Ruffino has been around for years. Here's the way they tell their story: "In 1877 when cousins Ilario and Leopoldo Ruffino embraced their passion for winemaking by establishing a small winery in the town of Pontassieve near Florence, the region already had a centuries-old tradition of growing exceptional wine grapes. Even so, the two Tuscan natives felt certain that much of the area's greatness had yet to be revealed. Tuscany had been heaped with good fortune: mineral-laden soils, the cooling influence of the Mediterranean Sea, the dry summers that wine grapes favor. And all those luscious, sun-drenched hills."
Ruffino was one of the first major wineries with vineyard estates in Italy's three most renowned wine-producing regions – Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
The Riserva Ducale was first released by Ruffino in 1927, and it only gets released in vintages that are deemed special. This Chianti Classico wine is named to honor the Duke of Aosta, who traversed the Alps to try the Ruffino wines. He liked them so much he named Ruffino as the official wine of the Italian royal family.
The Ruffino website claims that this wine was aged for 24 months in oak, stainless steel and concrete gates, but the label says it was 36 months. An additional three months of bottle aging took place. Oro is mostly estate-grown Sangiovese, with 10% Merlot and 5% Colorino, which is used basically to color the wine darker. Alcohol sits at 14.5% abv and it cost me $35 at a hotel gift shop. That seems to be about the going price online, too.
This wine is colored dark purple, almost inky. The nose is wonderful, with an earthiness leading the way for plum, cherry and tar. The palate is loaded with dark fruit, earth and black pepper. The tannins are fairly smooth, but they work well against a Bolognese sauce. There is a nice acidity and a wonderful herbal finish.
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