Winemaker Notes
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
Legend has it that the region’s prized red grape, Sangiovese, took its name locally from the rusty, red “Morelli” horses that used to carriage high officials to and from the village of Scansano in the 1700s. Today the region’s most valuable wine, known as Morellino di Scansano, is of a similar blend as Chianti with a minimum of 85% Morellino (Sangiovese) and 15% other local varieties. But Scansano’s hilly, coastal location gives a full-bodied, and more fruit forward and less acid-driven red compared to its inland neighbor.