Le Rime is a Banfi wine from Tuscany, and it blends two grapes that normally keep their distance: Chardonnay, which gives the weight, and Pinot Grigio, which gives the lift. The 2022 vintage is bottled in a 375ml half bottle, so it lands on the table at 12.5% rather than the fuller strength of a standard bottle.
- Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, blended together.
- Tuscany IGT, the region's flexible appellation.
- 2022 vintage, half bottle of 375ml.
- Dry, medium body, medium acidity.
- 12.5% alcohol.
How it is made
Tuscany IGT is the appellation a Tuscan winery uses when it wants to work outside the strict rules of Chianti or Brunello. It covers the region's table wines, including whites and blends, and it gives a producer room to combine varieties that the older DOC rules would not allow together. Banfi makes this one from Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, two grapes that arrived in Italy from France and northern Europe and settled in comfortably.
How it tastes
Green apple and citrus come first, then white peach, with a faint almond note underneath. The acidity is medium and the body is medium, so it stays fresh without turning sharp, and the finish is crisp and clean. Pinot Grigio brings the brightness; Chardonnay fills out the middle.
Where it comes from
Tuscany is better known for Sangiovese and for reds, but its whites have a long history of their own, and the IGT category is where a lot of the region's blending happens. Banfi is based in Montalcino, in the south of the region.
Good to know
IGT stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica, a tier introduced in the 1990s to give Italian winemakers a category below DOC and DOCG. It is the reason so many Tuscan blends exist at all.
