Fattoria Selvapiana, Chianti Rufina (Tuscany, Italy) 2008

I haven’t had very many 2008 Chiantis yet, but from what I have tasted, the wines (at least those released this soon) are very fruity and precocious.  What I wonder, in the case of this wine, is whether the precocity is deceptive.  When I taste this wine blind, the expressive fruitiness, including an impression of candied fruit, causes me to think that this is a wine made for the mass market because it is that immediately appealing.  The wine is medium-bodied, made with a light hand, and has good acidity that enlivens it on the palate and gives it depth.  But it is not light: just lighter and brighter than I’d expect.  I suspect that with another year of age it will grow into the serious wine that it probably is.  13.5% alcohol.