Sangiovese

Sangiovese (San-jo-veh-zeh)

Without question this is the most important grape in all of Tuscany, and all of Italy for that matter.  It is the most planted varietal in all of Italy, and is the lifeblood of the center part of the country.  About 10% of the total vineyard space in Italy is planted to Sangiovese, thus proving just how important it is to the country.  Sangiovese is an indigenous vine, and is said to be from either Tuscany or Emilia-Romagna just across the Apennines from one another.  Both regions claim it as their own.  The name for the grape has two theories.  The first, sangue di Giove or “blood of Jove,” has its obvious links to its importance for the Italians and their ties to the Catholic Church and the Vatican.  The second, sangue di giogo/gioghetti or “blood of a crest/ridge,” refers itself to the Apennine Mountains where the vine originates.  The history of the vine goes very far back in history as well, being noted as a quality species by the Etruscans many millennia ago.  As of late, through rigorous DNA testing, Sangiovese has been determined to be the descendent of another Tuscan varietal, Ciliegiolo.  In the Maremma, especially the Southern parts, this grape is very common and even bottled independently by some producers.

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.