Sangiovese

After the difficult 2023, 2024 presented a different challenge: rainy spring, dry midsummer, then eight days of rain in September just before the harvest. Not a vintage for comfort. Siro Pacenti – with his clearly defined plots, old vines in the Pelagrilli clay loam and the determined craftsmanship of Giancarlo Pacenti – selected more than usual this year in order to preserve what is typical.

Mastrojannis' rich and concentrated Rosso di Montalcino offers a dark, alluring bouquet of sweet herbs, menthol and tobacco, which blend with notes of dried cherries and redcurrants. It soothes with a deep, silky texture, which gives way to tart red berries and piquant spices, underpinned by a lively acidity. It finishes with a balsamic note, featuring a hint of tart citrus and sweet, polished tannins that beautifully round off the experience. SUPERIORE.DE

Very rarely do even the traditionalists relax their strict rules. Fuligni, synonymous with classic Brunello di Montalcino for over a century, has taken a step with this rosato that surprises and enchants – and enchants. Only around a thousand bottles of this Sangiovese rosé are produced, which grows on the north-eastern slopes of Montalcino, where the family has cultivated its vineyards since the beginning of the 20th century. Maria Flora Fuligni, who has managed the estate with philosophical calm since 1971, was guided by the joy of experimentation. The vinification follows the classic Rosato method: short maceration, gentle pressing, temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel.

Six kilometres southwest of Montalcino, on calcareous clay soil at an altitude of around 130 metres, lies the Tenuta Pian delle Vigne – has been owned by the Marchesi Antinori since 1995 and has been their personal interpretation of one of Tuscany's biggest names ever since. The 2023 vintage came with a wet spring and a warm, dry summer – a season that demanded patience and rewarded fruit. Harvested from 11 September, by hand, healthy and aromatic. Pure Sangiovese, fermented in stainless steel, matured for twelve months in large wooden barrels: this is intentional, not a compromise. The wine should remain fresh, mineral and easy to drink. And it succeeds very well.

Lamole. Giovanni Manetti has long regarded this zone as one of the most distinctive in Chianti Classico. At an altitude of 620 metres, far from the heart of the region, a few plots of old Sangiovese vines survived the wave of deforestation in the 1970s. Giovanni took cuttings from these Alberello vines from the 1920s to grow his own vines in Panzano: the foundation for Fontodi's quality. This wine is made from seven hectares of Macigno sandstone, whose loose, permeable structure ensures elegance and finesse. Cool nights, long growing season, south-south-west exposure. The sandy soils give the Sangiovese a lightness that is clearly different from the powerful wines from Panzano. Vinification in concrete, certified organic.

What is in this glass does not come from separate, less highly regarded plots, but exclusively from grapes classified for the Brunello itself – Rosso di Montalcino is an earlier, more immediate expression of the same noble material, not a separate, lesser category. The same transparency and the same tension that characterise the estate's great wines are found here in a sleeker, more direct form.

Gualtiero Morellino di Scansano Riserva from Morisfarms shows why this traditional family winery is a firm favourite in the Maremma. The cuvée is predominantly based on Sangiovese (Morellino), supplemented by small proportions of international varieties. The vines grow on sun-drenched hills between the Tyrrhenian coast and the cool foothills of Monte Amiata, whose clay and sandy soils lend the wine fruit and structure. Careful manual harvesting was followed by temperature-controlled fermentation, after which the Riserva matured for 12 months in a combination of barriques and large wooden barrels to harmoniously combine elegance and complexity.

Standing in the shadow of great Brunellos is not an easy fate. The San Jacopo knows this fate – and makes the best of it. Fuligni himself calls it a "variation on the theme of Sangiovese", and that is exactly what it is: an elegant deviation from the strict rules, an experiment with freedom. 85% Sangiovese, obtained from younger clones from the various vineyards, meets 15% Merlot from the Bandita estate, where the tuff and clay soils are favourable to the international grape variety. Paolo Vagaggini, Fuligni's Oenologist for decades, vinifies the grapes separately and then blends them into a harmonious whole. Maturation takes place for around seven months in French tonneaux, which give the wine structure without dominating it.

