CLIENTS
Ruffino
A new generation is energizing Ruffino, one of the world’s most venerable, trusted quality leaders in Italian wine. With $72 million invested in improvements over the past five years—including state-of-the-art technology, vineyard replantings, new winemaking facilities, and cellar restoration—brothers Adolfo and Luigi Folonari are taking a fresh look at Ruffino, firmly establishing their traditional, family business as the future of Italy’s wine renaissance.
Luigi and Adolfo Folonari
Ruffino looks forward
Adolfo and Luigi are revitalizing their Tuscan heritage, producing exceptional, single-vineyard wines at seven unique properties: the Tuscan Estates of Ruffino, or “Tenimenti Ruffino.” “Over the last 50 years, we acquired seven small estates, all located in the best DOCG production regions, not only in Chianti Classico but also in Montepulciano and Montalcino,” notes Adolfo. “These crown jewels of our wine business express Ruffino’s commitment to innovation and experimentation for both classic Tuscan grapes and international varieties.”
Barrels aging at the Poggio Casciona Estate
These innovations have produced some exciting developments in the vineyards, including the discovery of a particularly high quality biotype of Colorino, an indigenous grape, and a unique clone of Merlot, both revealed during an exploration of the Santedame Estate in Chianti Classico. “We implemented meticulous research and selection of the best clones and the best rootstocks on all of our estates,” says Luigi. “All of this has been done in order have the best possible prime material for the production of our top wines.” Across all the Ruffino properties, concerted effort has also gone into renewing older Sangiovese vineyards, and into the construction of new fermentation and aging cellars.
Determined that Ruffino remain truly Italian in an increasingly international market, the brothers have eschewed foreign expansion and have focused instead on exploring their native land, guiding Ruffino forward from its Chianti Classico roots into exciting new projects in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northern Italy. “As we are best known for making Italy’s most celebrated Chianti Classico, with our Riserva Ducale marque, we felt it was time to search for an estate where we could excel in the production of white wines,” says Adolfo.
Looking for a region with both a strong sense of history and a distinctive terroir, they settled on the Borgo Conventi Estate, with vineyards in Friuli’s Collio DOC. In this bucolic region, highly regarded for top quality white wine production, Ruffino now produces crisp, mineral-driven white wines—including the fragrant Lumina Pinot Grigio—from several varieties including Pinot Grigio, Tocai Friuliano, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as red wines from Merlot.
Six Generations of History
Ruffino: the name is synonymous with the world’s most beloved Chianti wines. Founded in the heart of Tuscany in 1877 by cousins Ilario and Leopoldo Ruffino, the House of Ruffino quickly became a benchmark for the Chianti area by matching its ideal environment—a temperate climate influenced by the Mediterranean sea; rolling hills providing varied altitudes; suitable volcanic and calcareous soils; and an abundance of indigenous grape varieties—with strict quality standards and meticulous technical research. The founders believed their wines should reflect the Tuscan lifestyle, handing down the values of the land and its people through the simple pleasures of family life and warm, shared experiences.
Today, Ruffino encompasses small, prestigious estates and vineyards totaling more than 1,800 acres and it is Adolfo and Luigi—the sixth generation of their family in the wine business, and the third generation at Ruffino—who are charged with sustaining its hallmark mix of tradition and innovation. “Our mission is to hold high the banner of Sangiovese and the other indigenous Tuscan varieties,” declares Luigi. Adolfo adds, “I still marvel at the gifts of nature and the talents of man, which combine to make the heart of a wine. For me, our Ruffino wine is a joyous symbol of harmony, passion, and commitment to quality. It is a privilege for all of us in my family business to live and express these values.”
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