Sangiovese
Vintage image sourced on Pinterest
Sangiovese is a quintessentially Italian grape, and yet it’s also one of the most-planted grape varieties in the world, grown with varying levels of success in Australia, Canada, the United States, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Chile and Brazil…pretty much the very definition of an “international” wine grape. Somehow though, Sangiovese manages to eschew an international association, remaining steadfastly Italian, even Tuscan in nature.
Maybe it’s because most Italian wines made from Sangiovese are not known as “Sangiovese wines,” but rather, Chianti Classico, Brunello or Vino Nobile. Maybe it’s because Sangiovese’s greatest heights are still reached in Italy, with limited success in its many other homes. Maybe it’s just because it’s still not all that common in those other homes, with the vast majority of Sangiovese grapevines spending their days bathing in the Italian sun.
Whatever the reason, Sangiovese is a picky, mutable grape that doesn’t entirely resemble even itself between its various regions and clones, and the wines made from it are just as widely varied, from pale, youthful easy drinkers to hauntingly beautiful masterpieces that can age for decades and still sing. This tasting is an introduction to Sangiovese’s wonderful breadth and memorability, in all of its many forms.
Stuff to know
Sangiovese is the most-planted grape in Italy, and its spiritual home is Tuscany, where there are endless permutations of the grape, its clones, the conditions and soils in which its grown and the ways the wines are made. In no way are all Sangiovese-based Tuscan wines alike, so don’t worry, these wines will definitely not all **taste the same.
The name Sangiovese supposedly refers to the blood of Jupiter, or sanguis Jovis, more directly translated to ‘the blood of Jove.’ While a mythological or religiously-based name makes a lot of sense for a grape variety that’s centuries old, this story is by no means confirmed, and Sangiovese also goes by a whole host of other names too, from Brunello to Prugnolo Gentile to Morellino. There are so many different clones of the Sangiovese grape variety that it might even be better classified as a “variety population,” rather than a single variety, according to Ian D’Agata in Native Wine Grapes of Italy.
You would think that with all of this proliferation, Sangiovese must be an easy-to-grow grape, right? Nope. Sangiovese is a pain in the ass. It’s a finicky, disease-prone grape that is exceedingly particular about pretty much everything. Australians, Argentinians and Americans have been trying to make high-quality Sangiovese-based wines in their respective countries for decades with limited success. Sangiovese and all of its permutations seem to prefer being at home in Italy…but still only in certain parts.
Beyond Sangiovese’s various names and clones, there are widely varied growing conditions to contend with, even in a single region. Tuscany, with all of its hills, soil variations and coastal influence, is an incredibly complex region. In Chianti Classico, snow is still a winter possibility, while further south, Montalcino is decidedly warmer, and Sangiovese (AKA Brunello) tends ripen more easily and consistently, even on north-facing slopes. Along the coast, in Maremma, where French grape-based Super Tuscans dominate, Sangiovese can get extra-extra ripe, sometimes to its detriment.
All of this to say that there are Sangiovese-based wines that are delicate, perfumed and subtle, and there are blockbusters that wallop the palate. This tasting will let you experience Sangiovese’s range for yourself so you can decide what you prefer.
Unlike similarly finicky Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir, Sangiovese does well as a blending partner, which is why you’re seeing the words “Sangiovese-based” in this tasting guide. In Chianti, Sangiovese was traditionally blended with both local red and white grapes, though today, French Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are allowed in some regional blends along with the more traditional native grapes like Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Colorino and Malvasia Nera.
What to look for in this tasting
In general, Sangiovese-based wines tend to have high acidity, which can often feel tangy, like what you’d taste eating sour cherries. The tannins in these wines can be moderate or high, and are often sandy, grainy or chalky, making their presence easily known. Flavor-wise, there are almost always cherries. Sour cherries, red cherries, black cherries, dusty cherries, which, ok fine, is really just a description I like that isn’t actually a real thing, but somehow encapsulates Sangiovese wines to me.
Aside from cherries galore, there can be other fruits like blood oranges, red currants and plums, dried and fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary and mint, and flavors of leather, licorice, black tea, balsamic vinegar, cloves, tobacco, coffee, mushroom, truffle and tomatoes. Also clay pots and tomato leaves, which again, might just be my own interpretations, though anyone with tomatoes in their garden knows exactly what these smells are, especially on a warm, sunny day.
Some Sangiovese-based wines are medium-bodied, with delicate aromas and minimal or no oak influence, while others are deeply-colored and full-bodied with evident new oak aging. Sometimes, there are significant proportions of “international” grapes like Merlot or the Cabernets in a blend with Sangiovese, further deepening and altering the wine’s flavors and adding more black fruit and tannin to the mix.
The wines
#1: Chianti
Chianti, confusingly, is a separate region from Chianti Classico. The story goes that today’s Chianti Classico was the original, historic zone, and over the years, Chianti legally expanded to accommodate production in surrounding areas beyond the hills between Florence and Siena, especially back when Chianti was being mass-produced and sold in the raffia-wrapped fiaschi that would be used in practically every 1970s American apartment or Italian-American restaurant as candle holders.
