Master of Wine Eugene Mlynczyk presents an iconic Chianti Classico at the LCBO Classics…
Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro Gran Selezione Chianti Classico 2015
June 4, 2020 Classics Release | LCBO# 353201 | $70.00
The name “Ruffino Romitorio di Santedame” is a bit of tongue twister to pronounce (but a tongue pleaser to drink!).
Let me explain. Santedame is the estate property owned by Ruffino near Castellina, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region in Tuscany. It is a rolling, hilly site, with many small variations in climate, relating to soils, exposure slope and other factors. Santedame houses a small, historic 15th Century chapel on site (the “Santedame”) and a small stone farmhouse, or hermitage (the “Romitorio”); it is after these that the wine is named.
Some may know this fabulous wine in its previous incarnation as an IGT, or “super Tuscan” blended red wine (last made in the 2007 vintage), but now winemaker Gabriele Tacconi has redesigned Romitorio di Santedame as a muscular, dark red cherry scented Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, the highest quality tier for the region. Our wine is very traditional, without any international grapes in the blend, exclusively featuring Sangiovese with 10% Colorino, a local, dark-hued variety. This wine presents a fabulous opportunity to taste alongside Ruffino’s other, better known, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, the Riserva Ducale Oro, available twice a year at Vintages (next releasing on June 13, 2020). Taste these two wines side by side and you may be as thrilled as I was to see how different these wines are, despite coming from the same producer, winemaker and region, with Romitorio playing the role of big bruiser to the more elegant, perfumed Riserva Ducale Oro. I love both of these “icon” wines!
Rated 97/100 Decanter World Wine Awards and 92/100 Falstaff Magazine.
Eugene Mlynczyk MW is the National Sales Manager for Principe Fine Wines, a part of the Arterra Wines Canada group. Arterra Wines is a Good Food Fighter. Please support the businesses and organizations that support Good Food Revolution.