With the acquisition of Tenuta Le Macioche in 2017, the Cotarella family fulfilled a dream: a foothold in prestigious Montalcino. The Sangiovese vines thrive on just 3.5 hectares in the southern quadrant of Sant'Antimo, where Galestro, slate and clay form the subsoil at an altitude of 450 metres. The name of the estate is derived from the Corbezzolo bushes, whose roots are called "macioca" in the Tuscan dialect – a symbol of deep roots in the terroir. The Rosso di Montalcino is the more accessible brother of Brunello, ready to drink earlier: 100 per cent Sangiovese, fermented in stainless steel after selective hand-picking and then matured for twelve months in Liters tonneaux. The Mediterranean climate with continental influences and the strong thermal fluctuations between day and night give the wine its characteristic aromatic precision.

When a winery uses the same label for its Riserva for over sixty years, it is not a lack of imagination – it is a stance. Castello di Monsanto's Riserva is considered one of Italy's oldest labels still in continuous production. The label was around even before Chianti Classico became an appellation. It has survived decades and changing fashions – and it encapsulates what Monsanto stands for: a deep-rooted commitment to Sangiovese. The estate is situated in San Donato in Poggio, the westernmost sub-region of Chianti Classico, at an altitude of 280 to 320 metres. Galestro – a slate-rich, barren and mineral-laden soil – is the ground in which the Sangiovese vines from four vineyards take root.

Petra – the name means "stone" and symbolises the solidity with which Vittorio and Francesca Moretti are realising their Tuscan project in the Maremma. The winery was only opened in 2003 and was designed by Swiss star architect Mario Botta as a circular masterpiece. While perlage reigns supreme in Franciacorta (near Bellavista), it is the great red wines of the Val di Cornia that attract international attention here. Alto is Petra's monovarietal answer to the question of what Sangiovese is capable of achieving in this iron-rich, Mediterranean terroir. Experimental research meets Tuscany's oldest grape variety. The grapes are hand-picked and vinified according to the principle of gravity – mechanical stress is consistently avoided. The wine is matured in oak barrels, followed by further ageing in the bottle.

Canalicchio di Sopras Rosso di Montalcino comes mainly from the vineyards of the Cru Canalicchio with soils that have a pronounced clay component and are very rich in intermediate elements such as magnesium, iron and manganese. Depending on the vintage and climate, a small proportion may also come from the Cru Montosoli, where the presence of marl ensures juiciness and minerality.

Rossofonte is no ordinary Rosso. It is a rigorous selection from a single vineyard, as close to Brunello as the appellation allows. Since the first vintage (2014), it has shown what Sangiovese can achieve in Castelnuovo dell'Abate if it is given time and attention. Hand-picked grapes, extended ageing in Slavonian oak barrels. Wild cherry, ripe berries, balsamic notes of tobacco, cedar wood, mint and lavender on the nose. On the palate, sweetness and acidity alternate in an elegant interplay, fine, powdery tannins carry the final with nuances of star anise and pink pepper. A convincing and deep Rosso with Brunello ambitions. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1971, Giovanni Neri bought Podere Casanova, east of Montalcino – a grain merchant from Montevarchi, fascinated by the austerity of the Sangiovese grape, these hills and their unpredictability. What he could not have known was that his son Giacomo, his grandson Gianlorenzo and his family would go on to establish one of the most distinctive estates in the entire appellation from these slopes. The Rosso di Montalcino is their first expression. 100% Sangiovese, a massale selection from their own vines – not a clone, but a genetic fingerprint of the estate. Spontaneous fermentation, 18 days' maceration, 12 months' ageing in wood. 2024 was a fresh, structured vintage in Montalcino, with good acidity and clear fruit – the Rosso carries it off with ease.