As of 1967, Chianti Classico was legally defined as distinct from the enlarged Chianti DOC, and since then, the laws have changed a few more times, such that the two zones are now entirely separate, and both have been individually upgraded to DOCG status, the highest quality classification for wine in Italy.
In the 1960s, Chianti was only required to be 50-80 percent Sangiovese, with local red and white grapes making up the remainder in varying required amounts. Today, the minimum amount of Sangiovese has been set to 70 percent for most of the Chianti DOCG, and both local and international (French) grapes are allowed in varying amounts. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, in particular, are now allowed to comprise up to 15 percent of the blend, once considered almost sacrilegious.
There is a huge variety of quality in the 7 different sub-zones in Chianti, along with differing levels of aging, indicated by terms that go from Rosso to Superiore to Riserva, telling you which has the most time in barrel and bottle before being released for sale.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Stick with a Chianti, Chianti Superiore or Chianti Riserva from any of the sub-regions, like Chianti Rufina or Chianti Colli Senesi
#2: Chianti Classico
Chianti Classico. Key word here being “Classico.” Yes, it matters.
You can think of “Classico” as the OG Chianti. Once upon a time, Chianti wines could only be made in the lands between Florence and Siena. The lands of the black rooster, or so the legend goes. The legend being a story originating in the Middle Ages, during which Florence and Siena’s respective republics were at war. To settle a border dispute, the republics decided to allow two knights to ride toward the opposing city, agreeing that a border would be drawn where they met. The caveat being that the knights could leave at dawn, as signified by a rooster’s crow, no earlier. So of course the scheming began. Siena chose a white rooster, and treated it well in hopes that it would perform the best. Florence chose a black rooster, and starved it in a cage. The starving rooster crowed long before dawn in its desperation to be fed, so the Florentine knight made it almost all the way down to Siena before meeting his opponent. The majority of the Chianti zone in between became the territory of the black rooster, later a symbol of the Lega del Chianti that subsequently controlled the area.
If at all possible, please select a real-deal Chianti Classico for this one. Just look for the black rooster on the bottle.
Chianti Classico wines are primarily made from Sangiovese, though other local grape varieties are allowed for up to 20% of the blend, or 10% for Gran Selezione. The regulations for Chianti Classico production are stricter than those for Chianti, and they become even stricter for their Riserva and Gran Selezione wines.
To be clear, there are without doubt high quality Chianti wines being made outside the Classico zone, they’re just not Chianti Classico.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Chianti Classico Riserva, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
#3: Brunello di Montalcino
Montalcino is a medieval walled town on a hilltop in central Tuscany, just 25 miles (40 km) south of Siena. The roughly square-shaped namesake wine region surrounds the town, with vineyards and olive groves fanning out in all directions toward the Tyrrhenian sea to the west, the Apennines to the east and Mount Amiata, an inactive volcano, looming in the south. Three rivers border the region, outlining the territory with just over 5,000 people living within.
Brunello di Montalcino is one of those examples of Italian grape varieties’ names changing from region to region. Brunellos are made from Sangiovese, but more specifically, a clone called Sangiovese grosso that’s unique to Montalcino. Before DNA profiling confirmed this though, the grape went by the name Brunello, hence Brunello “of” Montalcino.
Brunellos are different from other Tuscan Sangiovese wines not just in the clonal differentiation though. Brunellos undergo longer aging periods than Chiantis and Vino Nobiles. These wines are only released for sale 5 years after the grapes were harvested, even longer for Riserva wines. For at least 2 years of that time, Brunellos must age in oak barrels, though producers have flexibility to choose which type and size.
Wines have been made in Montalcino for more than 2,000 years, at least since Etruscans lived there in antiquity. But Brunello has only officially been around since the late 60s, in which time its global renown has been thoroughly established.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Rosso di Montalcino
#4: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
To the south of Chianti and east of Montalcino, Montepulciano has its own prestigious Sangiovese-based wine: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, or “the noble wine from the village of Montepulciano.” In this part of Tuscany, Sangiovese goes by yet another name: Prugnolo Gentile.
Montepulciano - the place, not the grape - is a medieval town that sits high up on a limestone ridge, a big advantage back when guarding the town from invaders was a critical reality. For much of its history, Montepulciano and its “king of all wines” was far better-known and prestigious than the Brunellos from Montalcino to the west. In 1980, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano was even the first wine to receive DOCG status, Italy’s highest wine classification. But in the 1990s, Brunello’s rise seemed to parallel Vino Nobile’s fall from popularity, and these wines still haven’t quite recovered. For years, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has fought off a reputation for having become a poor man’s Brunello.
