Sangiovese (San-jo-veh-zeh)
The importance of Sangiovese to Tuscany cannot truly be measured; it is that influential. Each of the 6 current red D.O.C.G. wines of Tuscany, as of 13-12-2010, are legally comprised by majority Sangiovese. These include Chianti, Chianti Classico, Carmignano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano, and Brunello di Montalcino. The last, Brunello di Montalcino, is by law to be comprised solely of Sangiovese. Because Sangiovese is a native vine and does have such a long history, as the vine has spread throughout the country it has acquired many regional names along the way. In Montalcino the strain of Sangiovese they claim is Brunello, in Montepulciano they claim Prugnolo Gentile, and in Scansano they claim Morellino to name a few. The main focus for distinguishing Sangiovese can be broken down into two categories, Sangioveto and Sangiovese Grosso. Sangioveto is the type which you find mostly throughout Chianti, and it is known for being a smaller berry with a thin skin. Depending on where the vine is grown will, like all quality grapes, affect the flavors that emerge. The ladder, Sangiovese Grosso, is the larger thicker skinned version of the grape. These are the types in Montalcino and Montepulciano and thus are the main reason for their natural qualities of darker berry fruits and more robust tannin qualities. Outside of defined areas though, there is no written law stating which style you must plant, and so it is not uncommon to find both in different vineyards within the same region.
The vine is very fickle, and takes a lot of maintenance to produce quality fruit. It must be managed to keep yields low, but also to help ensure a proper ripeness level for the grapes, otherwise the resulting acidity will be out o balance. The color of the wine is naturally a bright red garnet with a softening of the color towards the rim of the glass. Sangiovese is genetically low in anthocyanins, which are the phenolic compounds in the skins that give wines their color. This is also why with a little age Sangiovese wines will begin to lose their concentration of color and begin to tint towards an orange brick at the rim. The wines are naturally very perfumed, especially in pure form, exhibiting wonderful tart cherry flavors which are accented by the woodsy herbaceous qualities that underlie this grape. Of course producers influence and blending will affect flavor profiles, but this sommelier also looks for qualities of leather, olives, dark floral components, and the essence of the soil composition the vine was raised in when tasting the Sangiovese wines from Tuscany.
