The Sangiovese Grip

Can an immigrant kid from Italy make good in America? In politics, fashion and food, sure. But how about an Italian grape? Specifically, Sangiovese?

The winemakers who produce Sangiovese in California--a small but rapidly growing number--are generally enthusiastic about its potential. But they admit that they have much to learn about how to grow the variety and how to treat it in the winery.

California’s winemakers have frequently dabbled with less-common European grape varieties. French grapes such as Syrah and Viognier, for example, have become popular with winemakers in recent years. And there’s new curiosity about Italian varieties, such as Barbera, which established a California foothold more than a century ago.

But Sangiovese is not just any grape. It’s the most widely planted variety in Italy, the nation that produces more wine than any other country in the world. Sangiovese is the basis for dozens of Italian wines, many of them inexpensive and commercially insignificant, such as Sangiovese di Romagna; but others are among the most famous and expensive of all Italian wines, including Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino.

The region of Tuscany, in particular, has staked its wine reputation on the Sangiovese grape. All but three of Tuscany’s 21 red wines classified under Italy’s DOC (Denominazione de Origine Controllata) system are made primarily or entirely from Sangiovese.

In recent years, some avant-garde Tuscan winemakers have become enamored of classic French varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot (their current flame) because they believe that Sangiovese grown in certain parts of Tuscany can benefit from the richness of color and flavor that the new grapes contribute in a blend. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that those internationally famous grapes also promise readier acceptance for their wines abroad.

But Sangiovese is still clearly Tuscany’s most important variety. As the popularity of all things Italian continues to thrive in the U.S., and as the best Sangiovese-based Tuscan wines earn increased recognition here, the grape has understandably lured California’s winemakers.

Sangiovese first made its way to California in the mid-19th century, but it was largely forgotten when the state’s wine industry revived in the 1960s. Then, in 1986, Piero Antinori--the best-known vintner in Tuscany, whose family has been in the wine business for more than six centuries--founded a Napa winery specializing in Sangiovese. Atlas Peak Vineyards made its first wine in 1989 and today is the country’s leading Sangiovese winery, with 120 acres devoted to the grape and an annual production of 32,000 cases.

Antinori’s commitment to Sangiovese in California spawned a surge in plantings throughout the state. Production of Sangiovese has increased by an average of 110% per year, say the organizers of the International Sangiovese Symposium, which took place at Atlas Peak Winery this summer.

The number of California Sangiovese wines has risen from fewer than 10 at the beginning of the decade to nearly 100 today. Most of these wines sell for between $15 and $25 a bottle, although a few retail for more than $50. The wines generally taste of ripe cherry and berry fruit and have firm tannin. Otherwise, they vary quite a lot, as winemakers experiment with vineyards and winemaking techniques.

One winery, Seghesio, has remained loyal to Sangiovese since its early days in California. “My great-grandfather planted three acres of Sangiovese in 1910,” winemaker Ted Seghesio remarks with pride. That vineyard is now used to make Seghesio’s “Chianti Station” selection.

Moreover, in 1986 those old vines provided the cuttings for a 17-acre Sangiovese vineyard, which in turn provided cuttings for the winery’s newest 20-acre Sangiovese vineyard, planted in 1994 and 1995.

“We have been at the forefront of Sangiovese producers in California since early on,” Seghesio says. “Besides, I’ve always been a fan of grapes other than the classic Bordeaux varieties.” The first wine from Seghesio’s newer vineyards were from the 1990 vintage.

Swanson Vineyards, whose Sangiovese ranks with Seghesio’s as one of the finest in California, grafted a vineyard to Sangiovese in 1990. “We decided to grow Sangiovese because at that time there were only about six of them on the market, and they were all fairly expensive,” says winemaker Marco Cappelli. “We thought we could offer similar quality at a lower price and at the same time fill out our portfolio with a lighter style wine, one that’s less complex and tannic than Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon and has more forward fruit.”

The growing number of Italian restaurants and interest in the Mediterranean diet also figured in the decision. The $16 Sangiovese that Swanson produced in 1991 met the winery’s expectations in terms of both price and quality. In subsequent years, as another, more densely planted Sangiovese vineyard came into production for the winery, the wine’s quality increased along with its price. Today Swanson Sangiovese sells for about $24, a mid-range price for California Sangiovese.