Luckily, all things change, and producers in Montepulciano are no longer trying to ride Brunello’s drift, but are instead reviving their own Sangiovese-based beauties, often less bombastic than Brunellos, but riper and fuller-bodied than Chiantis. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano wines are required to be made up of at least 70 percent Sangiovese (AKA Prugnolo Gentile), with other local grapes like Canaiolo in the mix.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva, Rosso di Montepulciano
#5: Morellino di Scansano
Along this southern stretch of the Tuscan coast, Sangiovese goes by yet another name: Morellino, “little dark one,” thought to be a reference to dark morello cherries.
Scansano is a little village in Maremma, a region best known today for its Super Tuscan wines. But like most of Tuscany, Sangiovese was first here, and wines have been made from the grape here for centuries, at least since Etruscan times.
Though it has hundreds of years of history, Morellino di Scansano has only recently received renewed attention and growth, having received its DOCG - Italy’s highest wine classification - in 2007. Morellino di Scansano wines today must be made up of at least 85% Sangiovese (AKA Morellino), with other local red grapes allowed for the remainder of the blend. Since these wines are the southernmost Sangiovese-based wines in this Tuscan tasting, you can expect to find power, richness and full-bodied style.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Morellino di Scansano Riserva, Morellino di Scansano Rosso
#6: Australian Sangiovese
Sangiovese has been planted in Australia since the 1970s, but it’s taken decades to figure out quite where and how its best grown and managed down under. It’s a story that we sometimes take for granted, since these days, we’re all familiar with Australian Shiraz and Semillon, almost forgetting that these varieties have been grown in Australia since the 1830s, with many, many permutations viticulturally and stylistically over almost 200 years of production. Let’s just say that the wines back then bore little resemblance to the ones we love today.
Sangiovese is more akin to Viognier in Australia, a more recent transplant that’s taken some time to find its footing. Logically, Sangiovese was a smart pick. Several of Australia’s best-known wine regions have Mediterranean climates akin to those in Tuscany, and Sangiovese tends to retain its tangy acidity even when grown in the warmer stretches of the southern Tuscan coast. Finding Sangiovese cuttings to experiment with within Australia was doable thanks to Penfolds, which had secured clones from the University of California at Davis to use as trial plantings. But it still took many years to move from those initial clones to others that performed better in certain vineyards, along with sorting out which regions were most compatible with the finicky grape and what treatments worked best in the wineries. There are a few wineries that have been refining their Sangioveses straight through the decades, among which is Coriole in McLaren Vale, having made a Sangiovese wine every year since 1985.
These days, Sangiovese wines are made by many of Australia’s top wineries in Victoria’s King Valley, Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, with a few producers experimenting with the grape in the Yarra Valley and Adelaide Hills.
It’s still not easy to define Australian Sangiovese though, since winemakers are more free to make their own calls in their wineries than many Italian producers, who must adhere to DOC or DOCG regulations. There are also significant variances between regions, as you’d expect, considering that Chianti Classico tastes wildly different from Brunello di Montalcino, just 25 miles (40 km) south, and there are much bigger distances between most Australian wine regions. Suffice it to say that you’re just going to have to give them a try.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Sangiovese wines, preferably 100% Sangiovese, from the United States, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand or Brazil
Tasting tips
The eats
As autumn closes in and that new chill in the air pushes us inside toward comfort and the warming foods that go with it, it’s the perfect time to bust out your favorite tomato-based sauce. Maybe you grew up with a go-to recipe in your family. Maybe you like to test out new ones you’ve found online or in cookbooks, like those from Meryl Feinstein’s James Beard award-winning Pasta Every Day cookbook or from YouTube’s beloved Pasta Grannies. Maybe you like the meditative exercise of making fresh pasta, or maybe you prefer shapes that are best purchased from expert hands. Whatever you choose to do, it’s hard to go wrong with a warm, tomato-y bowl of pasta and sauce with these wines.
If you’d like to serve up dinner but simply can’t be bothered with making a sauce, at least not one that requires hours of simmering, order in a variety of pizzas to share, preferably tomato sauce-based.
Charcuterie-wise, aim for Tuscan classics like Prosciutto Toscano, Mortadella, salami, Pecorino toscano, marinated artichokes, olives, grapes, dried apricots and the snack-iest Italian breadsticks, Grissini, or the little crispy rings of Taralli, my favorite study snack when I lived in France.
The prep
Most of these wines are easy to find, though some may take a bit more hunting. I recommend giving your guests at least two weeks to find their wines, depending on where you live.
Price-wise, there’s a wide spending range, especially since prices tend to increase sharply as you go up the quality designation/length of aging ladder. It’s up to you as a host to decide if you want to set a price range for your guests, or if you want to let your guests decide what they’re each comfortable spending. If guests are finding the wines’ prices to be prohibitive, you can invite them to split their assigned wine’s cost with a friend or partner, widening the tasting group.
A note on the tasting order: The wines are listed in the order of which should be included first. If you have fewer than 6 wines/guests, you’ll still have a well-rounded experience. However, the order in which you taste the wines, regardless of how many wines are included, is recommended as follows:
Australian Sangiovese
Chianti
Chianti Classico
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Morellino di Scansano
Brunello di Montalcino
