Sangiovese
Italian
immigrants from Tuscany probably introduced the
Sangiovese grape to California in the late
1800s, possibly at the Segheshio Family's
"Chianti Station," near Geyserville.1 It is one
of several varietal components of the field
blend in many old North Coast and Gold
Country vineyards that are often otherwise
identified as Zinfandel.
Sanguis
Jovis, the Latin origin for the varietal
name, literally means "blood of Jove" and it is
likely that Sangiovese (aka Sangioveto or San
Gioveto) was known by Etruscan winemakers,
although the first literary reference to it was
in 1722. It is probably indigenous to
Tuscany, whose most famous wine is
Chianti.
The basic
blend of Chianti was established by Baron
Ricasoli in the 1890s. This averages 70%
sangiovese as the varietal base (along
with 15% canaiolo [red], and 15%
trebbiano [white] and sometimes a
little colorino [red]). Many
vineyards are traditionally planted with this
varietal mix. It is difficult even for the
Italians to keep up with their own ever-changing
and very detailed wine laws, which specify
permitted grape types, maximum yields per acre,
minimum alcohol content, minimum aging standards
before sale, etc. Currently, the minimum amount
of sangiovese permitted in Chianti
is 90%. Other grapes that may be used now
include malvasia toscana, a white grape
far superior to the ubiquitous trebbiano.
Regardless of this improvement, currently the total white grapes used must not
exceed 5% of the blend.
In some ways
sangiovese is to Chianti as
cabernet sauvignon is to Bordeaux.
Both form the base of wines normally blended
with other varietals and both by themselves
share a certain distinctive elegance and
complexity, when well-made.
There are at
least 14 separate and distinct clones of
sangiovese. At one point, there was some
attempt in Italy to identify two separate
"families", Grosso and Piccolo, although this
seemed to have more of a commercial basis ("mine's
better than yours") than any compelling ampelographic or sensory
evidence to justify this attempt to
classify. Sangiovese makes wines that vary in quality from ordinary to superb and seems strongly affected by its environment, more than most varieties.
The fruit is
slow to mature and late-ripening. With
relatively thin skins, it has a tendency to rot
in dampness and does not mature well if planted
above an elevation of 1,500 feet. Sangiovese
vineyards with limestone soil seem to produce
wines with more forceful aromas.
The hot, dry
climate, such as Tuscany provides, is
where sangiovese thrives. Because these climatic
criteria generally enhance quantity, rather than
quality, it takes careful cultivation and
winemaking techniques to produce really
excellent wine from this grape. The official
classification of Chianti itself
demonstrates the widely fluctuating range of
Sangiovese quality from those identified as
ordinary vino di tavola to the highest
classico superiore. Sangiovese is the #1
varietal in Italy with 247,000 acres, 10% of the
entire wine grape crop.
The flavor
profile of Sangiovese is fruity, with moderate
to high natural acidity and generally a
medium-body ranging from firm and elegant to
assertive and robust and a finish that can tend
towards bitterness. The aroma is generally not
as assertive and easily identifiable as Cabernet
Sauvignon, for example, but it can show a
strawberry, blueberry, faintly floral, violet
or plummy character.
|
*Typical
Sangiovese Smell and/or Flavor
Descriptors
|
| *Typicity
depends upon individual tasting ability and experience
and is also affected by terroir and seasonal conditions,
as well as viticultural and enological techniques.
This list therefore is
merely suggestive and neither comprehensive nor exclusive. |
Varietal
Aromas/Flavors:
|
Processing
Bouquets/Flavors: |
Fruit: blueberry, strawberry, orange peel, plum |
Oak
(light): vanilla, sweet wood |
Floral: violet |
Oak
(heavy): oak, smoke, toast, tar |
| Herbal: thyme |
Spice: cinnamon, clove |
Vegetal: (not typical) |
Bottle Age: |
Most
Chianti up through the 1980s was
imported in straw-covered fiasci and more
attention was paid to low price than any quality
factor. Probably because of this association,
very few California wine reference books
published before 1990 make mention of Sangiovese
as either wine or grape.2 Offering no snob-appeal as
a "collector's wine," it generated little
interest from growers or consumers until
relatively recently.
Tuscan
winemakers, experimenting the past few years
with blends of sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon
and/or merlot have succeeded creating some
excellent Supertuscan blends commanding
high prices. This has led to an increasing
number of experimental Sangiovese vineyards
being planted in California. The best
results so far have come from Napa, San Luis
Obispo and the Sierra Foothills. There are
several California producers making proprietary
blends of cabernet sauvignon and sangiovese,
following the Supertuscan
example.
It will be
interesting to see the progress of California
Sangiovese over the next few decades, as the
right vineyard locales and the best
fermentation, blending, and aging techniques are
discovered.
by
Alan
Cannon and Jim LaMar
NOTES
1. Sangiovese was listed among the vines imported by Agoston Harazsthy in 1862, although no vineyards seem to have been planted from them. Italian Swiss Colony imported the variety in the 1880s and had early success using it as the base of its "Tipo Chianti" brand. RETURN
2. In 1989, California had only 59 acres of Sangiovese planted; that increased to over 1,300, by 1997. (It's interesting to note here that the entire cabernet sauvignon
acreage planted in California in 1961 was less than 200.) RETURN
RESOURCES
L. Peter Christensen, Nick K. Dokoozlian, M. Andrew Walker, James A Wolpert, et all. Wine Grape Varieties in California
(University of California, Agricultural and Natural Resources Publications: Oakland) 2003
Jancis Robinson (ed), Oxford
Companion to Wine, 3rd Edition, (Oxford University Press: London) 2006
Steven Spurrier & Michel Dovaz, Academie du Vin, Complete Wine Course
(G.P. Putnam & Sons, New York) 1983
Charles Sullivan, A Companion to California Wine: An Encyclopedia of Wine and Winemaking from the Mission Period to the Present
(University of California Press: Berkeley) 1998