But as many California winemakers have discovered, the centuries-old Italian tradition doesn’t translate well to California. Our climate is much dryer, for example. Grapes sunburn or dehydrate, creating raisin or prune flavors in the wine. The soils are much different as well. A more perfumed, less dense flavor is the typical result.

“California Sangiovese is very different from Sangiovese-based wines in Italy,” says Tuscan enologist Attlio Pagli, who has worked with the grape in both the Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino areas, and also consults for Seghesio. “In Italy, Sangiovese normally makes very well-structured wines with assertive tannins; the California wines are quite round, with soft tannins, and so far don’t seem to have as much structure.”

Pagli believes that the newer plantings in California will change that, through changes such as better clonal selection, less vigorous rootstocks and higher planting density.

In addition to fine-tuning Sangiovese in the vineyard, California winemakers have turned to blending to create the best wine they can from the grape.

“Besides contributing color, Cabernet can soften the dry, grainy tannins of Sangiovese, what we in California have come to call ‘the Sangiovese grip,’ ” says Doug Shafer of Shafer Vineyards.

Although Cabernet Sauvignon is itself a high-tannin grape variety, Shafer finds that the soft nature of the tannin in some California Cabernets is distinctly different from the more astringent tannins in Sangiovese. Shafer’s wine called Firebreak comes from a vineyard planted in 1989 and generally contains about 12% to 15% Cabernet.

Cappelli of Swanson Vineyards blended some Syrah in his 1995 and 1996 Sangiovese. “For now, blending is a great idea,” he says. “Sangiovese on its own tends to be slightly simple, and blending adds depth and complexity.”

Seghesio contends that Sangiovese can be a good wine without blending. “But most Sangiovese vines in California are not old enough yet,” he says. He adds Merlot, Cabernet or Barbera when he feels his Sangiovese calls for it.

In Italy, Sangiovese is blended or not, depending on where it grows and the winemaker. Italy’s most intense and powerful Sangiovese wine, Brunello di Montalcino, is pure Sangiovese. On the other hand, many Italian winemakers blend Cabernet Sauvignon or other grapes with their best Sangiovese to make expensive designer wines known collectively as “Super Tuscans.”

In Chianti, Sangiovese has traditionally been blended with a local red grape called Canaiolo as well as with small amounts of two white grapes. Recent changes in regulations now allow Chianti Classico to be made entirely from Sangiovese, resulting in a wine better suited to aging.

The lack of a single prototypal Sangiovese from Italy--along with the different climate and soil of California--has prevented the state’s winemakers from mimicking Italy’s wines very closely.

Most California Sangioveses bear so little resemblance to their Italian cousins, in fact, that fans of Italian wines frequently disparage the California efforts. But Pagli, who works with the grape in both countries, believes that such comparisons are unfair. “Sangiovese has had centuries to adapt itself to the various sites where it grows in Italy. California has a great potential to produce its own Sangiovese, a wine that’s fresher, fruitier and less austere than the great Italian versions like Brunello di Montalcino.”

For some Italian producers, whether California Sangiovese resembles Italian wines or not is of less concern than the fact that the California versions are named for the grape, rather than for the area in which they’re grown. In fact, several Italian wineries now produce a wine called Sangiovese in addition to their traditionally named wines. Most of these new wines are fresher and fruitier in style than is typical in Italy, as if to compete with the California model.

The growth of Sangiovese in California has clearly sparked a cross-fertilization of ideas and tastes that will not end any time soon. As California’s winemakers gain experience with the grape, their stylistic range is likely to expand, and some wines are likely to emerge that more closely resemble Italian wines in their austerity or power.

Even today, dozens of good California Sangioveses are available. In addition to Atlas Peak, Seghesio, Shafer and Swanson, others worth trying include Long Vineyards, Iron Horse, Flora Springs, Charles Krug and Staglin Family Vineyard.

For now, though, the taste of California Sangiovese is unique.

“When I taste California Sangioveses, I admire how wonderful they are to drink,” Cappelli says. “That’s surprising because we’ve had so little experience with the grape. Tremendous potential exists to make really great Sangiovese wines. For now, what we’ve exploited is Sangiovese’s likable character.”