Winemaker Notes
Pair with hand-made pasta, pigeon ravioli with rosemary and red wine sauce, roasts, grilled steak, or mature cheese.
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.
The hilly, eastern side of Emilia-Romagna is now separated into 12 subzones defined by elevation and soil types. Within these, vine growers are starting to differentiate ideal locations for high quality Sangiovese as well as Albana, the region’s white grape. Albana has proven itself via the finer passito and botrytized versions; dry versions are also making a name for themselves.