Sangiovese

It took years for any real popularity of domestically produced Sangiovese to take hold in the United States, despite it being the most planted red grape in Italy. The obvious question is…Why? Well, getting it quite wrong at the beginning of the 1980’s Cal-Ital craze did not help: selecting inappropriate clones for the state, planting in the wrong areas, not understanding how it would adapt outside Italy, etc. But the other challenge was that the same era concurrently birthed an American thirst for big and extracted red wines, and Sangiovese in California was and still is anything but that! Many, if not most newly minted American wine lovers at the time, favored big, fat, chewy wines with dark colors and a dense, ultra-ripe character. You may recall that this was also the heyday of "big" Zinfandels and super-extracted Cabernets. 

So, one could argue that perhaps wine consumers weren't quite ready for California’s take on Sangiovese, a variety naturally inclined toward producing lean, more linear red wines, moderate in color and subtly fruited in varietal character, yet svelte, zesty, and acid-driven. These attributes amount to a kind of nuance that is quite food-friendly, and in that sense, not unlike Italy's Chianti. Back to the (Italian) future, as it were!

Although Sangiovese is grown in 33 of California’s 58 counties, its best expressions are concentrated in just a handful of areas: Lodi, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, San Luis Obispo and Mendocino. Given the viticultural and historical challenges, producers who are committed to quality are the state’s focus. There is virtually no acreage planted in spots where volume and lower costs are the drivers. The reality that there are fewer than 607 ha/1,500 acres planted to Sangiovese in California validates the distinct commitment of those that do produce.

Sangiovese Around The World

Below is a list of the principal areas of the world associated with premium Sangiovese.

• Italy: Tuscany (Chianti and all its subzones, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Scansano), Emilia Romagna, Marche, Umbria (Torgiano)
• France: Corsica 
• Other European countries: Switzerland
• Other Countries: Greece, Malta, Turkey, Israel, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa (Stellenbosch)
• The Americas
  • Argentina: Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja
  • Chile: Aconcagua 
  • Brazil: Rio Grande do Sul
  • USA (beyond CA): Washington State (Columbia Valley)
  • Canada: British Columbia (Okanagan)