to the Middle Ages, when it was the residence of the Counts Guidi. It later became the personal property of Caterina de' Medici (1519-1589), who granted it to her confessor and trusted banker, the Bishop Marquis Enrico Gondi. Since 1972 the estate has been owned by the Inghirami family, who revived its more than 600 hectares - including roughly 50 hectares of vineyards, 200 hectares of olive groves, and extensive woodland - as a certified organic producer (since 2008) of Chianti Rufina DOCG wines and PGI extra-virgin olive oil. Sangiovese is the backbone of the estate's wines, complemented by Colorino, Canaiolo Nero, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and white varieties such as Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia del Chianti, and Chardonnay. Southern-facing vineyards on limestone-and-galestro soils give the wines - including the flagship Riserva Poggio Gualtieri - their characteristic freshness, elegance, and aging potential.
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www.grignanowinery.com/フラスコレ
Frascole
Located in the hills above Dicomano, northeast of Florence, Frascole is a family-run estate purchased in 1992 by agronomist Enrico Lippi, and today run together with the Santoni family. Sited at 350–500 meters above sea level in the Chianti Rufina subzone, the estate spans roughly 100 hectares, of which 15 are planted to vine and 9 to olives, all farmed organically and certified since 1999. Wines are built primarily around Sangiovese, complemented by small amounts of Canaiolo and Colorino grown on the clay-and-marl soils typical of the Rufina hills, resulting in elegant, mineral, high-altitude expressions of Chianti Rufina.
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frascole.itトラヴィーニョリ
Travignoli
Villa Travignoli is one of the oldest wine estates in Tuscany, with roots tracing back to the Etruscan era — an Etruscan stele depicting a wine banquet was unearthed on the property and is now displayed in the Fiesole museum. The estate is first documented in a 1100 parchment of the Vallombrosa monastery, and by 1473 was recorded as a noble household comprising three farms. Since 1800 the estate has been run by the Busi family, who in 2023 celebrated Travignoli's 550th anniversary and received Unioncamere's 'Italia 150' award as one of Italy's oldest enterprises. Located in the Chianti Rufina zone east of Florence, near the confluence of the Arno and Sieve rivers, the estate's 70 hectares of vineyards benefit from a pronounced day-night temperature swing that gives its Sangiovese-based wines elegance, structure, and notable aging potential.
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www.travignoli.com/
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes Chianti Rufina different from other Chianti sub-zones?
- Its higher altitude (up to 500m) and cooler, more continental climate give the wines brighter acidity, finer tannins, and greater aging potential than warmer Chianti sub-zones.
- Is Chianti Rufina the same as Chianti Classico?
- No. They are separate, geographically distinct sub-zones of the broader Chianti area; Chianti Rufina lies northeast of Florence, while Chianti Classico lies between Florence and Siena.
- How long has Chianti Rufina been recognized as a distinct wine zone?
- Rufina's boundaries date back to 1716, when Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici issued an edict delimiting it as one of Tuscany's earliest officially recognized wine districts.
- Which producers are known for Chianti Rufina?
- Frescobaldi's Castello di Nipozzano, Fattoria Selvapiana, and Frascole are among the region's most acclaimed estates, particularly for their Riserva bottlings.