If you have ever tasted a top Brunello di Montalcino or Chianti Classico or riserva, then you have tasted the essence of what Sangiovese can be, a long aging red wine of amazing finesse with aromas and flavors of deep plum and cherry fruits, floral and perfumy scents, vanilla, earthiness, fine spice and velvety tannins.  While Tuscany is considered to be ground zero for Sangiovese, it’s also grown in South American, California, Australia and South Africa.

The name Sangiovese is derived from the Latin word “sanguis Jovis,” or “blood of Jove.”  While the first mention of the grape is still in some dispute, there is some documentation of its reference in 1590, referred to, it’s believed, as “Sangiogheto.”  It has been established, through DNA testing, that the red grape is spontaneous cross between the grapes Ciliegiolo and Calabrese Montenuovo.

In 1738, it was observed by Cosimo Trinci that wine made from Sangiovese alone was hard and acidic but far improved when blended with other varieties.  This was further highlighted in 1872 when Baron Ricasoli noted that adding both white grapes and other varietals, greatly improved the quality of the wine.

While Sangiovese can thrive in different soils, it seems to do best in one with a high concentration of limestone.  In the Chianti Classico appellations, soil rich in shale and clay, known as “galestro,” nourish the vines while Montalcino consists of both limestone and galestro.  On the other hand, the Chianti appellation consists of more clay and doesn’t yield grapes and wine as high in quality, in general.

Sangiovese is a thin skinned, slow and late ripening variety, often not harvested until the very end of September and prolonged into mid-late October.  The result, in better vintages, is a long aging wine rich with deep plum and cherry fruits, perfumy, high in alcohol, with some earthiness and fine spice.  The grapes do better in warm to hot years, the cooler ones raising the acidity and stiffening the unrippened tannins.  The wine also has a tendency to oxidize and turn brown at a young age.  Rot is always a potential problem with this thin skinned grape in cloudy and cooler vintages.  This can be a particular problem in this region as rains can be a frequent visitor during the October harvest time.

As Sangiovese can be a fickle grape, soil composition and  vineyard altitude, position and exposure are vital to producing a top quality vine and grape.  The “ideal” elevation, according to top vintners seems to run around 1000’ give or take a couple of hundred feet.  As the Sangiovese vine tends to be vigorous in production, the practice in the vineyard has been to increase the density of vines while reducing the grape yield per hectare.  One issue that has been discussed and researched at length in recent years is how to “fill in the gaps” left by the wines from Sangiovese that are lighter and more acidic.  The solution, adding other grape varietals to the Sangiovese, has been very successful in yielding wines of outstanding quality, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot being most popular with Syrah and Petit Verdot used occasionally.  While white grapes were added as a component in the past, its use has been minimized in recent years.  Regulations addressing the blends of grapes allowed has shifted over the years, originally requiring that Sangiovese be blended with other grapes whereas the current laws state that up to 20% can be blended.  This, of course, leaves the door open to produce a 100% Sangiovese Chianti wine.

Aging of Sangiovese can be in either small or larger oak barrels.  However, some vintners feel that it’s important that it’s important to keep new oak at a minimum.  Otherwise, the intensity will kill the profile of the wine.  Others feel that transferring the wine during fermentation to new oak will soften the tannins through polymerization of the tannins.

While Sangiovese is grown in many regions around the globe, its homeland is central Italy and more specifically, Montalcino, where the warmer nighttime temperatures and reduced chances of harvest rains (versus Chianti) often propel the Brunello into the outstanding category.  It is the most widely planted red grape variety in Italy and comprises nearly 10% of all the vineyard plantings, nearly a quarter of a million acres dedicated to the grape and its clones.  It is the solitary grape used in Brunellos and constitutes the backbone of Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (not to be confused with the grape Montepulciano) and Super Tuscans, red wines that do not adhere to the traditional blending laws of the region.  Super Tuscans were first introduced in 1968 but really took off in the 1970’s when Piero Antinori blended Bordeaux components (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) into Chianti, producing what today is known as Tignanello.

Until recent times, Chianti wine was considered to be weak and inconsistent, partially due to regulations that Trebbiano and Malsavia grapes be used for at least 10% of the blend.  This often resulted in a wine with high acidity and dull flavors.  Over the last 20 years, vintners have become more ambitious to produce top quality wines, culminating in outstanding 100% Sangiovese Brunellos.

For those of you interested in picking up some Chianti, keep an eye out for the 2006 and 2007 vintage and more specifically, the Chianti Classico and Riservsa.  They’re wines that still have a few to several great drinking years ahead of them.  Some of the names I would consider with excellent quality for the price are: Antinori (Peppoli), Brancaia, Barone Ricasoli (Brolio), Castello di Querceto, Castello di Bossi, Carpeneta Fontalpino, Castello di Monastero, La Castellina, Fattoria di Felsina, Fontodi, Poggio Bonelli, Ruffino (Ducale), San Vincente, Querceto di Castellina, Villa Cerna, and Viticcio. 

In the Brunello world, pricing tends to be a bit more high end with these wines being 100% Sangiovese.  Some of the producers for the outstanding 2004 vintage to consider are: Altesino, Castello Banfi, Casanova di Neri,  Cicacci Piccolomini, Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi, Eredi Fuligni, Lazzeretti, Siro Pacenti, San Filippo, Valdicava, Podere La Vigna,

Tags: Brunello, Chianti, Sangiovese