Hi, this is Suzy again. I’ll try to give you my perspective on Sangiovese. Hopefully, Jim will check in later with his point of view.
As one of you noted, Sangiovese is one of those wines that just “flows” with a meal. You sit down for a meal, and before you know it the bottle of wine is gone. The meal and the wine are meant to compliment each other. Think Tuscany, and you think food & wine. Think feminine – it’s not a knock-you-over, blockbuster wine, but rather one that is flowery, perfumy, wily, enchanting. [Chianti wines are made from the Sangiovese grape – sometimes 100% Sangiovese, in the earlier days a blend with mostly Sangiovese. In fact, Sangiovese is the most widely planted varietal in Italy.]
In our particular case, we were searching for a grape varietal that would grow well in our environment, that we liked, and that was different from what everyone else was doing. It took a year of trying Italian and Rhone wines for dinner every night (poor us!) before we settled on Sangiovese. We feel we have the perfect environment for growing this grape. And, we strive to make it as true to varietal character as we can. Sangiovese is our passion.
I don’t often put a lot of stock in awards or reviews, but I do feel that when wines consistently receive awards and good reviews, that does say something. And, our Sangiovese consistently receives awards at local and national competitions (about 85-90% of the time) and consistently receives praise from the critics.
Somebody was asking about tasting notes. Here is what Dan Berger (wine critic, chief judge of several major competions, previously wine editor of LA Times) recently had to say about our 2003 Noceto Sangiovese:
“EXCEPTIONAL … The best Chianti-styled Sangiovese in California … perfect varietal of crisp red berry fruit, tart, with the perfect level of fruit and acid. If other California producers are making a heavier, darker wine, their fruit is in the wrong place. Or they’re asking too much of the grape.”
This is the type of review we consistently get – crediting us for being the best California Chianti-style Sangiovese.