Sangiovese, a Tuscan Homie

My vote for the most agreeable all-around table wine grape generally goes to Sangiovese, especially as expressed in the top three wines of Tuscany: Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino. Not only do they go with all kinds of food, they make all kinds of food taste better.

The initial appeal of Tuscan wines is largely in juicy fruit with bright acidity, succulent berry flavors that have a distinctive note of dried sour cherries and a slightly raspy, palate-cleansing texture. But there’s more to it than that. Beyond their sunny Italian charm, the best wines of Tuscany demonstrate the capacity of Sangiovese, Italy’s most widely-planted red grape, to express a dazzling array of nuances depending on where it’s grown. Sangiovese is one of the world’s great terroir-talking wines.

That makes the annual tasting of new vintages in Tuscany an especially exciting event. In the last few years, it’s been even more so, because vintages in the late 1990s were very, very good to Sangiovese.

They were good for Merlot, too. And believe it or not, that’s increasingly important in Tuscany, now that producers in Chianti Classico and Montepulciano are allowed to include nonnative grapes such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in their blends.

Until recently, most producers have remained staunchly committed to Sangiovese and the other Tuscan homies, Canaiolo and Colorino. But the ranks have been swaying lately in the direction of prospective profits from an expanding global wine market that wants nothing more than rich wines with forward fruit.

Chianti currently exports two-thirds of its annual production, which means fierce competition from fruity Californian, Chilean and Australian renditions of international varietals. Montepulciano’s rapidly expanding production is also increasingly aimed at export. So more and more producers in both areas are succumbing to the charms of international varieties such as Merlot in their blends--but not always with an easy conscience.

Thus an air of controversy surrounded this year’s spring tastings in Tuscany. Even as the newly released wines were being presented, producers were debating their character and authenticity.

Should Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot become part of Tuscan wine character? Should modern techniques such as irrigation, with the higher yields and blurring of vintage distinctions that are among the likely results, be allowed? Are regional character and globalization necessarily opposed? Those were among the issues raised at a conference hosted by the Chianti Classico Consortium in Sienna.

The progressive view in this heated debate was championed by Angelo Gaja, who is known as a modernist in his native Barbaresco and has recently begun producing wines in Tuscany’s Montalcino and seaside Maremma districts. “Why should vines stay in one place?” he asked passionately. “Why should Cabernet Sauvignon stay in Bordeaux? We have a wealth of geographical conditions in Italy, which gives us the opportunity to produce wines of character and quality from many different grapes--our native varieties, blends of native and international varieties, and the international varieties alone.”

Gaja was expressing a popular viewpoint in Tuscany. Why be limited to the so-called authentic varieties when the region offers superb locations for international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay?

Traditionalists argue that the region can be modern without losing its regional character, which derives largely from the Sangiovese grape. In fact, they say, tying their image to native grapes and terroir is increasingly necessary as international wines become more homogeneous.

Riccardo Ricci Curbastro, enologist at his family’s Capriolo estate in Franciacorta (Lombardy), insisted on the importance of maintaining distinctive regional character. “We can only compete in quality linked to terroir,” he said. “The ancient Romans already loved to classify wines according to the production site. They knew wines from different areas had different characteristics. Thanks to this rich historical past, we have one of the richest plant banks in the world. Every Italian village has different wines, different beans, different agricultural products.”

Ironically, it was California winemaker Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards who spoke most eloquently on behalf of tradition. Pointing out the danger inherent in the leveling effect of industrial winemaking and mass marketing on wine quality, he said, “Diversity, distinctiveness and the highest quality are sacrificed as the connection to terroir and the natural process is lost. Wine has been the central symbol for transformation in the Western world from the dawn of civilization. For many people living in the modern world of glass, concrete, and conditioned air, it is consciously or unconsciously a connection to the earth and the seasons, to nature. As wine becomes just another industrial product, we risk losing that vital connection.”

There was no debate about the general quality of the wines currently on the table. The recent Sangiovese-based wines of Chianti Classico, Montepulciano and Montalcino are, collectively, the best ever. They reflect not only the excellent 1997-2000 growing seasons in west-central Italy but an evolution that has been in progress since the introduction of quality-oriented wine production laws in 1966.

Most of the evolution has been a straightforward, if extremely challenging, upgrading of vineyards and wineries to bring them into the front rank of the world’s top wine-producing regions. Every aspect of Tuscan wine, from clones and rootstocks to fermentation and aging technology, has been scrutinized. Every aspect of production has been upgraded.

In effect, one of the oldest wine regions on the planet has reinvented itself in the dawn of the 21st century. As panelist Curbastro pointed out, “Yes, Sangiovese could be considered a local variety. But it has become interesting on a worldwide level, so it’s an international variety too.”

In a sense, the most important part of evolution is just getting started. All the significant practical matters have been addressed. Now, it’s time to debate the philosophy and metaphysics of wine, an activity in which the Italian soul rejoices.

As Gaja noted, “The state of confusion that reigns in Italy at the moment is not terribly negative. Italians manage to find pearls in confusion.”

I, for one, hope that the Tuscan pearls continue to be dark red and hang in tight little bunches on Sangiovese vines.

*

Smith is writer-at-large for Wine & Spirits magazine.