From Tuscany, Sangiovese Like Never Before

It’s been barely a decade since the Tuscan wine community began to reinvent itself. In a remarkable show of collective resolve, the group of passionate individualists known as Italians came together to upgrade their wineries while replanting their vineyards to best express the Tuscan treasure, Sangiovese.

Virtually overnight--on viticulture’s slo-mo time scale--one of the world’s oldest and most traditional wine regions became one of the newest and hippest. And by happy coincidence, the first results of the make-over came during a string of superb growing seasons from 1997 to 2001.

In other words, the best Sangiovese-based wines in history are now landing on our shores. Just the color of these wines is enough to whet the appetite--and then you raise the glass.

An outstanding red wine should have an inviting aroma with more complexity than just the smell of ripe grapes and wood; a stimulating tannic texture within overall smoothness; a harmonious impression in the mouth; fine balance leaning slightly toward acidity; and a long, clean aftertaste that repeats the foregoing impressions in a more ethereal form, like a dream.

That could generally describe any number of reds from the world’s foremost wine regions. But get a little more specific in some of the sensory elements--for example, mingle the scent of violets into the perfume and plug sour-cherry candy and a hint of licorice into the fruit section--and it’s a pretty good description of Sangiovese.

The outstanding Tuscan Sangioveses come primarily from three zones, each with its own distinctive qualities. Chianti Classico is the classical Sangiovese area between Florence and Siena. Montepulciano is the center of another area in the mountains southeast of Siena. And the warm, dry slopes surrounding Montalcino, south of Siena in the rain-shadow of Mt. Amiata, are home to the biggest, longest-lived Sangioveses.

The Chianti Classico producers now are showing off wonderful 2000s and ’99 Riservas, most in the $12-to-$25 range, including many sleek beauties with polished tannins, succulent flavors and wonderful wood-violet and rose petal perfumes.

Actually, those are my specific tasting notes for the Badia a Coltibuono Riserva ‘99, but it’s a good picture of what to expect from any number of other ‘99s, such as Canonica a Cerreto, Castello di Fonterutoli, Castello di Verrazzano, Melini and Tenuta di Bibbiano.

The ancient hilltop fortress of Montepulciano is offering 2000 Rossos and ’99 Vino Nobiles, and they are exceptional values--few exceed $25. The local name for Sangiovese in the vineyards around Montepulciano is Prugnolo. A decade of viticultural research in Tuscany has revealed that Prognolo is a distinct clone of Sangiovese that yields characteristic wines, just as the Brunello clone of Sangiovese does in the Montalcino vineyards. (Confusion control note: Another Tuscan wine called Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is unrelated; it’s made from a grape called Montepulciano around the village of Abruzzo. Go figure.)

These wines are more rustic than Chianti Classicos, and that’s a good thing. The altitude and dry climate of Montepulciano produce riper Sangioveses that show more of a dried-fruit character, concentrated in the black cherry, blackberry and licorice realm. Sometimes there’s a smoky, leathery undertone, too, which is a perfect foil for barbecue flavors.

Best of all is the sensuous tannin. Slightly rough without being abrasive, it gently scours the palate of rich flavors such as olive oil and leaves it fresh for the next bite.

Look for Rossos such as La Calonica, Vecchia Cantina, Le Casalte and La Braccesca. But seek out ’99 Vino Nobiles, too.

Poliziano, for example, has amazing color and flavor, richness and elegance. Also impressive are La Calonica, La Ciarliana, Poderi Boscarelli and Canneto (if you like oak, this silky beauty is for you).

Red-wine fans love Rosso di Montalcino, the younger version of Brunello. And the 2000 Rossos are fantastic. For all their lip-smacking slurpiness, they have plenty of structure and nearly chewable tannins. Banfi is a good example: Bright-red, packed with sunny fruit and firm on the palate, it’s like a super-Beaujolais. (Note to self: Buy several cases, serve with pizza.)

The big revelation is the ravishing beauty of the ’97 Brunello di Montalcinos, as a group the best Brunellos ever. These are the most regal Sangioveses that Tuscany has to offer. The warm climate and tannic Brunello clones conspire to produce powerful wines that require longer aging before release. As a group, these are worth the wait (and, arguably, worth a price tag typically exceeding $50 a bottle).

Tenuta di Sesta, for example. This astonishing Brunello is one of the wines I’m sometimes tempted to describe with such anthropomorphic terms as “insouciant,” or even “insolent.” The wine has a personality, and it’s definitely my type. It’s not just deep and powerful, but rolls through the mouth like a convoy of Ferraris at cruising speed.

Then there’s Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s remarkable Prime Donne, a proprietary bottling by one of the most dynamic women in the Italian wine world. In fact, her entire team, from cellar to marketing, is made up of women. The Colombini Brunello ’97 is truly majestic in the depth of its dark, clear flavors and sensual tannins.

And let us not neglect the rapidly expanding class of Sangiovese-based blends that incorporates nontraditional grapes. It includes some of the most expensive Tuscan wines, such as Antinori’s Tignanello, a New World-ish blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.

But you don’t have to spend a bundle. Look for scrumptious 2000s for around $10 such as Antinori’s Santa Cristina, a lovely Sangiovese-Merlot blend produced at the same estate as Tignanello, and Capezzana Conti Contini, entirely Sangiovese and entirely tasty.