To say my dad and I have been obsessed with Sangiovese would be quite an
understatement. As we celebrate the phenomenal 2023 vintage for our Sangiovese
wines, I thought it appropriate to review our history with Tuscany’s grape.
Dad and Linda began visiting family in Tuscany in 1980. They quickly decided that
traveling to Italy was THE vacation for them, subsequently visiting Italy another 60
times. Throughout the 80’s dad would rave about the modern, high-quality Chianti
Classicos and Brunello Di Montalcinos. Shortly after purchasing 20 acres in Dry Creek
Valley (1990), Jess Jackson (Kendall Jackson winery founder) toured the property with
my dad. George told Jess that what he REALLY wanted to plant was Sangiovese.
Jess, being a confident, proactive guy said he could get dad Sangiovese vines from a
vineyard east of Napa. My dad had no idea what kind of Sangiovese clone he was
getting —he was just thrilled to be growing his beloved Tuscan grape. Turns out, the
clone was Sangiovese Grosso, which is used to make full-bodied Brunello Di
Montalcino.
Planted in 1992, we began home winemaking Sangiovese in 1995 and 1996 with Great
Expectations, only to find out that like the iconic Dicken’s novel, reward and value would
come from the process, not instant success. The wine pretty much sucked. It was light-
colored, vegetal, bitter, and lacked fruit. Nothing like the better producers in Chianti and
Montalcino. What gives?
Around the time, Pierro Antinori was struggling to make high quality Sangiovese from a
vineyard in Napa’s Atlas Peak. The wine was so underwhelming it almost single-
handedly ruined the reputation for Sangiovese grown in California. They likely had
mixed results from young-vine Sangiovese.
Contrary to folks like Antinori, who replanted their Sangiovese to Cabernet, we were
determined to give it our best shot. After visiting our favorite winemakers in Tuscany
(Isole e Olena and Siro Pacenti), we learned that young vine Sangiovese, especially
when planted to a vigorous rootstock like 110-R, produces far too much fruit to make
serious wine. This prompted us to manage the crop level and separate certain vineyard
sections, such as the West Terrace, in pursuit of making more classic, “serious”
Sangiovese. The West Terrace is on a steep, east-facing slope that receives the bulk of
its daily sunlight in the morning, when the temperatures are cooler. Once we made this
section as a separate wine, we never looked back. It was and remains our most
compelling expression of a mono-varietal Sangiovese.
In 2007, we planted 2 acres to two Sangiovese clones (our original Sangiovese grosso
and VR6) in densely spaced block, on a low vigor rootstock called 420-A, which is
preferred by many quality producers in Tuscany. The original clone vines now produce
our second most compelling Sangiovese, which we bottle separately, simply labelling it
Sangiovese.
In 2013 we planted another acre of Sangiovese to the original clone on 420-A rootstock.
Since 2016 this has been the core of our Segromigno. It produces dark and intensely
fruity Sangiovese. At this age it has yet to generate the kind of complexity and structure
of our two best blocks. All in good time, we hope. 2023 was the best vintage for this and
our other “fruit forward” blocks of Sangiovese that we use for Segromigno. The 2023
Segromigno only has 20% Montepulciano. We have had 30 to 50% MP in previous
years.
Additional information:
Chianti 2000 was a major 16-year, late-1980s initiative by the Consorzio to modernize
Tuscany’s viticulture, resulting in 24 superior Sangiovese clones and improved vineyard
techniques. It raised the bar for contemporary Tuscan Sangiovese through modern
viticulture methods designed to improve the quality of Sangiovese in Chianti.
Modern viticulture for Sangiovese in Tuscany, particularly for Chianti Classico and
Brunello, emphasizes site-specific terroir expression, advanced clonal selection, and
sustainable, organic practices. Key techniques include high-density planting (5,000 to
meticulous canopy management for airflow, lower yields per vine, and reduced reliance
on chemical fertilizers to manage the grape’s natural thin-skinned vulnerability to rot.
Key aspects of modern Sangiovese viticulture in Tuscany include:
Clonal Selection & Genetic Diversity: Moving away from high-yielding, low-
quality clones to diverse, high-quality, and lower-yielding clones that produce
smaller, more concentrated berries.
Vineyard Management:
o Canopy Management: Rigorous leaf stripping and shoot positioning are
crucial to prevent mildew, especially due to Sangiovese’s susceptibility to
gray rot.
o Density: Modern, high-density plantings (often vertical shoot positioning)
force the vine to struggle, increasing fruit concentration.
o Sustainability/Organic Focus: A significant shift towards organic,
biodynamic, or sustainable farming to improve soil health and ensure
better phenolic maturity.
Terroir Focus: A move towards understanding specific soil types (e.g., galestro,
alberese/limestone) to match clones and rootstocks, aiming for elegance and
transparency rather than heavy, extracted, over-oaked styles.
Yield Control: Strict green harvesting (thinning out bunches during summer) to
ensure the remaining grapes achieve optimal, uniform ripeness, critical for
Sangiovese.
These modern techniques aim to balance the variety’s inherent high acidity and tannins
with fruit-forward, structured, and complex wines, often using 100% Sangiovese,
especially for premium wines like Brunello di Montalcino and high-end Chianti Classico.