Wine in Tuscany

Ruffino Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico Red Wine is a complex and deep red wine blend containing sangiovese, merlot and cabernet sauvignon red grape varieties. This red blend is characterized by cherry and red berry fruit notes with delicately spiced hints of tobacco, leather, cedar, white pepper and a touch of flint. Featuring velvety tannins, firm acidity and a lingering finish of rosemary, this chianti wine is well balanced on the palate. Each bottle of this Ruffino wine is made with a careful selection of the best grapes from the traditional Chianti Classico production region. Secondary malolactic fermentation enhances this wine's velvety texture. Riserva Ducale then ages for 24 months in oak, stainless steel and concrete vats and spends an additional three months in bottle before release. Pair a glass of this Italian red wine with favorites like prosciutto, mushroom risotto or chicken cacciatore. Store this red wine blend at room temperature, and serve at around 60 degrees for optimal taste. Please enjoy our wines responsibly. © 2020 Ruffino Import Company, Rutherford, CA

This medium-bodied red is well-balanced with an intense violet aroma and a fresh, slightly spicy taste of black cherry, plum, and raspberry.

Chianti DOCG Red Wine combines sangiovese grapes with merlot and cabernet sauvignon to create this top quality red wine blend. This Ruffino wine features deep, fruity plum and intense cherry flavors, accompanied by hints of spice, hazelnut, and delicate violet aromas. Harvested from the well-known winegrowing areas of the Chianti region, this red blend goes through alcoholic fermentation aided by racking and punch-downs in stainless steel and concrete vats for two weeks, followed by four months of aging. This results in a fresh and balanced medium-bodied fruity wine that is easy to enjoy and lingers on the palate. Easy to sip and approachable, this chianti wine pairs well with Italian dishes such as ravioli, margherita pizza, and beef carpaccio, or international favorites such as a classic hamburger. As its first wine ever produced, this chianti red wine occupies a special place in the heart and history of Ruffino, serving as a benchmark for quality and consistency for many wine lovers worldwide. Please enjoy our wines responsibly. © 2020 Ruffino Import Company, Rutherford, CA USA

For our Chianti, we source our grapes from south-facing hillside vineyards outside Vinci and Cerreto Guidi in the western part of the Chianti region. Our Chianti is made with 90% Sangiovese grapes and 10% Merlot grapes. The grapes are gently crushed and fermented in stainless steel tanks with temperatures controlled between 70°F and 80°F. This temperature control allows us to produce a Chianti with balanced tannins and rich fruit aromas and flavors. The wine is then fermented to dry for 8 days. About 15% of the wine is barrel aged for 6 months in new and used American oak barrels to add some complexity to it. DaVinci Chianti is a well-balanced wine of medium weight with jammy flavors of ripe plums, cherries and red fruit. It has a deep crimson color and is a lively wine with a soft mineral finish and round tannins that linger in long, peppery finish. This wine pairs perfectly with all starters, pastas and meat dishes and is best when served slightly below room temperature (64°F).

Introduced in 1928 by Niccolo' Antinori, Villa Antinori Rosso is a full-bodied and complex red wine combining elegance, structure and smooth tannins. Villa Antinori Rosso offers notes of wild berries such as bilberries, and plums that blend with hints of toasted hazelnuts, spices and vanilla. Traditional and international grape varieties, all sourced from the Antinori family's best vineyards in Tuscany, are blended together to create this Tuscan classic. Ratings: 2013: 91pts James Sucking; 90pts Wine Advocate 2014: 90pts James Suckling 2015: 93pts James Suckling 2016: 91pts James Suckling Food pairings: Grilled red meats, roasted pork and hearty pasta dishes

While winemaking at Castiglion del Bosco has been a craft for centuries, until fairly recently the vineyards were cultivated solely for personal consumption by each family living on the Estate. Today, Castiglion del Bosco wines are consistently recognized for their excellence. As one of the founding members of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, the organization that regulates and controls the quality of Brunello production, Castiglion del Bosco introduced the world to its exemplary vintages through the emergence of a commercial operation in the late 1950s. In 2004, acclaimed international Wine Master Nicolo D’Afflitto took command of winemaking at Castiglion del Bosco, along with locally trained enologist Cecilia Leoneschi. Under their careful direction, the Estate is yielding more modern Brunellos that are attracting critical acclaim. The fundamental goal of winemaking at Castiglion del Bosco is to remain faithful to the land and the characteristics of the grapes.

