Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
renewed, but this time more attention was paid
to clonal material, soils, exposures, training
systems, and planting densities.
Sangiovese can produce light, juicy wines
and big, complex ones. For example, in cool
Chianti Classico (where snow is common in the
winter) the best results are obtained by plant-
ing vines on south- and southwest-facing slopes
between 250 and 500 meters of elevation
(though vineyards are planted there from 100
to 550 meters above sea level). At least for now,
anything more ambitious is asking for trouble,
even in these globally warmed times. In Tus-
cany, Sangiovese ripens better in warmer, more
southerly Montalcino than it does in Chianti
Classico, and of course even more in the
Maremma, where a hotter climate and shorter
growing season produce a richer, broader wine,
but where too much alcohol and overripe aro-
mas can be problematic (and where paradig-
matic Sangiovese fi nesse is usually nowhere to
be found). In the latter coastal areas it can also
be subject to damage by late springtime frosts,
because Sangiovese buds early in the season;
therefore, save for lower Maremma, Sangiovese
is not an important player on the Tuscan coast,
where international varieties rule instead. The
best soils for Sangiovese are not very fertile,
well drained, and with minimal water reten-
tion: producers will regulary tell you that the
friable, poor soils of Chianti's
galestro
are prob-
ably the best of all. A touch of limestone is nec-
essary for Sangiovese to express all of its con-
siderable charm and refi nement, but soils
richer in clay can also deliver intriguing wines.
As a general rule, though, heavy clay soil is for
Merlot, not Sangiovese.
Cool climates, characterized by large day-
night temperature differences, and long grow-
ing seasons are essential, but warm summers
and falls are just as necessary for Sangiovese to
reach optimal ripeness. Planting Sangiovese
vines at densities of 5,000-7,000 plants per
hectare may be optimal, compared to the tradi-
tional 2,700-3,300 in the past, which usually
gives wines that lack concentration. In Montal-
cino, most tests have shown that 5,000 is the
right number and yields need to be low (for
example, no more than 1.5 kilograms of fruit
per plant. Sangiovese can adapt to various
training and pruning systems. Maurizio Cas-
telli and Andrea Machetti, who work together at
the famous Montalcino estate Mastrojanni,
now owned by the Illy family of coffee fame,
believe Guyot is the best option. Machetti says,
“A double Guyot reduced to three buds per side,
that almost looks like a fork, reduces bunches
and makes it easier to select the best-looking
grapes come harvesttime. On the other hand,
the spur cordon system produces wines that I
feel age faster, after about fi fteen years in the
bottle.” Castelli adds simply that all the world's
greatest wines are made with grapes trained by
the Guyot system. Rootstocks vary, but 420A is
most commonly used, especially as it keeps
Sangiovese's vigor in check. The 775 Paulsen is
a good choice of rootstock when Sangiovese is
planted on clay, as it reduces the tannic weight
of the wines. Rootstocks like SO4 and Kober B5
allow too much vigor. Where there isn't any risk
of extended drought, less vigorous rootstocks
(161/49, 101-14) are employed, especially with
a high-density plantation. The 110R is used
where there is the need of higher drought toler-
ance, while in more diffi cult conditions use of
1103 Paulsen rootstock is predominant.
At over seventy thousand hectares, Sangio-
vese is the most important cultivar in Italy, and
the sun never seems to set on its popularity.
Today, it represents 11 percent of all grape varie-
ties planted in the country, and it is also one of
the ten most-planted cultivars in the world. In
Italy, Tuscany has the lion's share of the area
devoted to Sangiovese, followed by Puglia,
Emilia-Romagna, and the Marche, with
Umbria, Campania, Basilicata, Abruzzo, Lazio,
Sardinia, Calabria, Molise, and Liguria all
growing it in commercially significant
amounts. In fact, Sangiovese is planted every-
where in Italy save for the northernmost, colder
regions. Sangiovese proves popular outside
Italy too. Though it is less fashionable in Cali-
fornia today than it was in the heady days of
“Cal-Ital” varietal wines, there are still close to
