Farmstead Cheeses and Wines

This month, two wines from north west Italy - Piedmont and Liguria.

First off, we have Vietti Arneis, an unoaked, dry, medium bodied white wine with crisp acidity - Arneis is a well-balanced, elegant wine with good complexity and a lingering finish.  An ancient variety grown near Alba in Piemonte (northwest Italy). Recently saved from extinction by a few notable Barolo (Nebbiolo) producers. Arneis is sometimes referred to as Barolo Bianco although never labeled as such. Difficult to grow, "Arneis" in the regional dialect means "little rascal." It is often used as a blender to soften tannins in the red wines of the area, much as the French use Viognier in the Northern Rhone.  Delicate aromas and flavors of pears, with a hint of almonds.

Then, we travel to Liguria, for the Punta Crena Cruvin, a wonderful wine made from 100% Crovino grapes Produced by the Ruffino family who is famous in their hometown but little known elsewhere, even in Italy. They’ve been making wine in Varigotti since 1500.  Ruby red in color, with light red fruit strawberry on the nose.  Flavors of robust forest berry and spice in the mouth.  Soft, clean and long finish.

This month, we explore the glories of Chianti, with two iconic wines from two different regions in Chianti:  Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Reserva and Selvapiana Chianti Rufina.  Your allocation is a bottle of each.

Badia a Coltibuono: The abbey of good culture is at least a thousand years old according to the Marchio Storico and the monks of Coltibuono,

The estate is situated on the Chianti region’s highest hills. 180 acres planted to vineyards and 44
to olive groves. After ten centuries of uninterrupted agricultural tradition, all Coltibuono’s estate grapes are now organically grown, hand-picked and vinified using natural yeast. The first leading wine-producing firm in Chianti to wholly return to environmental sustainability, Coltibuono is also dedicated to the preservation and vinification of Sangiovese, producing three different Chianti Classico
wines and one IGT wine exclusively from Sangiovese.

The Chianti Classico Riserva's fruit moves towards the darker end of the spectrum and a dash of French oak contributes structure. Licorice and new leather nuances add complexity on the finish. In recent years the wines of Badia a Coltibuono have gained transparency, elegance and a level of finesse that was sometimes missing in the past.

All Badia Coltibuono wines are farmed 100% organically.

Selvapiana is a classic Tuscan fattoria located in the Chianti Rufina zone east of Florence, situated on 240 hectares, 45 of which are devoted to vineyards and 31 to olives. It was originally a summer residence for the Florentine bishops and then later belonged to a series of Florentine merchant families. Purchased in 1827 by Michele Giuntini Selvapiana, since 1957 it has been run by the fifth generation Giuntini family member, Francesco Giuntini Antinori,

With great energy and intelligence Francesco has worked to restore the prestige that Chianti Rufina enjoyed up until 1716, the year of the famous proclamation of Cosimo III de'Medici, when the Pomino denomination was recognized as one of the most important in Tuscany. In recent years the estate has been managed by Silvia and Federico Giuntini Masseti who are loyal to the path forged by Francesco, and continue to work closely with Franco Bernabei, the consulting oenologist at Selvapiana since 1978.