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About Sangiovese
by Jim LaMar
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. 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 (a.k.a. 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.
Still, 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 commercial basis ("mine's better than yours")
than ampelographic or taste evidence to justify this attempt to classify.
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 can have a strawberry,
blueberry, faintly floral, violet or plummy character.
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Typical Sangiovese
Smell and/or Flavor Descriptors
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Varietal Aromas/Flavors:
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Processing Bouquets/Flavors:
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Fruit: strawberry, bluebarry, orange peel, plum
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.
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Floral: violet
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Oak (light): vanilla, sweet wood
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Spice: cinnamon, clove, thyme
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Oak (heavy): oak, smoke, toast, tar
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Jim
LaMar is editor of Professional Friends of Wine, instructs
Introductory Sensory Evaluation of Wine at California State University,
Fresno, and has been drinking, thinking, teaching and writing about
wine for 30 years. He is a member of Professional Friends of Wine.
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