Indeed, when Rita Tua and Virgilio Bisti purchased the estate in 1984, they were essentially beginning a family story—not a fairytale-in-the-making. But their terroir had other ideas….You see, Tua and Bisti planted international varietals Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, which were served particularly well by soils rich in clay and silt. Those initial plantings, in fact (totaling 7.5 acres), figured in none other than the revered Sassicaia, a practice that ended when Tua Rita commenced estate bottling in 1992. While this certainly constituted a significant qualitative development, it wasn’t attended by any international designs. Nevertheless, vintages from the early and mid-1990s of flagship Giusto di Notri (a Bordeaux-styled blend) and the aforementioned Redigaffi enjoyed critical success. Then came a 100-point rating for the 1997 Redigaffi—a reception that took both Redigaffi and this quiet Maremma cellar far beyond their village, precipitating a formal investment in the winery’s vineyards and operations.

Despite the fact that the estate received perfect scores for both that ’97 and the 2000, little has changed since the first of these provocative and untamed wines threw open Tua Rita’s little cellar door to the world and placed Redigaffi in the company of fellow Maremma productions Masseto and Messorio and, on the international front, the storied wines of Pomerol, such as Pétrus and Le Pin. For one thing, production remains infinitesimally, maddeningly minute, with average case quantities hovering at the 650 mark, give or take 50, depending on the vintage. Worse still, there’s not much to take, with the States’ share ranging from 50 to 100 cases, making that minus 50-case scenario pretty significant. Since the 2001 vintage, its scarcity has been rivaled by that of another Tua Rita production—a monovarietal Syrah. Like Redigaffi, it has already earned comparison to an estimable French label and recognition as an Italian benchmark in its varietal class.

Redigaffi derives from low-yielding, densely planted vines, a lengthy maceration period of approximately 27 days, and a lavish new-barrique aging regimen of 12 to 16 months. Given all that’s behind it, it’s no surprise that it is a house of infallibility, a paradigm of consistency, an inveterate performer of quality and artisanal craft. Though Redigaffi has been a cult catch (quite a hard one) since ’97, turning in one stellar vintage after another, Tua Rita has remained true to its artisanal ideals and, perhaps more remarkably, its modest demeanor.