Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar:  Rated as Outstanding. "Bright light-medium ruby. Highly perfumed, penetrating nose redolent of bright sour red cherry and raspberry, complicated by minerals and white pepper. Similarly lean and penetrating in the mouth, with wonderfully ripe acids nicely framing the copious red fruit flavors. A slightly earthy, gamey edge adds nuance. Tannins are still a bit tight due to the vintage in an otherwise spectacular wine." Jul/Aug 2007

Robert Parker, Jr.-Wine Advocate:  Rated as An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character.   "The single-vineyard 2006 Chianti Rufina Vigneto Bucerchiale exhibits an attractive combination of ripe, generous fruit wedded to a firm sense of structure that should allow the wine to age gracefully for years. Sweet scents of tobacco, earthiness, leather, licorice and spices add complexity on the powerful close. At the moment, the 2006 Vigneto Bucerchiale remains unyielding but full of promise. The wine continued to improve with air. This is a terrific effort from Selvapiana. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2021." Aug 2009

The Wine Advocate:  "Readers looking for a delicious traditionally-made Chianti that won’t break the bank should run, not walk, to pick up Selvapiana’s 2006 Chianti Rufina. This is a purebred Chianti of notable finesse with exceptional complexity and nuance…  Finding quality budget-level wines is challenging and uncovering wines that also have character is doubly difficult. This wine has it all." #178, Aug 2008

Wired For Wine:  According to The Wine Advocate, "Simply put, it is hard to go wrong with a bottle of Tuscan red in 2006."  This esteemed producer has 181 years and five generations of history in classic Chianti Rufina winemaking, and it shows in the tasting.  What are you waiting for, winelovers??!!  Get your Italian on and open your first bottle of Selvapiana Bucerchiale Riserva Chianti Rufina with two antipasti: cotechino, or Italian sausage, with cannellini beans and sauteed brocolli rabe, and fegatini, chicken liver crostini with marsala onions.  Both dishes will be perfect vehicles for the gentle bite of white pepper, and the earthy nuances of this stunning Riserva. As for the entree, the lovely combination of minerals, generous, bright fruit, ripe acids and taut tannins are highly conducive to countless pasta dishes, especially those with meat and tomato sauces, chicken, steak and lamb.  Hai fame?  We love the gorgeous red fruit in this Selvapiana with a steaming bowl of spaghetti bolognaise made with braised veal, lamb and beef.  Delicous.  If you want to go all out in the kitchen, put together an unforgettable feast of grilled lamb steak served with a seductive porcini risotto and sauteed peas with onions and pancetta.  And finally, one of our favorite comfort foods which only enhances the many facets of this reserve Chianti Rufina is a rich dish of chicken cacciatore.  Dove è il mio cavatappi?

Size:  750ml
Varietal:  100% Sangiovese
Alcohol:  14.5%
Ageing:   15 months in barriques andmedium-sized oak casks; 10 months in bottle
Region:   Tuscany, Italy