Winemaker Notes
Ruffino Ducale Chianti Classico Riserva is a ruby red color. The bouquet is elegant, characterized by violet, cherries, wild berries and plums. Hints of spices like tobacco, clove and eucalipto. Riserva Ducale is balanced and constant with delicate tannins. The vibrant acidity, typical of Sangiovese’s grapes, characterizes this wine. The finish is persistent and a good structure completes the entire taste sensation.
Enjoy this timeless Tuscan gem with Italian favorites such as prosciutto and other antipasti, mushroom risotto, pasta Bolognese, and chicken cacciatore. Or, pair it with simple grilled meats and roasted vegetables for a classic Tuscan meal.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is fine-tannined with berry, chocolate and cedar character. It’s medium-bodied with beautiful fruit and a cherry, toffee and cedar aftertaste. Rich and fresh at the same time.
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Tasting Panel
Smooth, bright, and racy, with crisp berry and floral notes; spicy, balanced, and classic. 80% Sangiovese and 20% Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Packaged with its distinctive yellow label, the Ruffino 2017 Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale opens to a lean raspberry or ruby color with bright aromas of tart cherry and wild plum. This is a recognized, well-traveled wine and a mini-ambassador for Chianti Classico around the world. The reasons for the wine's popularity are directly linked to the varietal purity and Tuscan personality on display.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.