Wine has been produced here since 1051 – initially by monks, and since 1846 by the Stucchi Prinetti family, now in its seventh generation. Badia a Coltibuono, the "Abbey of the Good Harvest", was the first leading winery in Chianti to switch entirely to organic cultivation. The Riserva is made from massalblend of Sangiovese and historic complementary varieties such as Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo, grown on the highest hills near Gaiole. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, three weeks' contact with the skins, followed by 24 months in French and Austrian oak barrels. The 2021 vintage benefited from a cool year with late frosts – lower yields, but concentrated quality.

Between the hills of Gaiole and Radda in Chianti, at an altitude of 460 to 525 metres, lies one of the most extraordinary wine estates in Tuscany. Since 1982, Marco Pallanti and Lorenza Sebasti have shaped the fortunes of Castello di Ama – a winemaking couple who have helped Chianti Classico achieve worldwide recognition. "Ama" was created in 2010 with the introduction of the Gran Selezione as an independent line and represents the essence of the estate's younger Sangiovese clones. Made from 96% Sangiovese and 4% Merlot, the wine comes from densely planted vineyards on chalky, clayey soils. The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand, fermented spontaneously with natural yeasts and matured for twelve months in second-use barriques.

In 1090, while Leif Erikson was discovering America and the first universities in Europe were being established, two friends of Abbot Rolando paid "two capons, three loaves of bread and six silver denarii from Lucca" for the annual lease of a vineyard in the divine valley of Dievole. Nine hundred (Novecento) years later, in 1990, this wine was created as a reminiscence of the incredible journey through the centuries. The grapes thrive between 300 and 420 metres above sea level on stony soils of marl, limestone and galestro. The vines, which are on average 15 years old and cultivated organically as in the early days of this domain, undergo a 14-day spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in cement vats before maturing for 18 months in large, unroasted French Allier oak barrels.

Whilst most labels feature Sting's songs, this Chianti Riserva bears the name of another artist: Trudie Styler, producer of cult films such as *Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels* and the Oscar-winning *Still Alice*, and founder of Maven Pictures, which promotes female directing talent. "La Regista" – the female director – is her wine-loving signature, and just like in a great film, every detail here is spot on. Pure Sangiovese from the biodynamically farmed slopes around Figline Valdarno, twelve days on the skins, fourteen months' ageing in large wooden barrels.

It was Luigi Veronelli, the Italian wine revolutionary of the 1960s and 1970s, who convinced Francesco Giuntini that exceptional single-vineyard wines deserve a voice of their own. Of all the old poderi from the mezzadria era, Bucerchiale has always been the finest – a south-west-facing amphitheatre in the cooler heights of Rufina, where Tuscany meets the final foothills of the Apennines. In 1979, Francesco dared to break new ground. Whilst the law still mandated Trebbiano in every Chianti and the wine world prioritised quantity, he produced a defiant challenge made from 100% Sangiovese. A 100% Sangiovese from a single vineyard – a revolutionary act at the time, marking the beginning of the Tuscan Renaissance. In 2022, Vigneto Bucerchiale celebrates its 43rd year and embodies a vision brought to perfection. Spontaneous fermentation in steel tanks at 30–32°C, with 30 days' maceration, allows every nuance of the terroir to unfold before the wine is aged 50% in 25-hl French oak casks and 50% in barriques – only 15% of which are new.

The organically certified Sangiovese grapes for this Chianti Classico are grown in the legendary Conca d'Oro south of Panzano, that amphitheatrical Golden Valley with its unique microclimate of warm days and cool nights. Giovanni Manetti, president of the Consorzio Chianti Classico, vinifies exclusively hand-picked grapes in stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts on the chalky Galestro soils of his 170-hectare Tenuta. After three weeks of maceration, the wine matures for 18 months in French oak barrels of various sizes.