So much of what we are about in "natural" wine is breaking from form and tradition to tell new stories from new spots on the globe.
11 out of 15ha at the Tunia vineyards were planted in 1970 with varieties in proportion to the classical Chianti formula. In 2008, Francesca and Chiara found this little plot of land and took the role of tradition into its current iteration.
So much of what we are about in "natural" wine is breaking from form and tradition to tell new stories from new spots on the globe, but I find that this is never more powerful than with a new variation on an old theme. For the same reason that it can be far more interesting, illuminating, captivating to have a disagreement with someone whose viewpoint is slightly or subtly different than your own; than it is to have a discussion with a person in a completely different frame. We aren't starting from zero when we talk about Chianti. "Chianti" (declassified) from the Tunia estate informs and enriches what we think we know about the millions of bottles we've had with these specific proportions of Sangiovese, Colorino, and Canaiolo. For a guy growing up drinking Ruffino much of his young life, there is something in these wines that take me home (these bottles fare far better at my parents' kitchen table than most others in the book). And yet I get the very same satisfaction tasting them with real DOC doctors who have to scratch their heads and reconceptualize what the region or these wines are about. Tunia represents a slice of the "natural" wine world where the rubber really hits the road. What can wine be when we decide to reject the Modern approach? Something wonderful, in this case. Wines of perfect balance, precise extraction, remarkably long aging, and subtle beauty.
As much as terroir inspired this enterprise, the company and culture of "natural" wine have influence here too. Francesca has long been the partner of Giulio Armani (winemaker at La Stoppa, and owner of Denavolo). Chiara is the wife of Carlo Tabarinni, at our most beloved Cantina Margo. The wines at Tunia don't taste like the wines from either of their partners, of course, because the wines are about this place and this tradition. The great and less great terroir of the 20th century deserve to be bucked and trumped and trolled, and we are so happy to continue to support those who do just that. But we are equally enthralled by the likes of Chiara and Francesca who may be singing an old tune, but afford us a new way to love it again.