The desire to nurture the Estate’s exceptional qualities has shaped Ornellaia’s philosophy since the beginning. Ornellaia is a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot and the faithful expression of unique terroir developed in harmony with nature. “Ornellaia 2017 masterfully interprets what was a particularly warm and sunny year. The intense and dark colour heralds a wine of beautiful concentration; the nose, rich and complex, releases scents of ripe red fruits, accompanied by notes of sweet tobacco and vanilla. The taste reveals an Ornellaia of great balance, a combination of firmness and pleasant freshness.”

Santa Cristina wines combine Tuscan traditions with modern flavors, resulting in extremely versatile wines - perfect for everyday enjoyment. Live Italian, Drink Italian with Santa Cristina. Santa Cristina Rosso, the best-selling red wine in Italy, is a soft and full-bodied red wine. An original Tuscan classic that offers great value and everyday enjoyment. Pleasurable and intense, offers fruity notes of cherries, blackberries, and plums fused with aromas of vanilla and coffee. Ratings: 2015: 90pts James Suckling ; Wine Spectator Top 100 Values 2016: 90pts Wine Spectator 2017: 90pts James Suckling Food pairings: Hearty pasta dishes, lamb and beef burgers, grilled sausages and pizza

A tremendously deep and intense color which is quite unheard of for a Sangiovese. A full bouquet of red fruits, plums, cherries and ripe blackberries is well balanced with hints of vanilla from the tannins. The wine opens on the palate with pleasant notes of licorice, tobacco and black olives. The tannins are thick and silky, extremely rich but not overpowering. The wine is full bodied and well structured, with excellent fruit concentration and length. A great wine that should only improve with age.

A dark and deep colour with wild berries, warm leather, and jasmine notes on the nose. There are also subtle notes of vanilla and dark chocolate. The palate is deep and powerful with blackberry nuances and a long intense finish.

Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro Gran Selezione Chianti Classico DOCG Red Wine is an elegant and well-structured red wine blend that expresses a distinctive Tuscan bouquet of violet, cherry and plum, with scents of chocolate and spice. Made with meticulously hand-harvested chianti, merlot and colorino grapes from Ruffino's acclaimed Gretole and Santedame estates in the Castellina sub-region of Chianti Classico, this Italian red wine offers powerfully fruity flavors with intriguing notes of cinnamon and clove. This red blend ages in oak, stainless steel and concrete vats for 36 months, followed by additional months in the bottle before release, resulting in a full-bodied chianti wine with elegant tannins, good acidity and a lasting finish with hints of chocolate and coffee. Enjoy this fine wine with traditional Italian dishes such as pasta with bolognese sauce, wild boar ragu or eggplant parmesan. It also pairs well with classic American dishes such as grilled rib eye and roasted vegetables. Please enjoy our wines responsibly. © 2020 Ruffino Import Company, Rutherford, CA USA

100% Sangiovese from the area which is considered the best for the Sangiovese grape after the Classico region. This aromatic wine has flavors of black cherry and on the palate is medium-bodied with smooth tannins and a full fruit finish. Try with pizza, pasta or BBQ.

Dry, rich and rewarding. The wine has complex aromas of red cherries and plums with a palate that unfolds to berry fruits and licorice, framed by light toast notes of oak and finishes with a firm structure. This hedonistic wine is perfect with robust dishes like barbeque and grilled meats. Try it with grilled chicken with herbs and cracked green olives, spicy jerk vegetables or a Tuscan dish like grilled steak Panzanella.

A very natural wine making process, in which the alcoholic fermentation is followed naturally by malolactic fermentation in steel casks. The ageing period of the wine before the bottling is brief, without passage in wood: in this way, the wine maintains and displays all the organoleptic characteristics of the grape, along with great freshness. It is a young, enjoyable wine that does not require ageing, which should be drunk in the first two years of life.

