Varietal
The Sangiovese grape is an ancient varietal indigenous to the Tuscany region of Italy. It is Italy’s most planted grape variety and the base for Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and most of the Super Tuscans. With the advent of Super Tuscan popularity in California in the late 80’s and early 90’s, plantings of Sangiovese have increased substantially. Sangiovese is known for its strong tannins and sturdy structure.

Vintage
Vintage 2002 started wet, even before the calendar said it was 2002 - we almost had our seasonal average of rain before the New Year – with January and February being unusually dry and typically cold. We had light rain at the end of March that slowed down budbreak but without causing any major problems. Unsettled weather through spring kept things interesting. More cool weather in May extended bloom, which could have caused uneven ripening. At the end of May we were about two weeks behind 2001. Veraison began in late July, later than average, but earlier than 1998 and 1999. Moving into the final stages of the growing season we were in pretty good shape considering that our summer had been fairly mild. 2002 was a vintage won in the vineyard, beginning shortly after budbreak with shoot thinning, and on through the season with crop thinning to balance the vines and eliminate any damaged or delayed fruit. This work by our growers allowed us to bring in ripe, uniform, high quality fruit with intense flavors and nice natural acid levels.

Vinification
The lot for this wine was harvested on September 20th, then fermented individually in a small stainless steel fermentor for 11 days. The high skin to juice ratio allowed us to extract maximum flavor from the grapes, while managing good tannin levels. The wine was aged for 18 months in new and older French oak barrels and bottled in March 2004. Alcohol 14.5%, Total acidity .61, pH 3.57, Residual sugar 0.11%.

Tasting Notes
Most Sangiovese produced in California’s coastal districts are closer in style to Italian versions made in the Montalcino zone or on the Maremma coast than those made in Chianti (that is, they are firmer, somewhat richer wines—like this one). It is a supple, full bodied, ripely flavored wine, that is moderately rich, and long on the finish. It tastes of plum, black cherry, toast, oak, and tobacco. Enjoy with coq au vin (chicken and wine casserole), veal scallopine (veal scallops with Marsala sauce), barbecued pork, and beef stew.

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