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Catching Up to Chianti — Part 1

© Alan Boehmer

The Story of California Sangiovese

Even if you never read The Silence of the Lambs you've probably heard of Chianti. Perhaps you remember those straw fiascos which used to adorn the cielings of Italian restaurants. The best Chianti (Chianti Classico) always came in standard Bordeaux bottles, and that's probably what you ordered to accompany your Italian dinner.

Chianti has enjoyed a long and distinguished history. If you've never tasted a really fine one, do so. It stands with fine Spanish Rioja as one of the most useful red wines to accompany a wide range of foods - Italian, Spanish and otherwise.

Chianti was the first "designer" wine. It's always been made according to a formula aimed at perfecting the base varietal, Sangiovese. The Chianti formula is controlled by the Italian government, so if a winemaker doesn't follow the rules, he can't use the name Chianti. To make Chianti, we start with a good Sangiovese. This varietal, by nature, is all about the middle. It's medium ruby in color, medium in body, and a bit round in flavor. According to the rules, it needs a supporting cast of other red and white varietals. Canaiolo, for example, is added in small amounts to deepen the color and strengthen the body; air-dried Malvasia Bianca is added to contribute aromatics and complexity; Trebbiano (an austere white wine) is added for brightness. All this fuss can lead to a wine that is extraordinary, not because it's over the top or overly substantial, but because it has achieved the Golden Mean.

Some Italian Sangioveses are allowed to stand alone without benefit of blending. These are the Brunellos and Vino Nobiles from regions south of the Chianti appellation. These are the wines that California wineries are attempting to emulate by producing pure varietal Sangiovese. But we are faced with the same problems in California as in Italy: The Sangiovese varietal often requires small amounts of other wines to flesh it out. To our knowledge, no California winery is attempting a true Chianti style blend. Most often, we find California Sangioveses blended with touches of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah; occasionally Zinfandel finds its way into the blend.

Sangiovese has had a difficult time in California. First, we needed to figure out how best to grow and vinify it; and then we needed to learn how to market it to consumers accustomed to overstatement. It has never done very well in reviews, in spite of the fact that over a hundred California wineries are producing it. The problem is that Sangiovese, like most other Italian red table wines, does not shine as a stand alone wine - a specimen to be admired for what it is. Like a well-designed aircraft, it's awkward on the ground, but graceful in its element. Sangiovese's element is the dinner table. There it shines. Like the wings of an aircraft, Sangiovese has arms which reach out to embrace the flavors of foods. It's like a civilized Pinot Noir, always striving to complement, never to upstage.