Ruffino Superiore Chianti Red Wine is an intensely flavorful and medium-bodied red wine blend containing sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon and merlot red grape varieties. This red blend showcases rich flavors of plum, dark cherry and blueberry with hints of black pepper and spice. Steady-yet-elegant tannins and a lingering finish match perfectly with the fruity body of this Italian wine. Each bottle of this Ruffino wine contains grapes from the highly sought-after sub-regions of Valdarno and Monteriggioni in Chianti. Extended grape skin contact continues for seven days to enhance this wine's rich color and flavors. After malolactic fermentation adds smooth, velvety characteristics, this chianti wine ages for at least seven months in concrete and stainless steel vats, with an additional two months of bottle aging. Pair a glass of this fine wine with Italian sausage, lasagna or meatball sliders. Keep at room temperature then serve cool at around 60 degrees for optimal taste. Please enjoy our wines responsibly. © 2020 Ruffino Import Company, Rutherford, CA

The blend, albeit varying slightly depending on vintage conditions, is 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot. The best selections are blended and aged 1 year in oak (80% in Slavonian barrels, 20% in barrique) and at least 6 months in the bottle, achieving a graceful balance of voluptuous berry tones and flexible yet sturdy backbone. Dark ruby in color, its bouquet of leather, earth, herbs, black cherries, licorice and plums is confirmed on the medium to full-bodied palate – round, spicy, elegant, attractively fruity and extremely versatile with any fare from pasta or risotto, to meat, fowl and cheese.

The wine offers a brilliant ruby red color. As time passes, the hue is enriched with garnet tones that, as the years go by, lighten further toward orange with an ochre tint typical of Tuscan wines. The aroma is satisfyingly intense, fine and elegant, with light scents of ripe fruits and violets. As it evolves, the wine develops an appealing bouquet that is full and complex. It possesses a pleasant fullness and an outstanding balance of body and structure. Somewhat austere in its youth, the wine softens with age, becoming velvety and developing prolonged and appealing aromatic persistence.

Chianti has long been regarded by many as the "most Italian" of wines, not only because it is the most widely produced classified wine, but alsobecause it possesses a unique personality. Chianti is produced in eight adjacent, yet distinct, areas that cover a vast part of central Tuscany. But only one, which is the oldest and original, may produce Chianti Classico. However, provenance alone is not sufficient to merit the designation Chianti Classico. The producer must strictly adhere to all DOCG rules, which cover elements of vinification (such as alcohol content, yield per acre, and blend) as well as aging and bottling. Banfi Chianti Classico embodies all the characteristics that have made this wine an enduring classic: an alluring bouquet of black fruit and violets; rich flavors of cherry and leather; supple tannins and good acidity for dining. Fermentation takes place with traditional skin contact of 8-10 days. A short wood-aging in large casks of French oak follows. Bottling is carried out in the summer following the harvest. Banfi Chianti Classico is the perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of foods, including, but not limited to red-sauced pastas, grilled meats, and roasts.

Santa Cristina wines combine Tuscan traditions with modern flavors, resulting in extremely versatile wines - perfect for everyday enjoyment. Live Italian, Drink Italian with Santa Cristina. Extremely versatile and food-friendly, Santa Cristina Pinot Grigio displays all of the characteristic aromas and flavors of Italy’s most popular white varietal. Intense with aromas of bananas and citrus fruits. Its palate is well balanced, light and soft. Ratings: 2017: Wine & Spirits Excellent Value Food pairings: Italian-style appetizers, grilled vegetables, light seafood dishes"

FRESCOBALDI - CULTIVATING TOSCANA DIVERSITY The history of the Frescobaldi family starts over a thousand years ago and is closely connected with the history of Tuscany. Creativity and the pursuit of excellence were handed down through the centuries to all the generations of the family. Frescobaldi's aim is for the family estates, with their vineyards, to be the expression of this diversity and the wines to reflect each other each individual terroir, respecting nature and atuthenticity. The richness of Tuscany lies in its diversity, in the union between north and south, mountains and sea, cities and countryside, to which men and women dedicate their live's work. Frescobaldi embodies the essence of Tuscany, its extraordinary vocation for viticulture and the diversity of its territories. Fescobaldi's uniqueness stems precisely from the representation of this diversity, from its eight estates and from wines which express a kaleidoscope of aromas and sensations, springing from the characteristics of each individual terroir. Chianti Castiglioni features a beautiful ruby-red colour with elegant purple hues. Delightful fruity notes immediately emerge on the nose: cherry, blackcurrant and raspberry. Floral and fra-grant notes such as violet make an appearance later on. On the palate, Chianti Castiglioni is lively, soft and enveloping. The finish is long and persistent, with the after-taste confirming the fruity aromas previously detected on the nose.