Its claim to fame is its role as the heart of Chianti, Brunello and many Super Tuscan wines though it is gaining ground as a varietal wine around the globe. When grown in a suitable location the grape's soft tannins, succulent acidity and moderately intense cherry and herb flavors make Sangiovese very easy to drink as well as supremely versatile at the dinner table.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangiovese
Our Sangiovese contains supple and ripe fruit aromas of cranberry, strawberry and cherry complemented by cinnamon, nutmeg and cocoa. Juicy strawberry and raspberry jam flavors are followed by a round, viscous finish of caramel, roasted marshmallow and spice. Excellent red fruit vitality is met by good acidity, round, gentle tannins and a lingering finish. Wines made from Sangiovese tend to exhibit the grape's naturally high acidity as well as moderate to high tannin content and moderate color. Blending can have a pronounced effect on enhancing or tempering the wine's quality.
Our vines are farmed in shallow, rocky, low-vigor soil that adds impressive depth and concentration of flavor intensity to the wine. Under ideal conditions one would hope for a mild late spring (to avoid frost damage) and very few summer heat spikes to ensure that the mature vines have a healthy canopy for the grapes, which provides the perfect combination of sunlight and heat penetrating the grape clusters. These conditions allow the grapes to reach full maturity in both flavor and structure.
Sangiovese's high acidity and moderate alcohol makes it a very food-friendly wine when it comes to food and wine pairings. One of the classic pairings in Italian cuisine is tomato-based pasta and pizza sauces with a Sangiovese-based Chianti. The modern day influx of diverse styles, ranging from traditional Chianti to Super Tuscans and fruit-forward New World Sangiovese does make knowing what style of wine you have of premier importance in deciding your pairing options. Varietal Sangiovese or those with a smaller proportion of the powerful, full-bodied Cabernet blended in, can accentuate the flavors of relatively bland dishes like meatloaf and roast chicken. Herb seasoning such as basil, thyme and sage play off the herbal notes of the grapes. Our wine is made in the new-world fruit forward style, and cannot be directly compared to the Chianti of Italy.
Our vinyard has three blocks of Sangiovese grapes. The terrace block faces west and and there is a lower bowl below the terraces named Block 4. A road leading to one of the irrigation pond separates Block 5 which is above the road and across from Block 4. In total there are 5.5 acres of Sangiovese. The vines were planted on 110R and 101-14 rootstock using a suitcase clone imported from Italy by others in the mid-1990. The vines are layed-out using a VSP trellis system with spacing at 5 foot between plants and 9 feet between rows, with the exception of Block 4 which has 6 x 10 lyre trellis. All vines are drip irrigated.