Sangiovese and Chianti
/Lovers of Italian food and wine are familiar with Chianti, the wine, and Chianti, the region. Some of Italy’s best wines come from Chianti made with the Sangiovese grape. This wasn’t always true.
Back in the 1960s and ‘70s, Chianti was dismissed as plonk (British slang for cheap wine). iI was the cheap, insipid wine that came in straw flasks (fiascos in Italian) and was typically found in American pizza joints that had checkered tablecloths. The empty bottles often became candle holders.
During the years of the appropriately named fiasco, Chianti deserved its bad reputation. After WWII, many vintners had fled to the U.S., and the area suffered from a lack of talent and bad wine management (seeking higher yields instead of quality yields) for a couple of decades. The quality was considered so low that, for awhile, the government required that Chianti be blended with two white wine grapes, Malvasia and Trebbiano. Some vintners even imported large quantities of Sicilian red and illegally bottled it as Chianti.
Quality returned to the area in the 1970s with the implementation and enforcement of higher standards and techniques. A Chianti’s grapes have to be grown in a defined part of Tuscany, primarily around Florence and Siena, and include 70% Sangiovese grapes. That Chianti receives a DOC classification on the label (Denominazione di Origine Controllata). Chianti Classico is the higher level of classification and must be made with 80% Sangiovese, and requires a minimum of 24 months of maturation, most of that in oak barrels. Classico receives the DOCG classification on the label (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita). The bottles are also recognizable by the black rooster on a pink label (gallo nero) on the bottle neck.
Some of the top producers in the area, notably Angelo Gaja (who originally had vineyards in the Piedmont making Barolo and Barbaresco) and Piero Antinori, resolved to make wines of distinction and rebelled against the rigid Chianti standards of 70-80% Sangiovese and created what became known as Super Tuscans. These wines blended Sangiovese with Cabernet and/or Merlot according to the wine maker’s tastes and were not eligible for the Chianti designation. However, their quality caught on with wine writers and critics, and soon became wildly popular with wine lovers - at least those who could afford the prices these special wines commanded. Antinori created Tignanello, the most well-known and one of the most expensive. I shared a bottle with friends in Italy a few years ago and it was sublime (I’ll leave the snooty wine adjectives to wine writers).
Despite the success of the Super Tuscans, Sangiovese is synonymous with Chianti, where quality Classico and Riserva are still wildly popular.
Italian immigrants brought the vines to California in the late 1800s, where they probably were first planted by the Seghesio family in Napa. Sangiovese can be a difficult grape, flourishing in the limestone soil of Tuscany, but not always doing well with hot climates in other locations.
It does well in the foothills of the Sierras in Amador and Calaveras County in California and in the valleys of Washington, notably Columbia and Walla Walla. American Sangiovese has a slightly different characteristic than the Italian varietal. Flavors from California or Washington Sangiovese show spicy and tart cherry, red current and anise.
The new M’tucci’s Sangiovese is from the Columbia Valley in Washington. It and the new M’tucci’s Bianco (80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Gruner Veltliner) will be available in all locations in the next week or so.
“I think it’s a really nice offering. We had a lot of great results with the Montepulciano, but unfortunately that won’t be available much longer, due to some pretty small harvests the last couple years. We wanted to continue down the path of Italian varietals and felt like this Sangiovese was very expressive, like the Montepulciano. It's a really, really nice food wine that I think will pair very well with a large part of our menus at all locations,” said M’tucci’s President John Haas.
Local winemaker Sean Sheehan took part in the tasting of the Sangiovese and the blending of he Bianco with John and Austin and made the following tasting notes:
Bianco: Ripe Guava, Grapefruit, mineral, and lemon mingle with notes of lime zest on both the nose and palate.
Sangiovese: The nose of our Sangiovese is packed with notes of dried red cherry and violets. On the palate it expands to include deeper black cherry notes, as well as a subtle earthiness, and long refined tannins.
Five Course Pairing Dinner with Ex Novo Brewing & M’tucci’s Twenty-Five
Thursday, September 15 @ 6:30
Menu will be posted on M’tucci’s Twenty-Five Facebook page next week. The dinner will feature The Most Interesting Lager in the World, Perle Haggard, Phantaztic Hazy IPA., wet hopped Mass Ascension IPA, Puff Puff Passion (a Passionfruit Sour) and Sons of Scotland Scotch Ale.
Experience the ambiance and superb cocktails at Teddy Roe’s Bar
Reservations Required - Click here to make one.
Weekend Specials
M’tucci’s Italian
Ravioli - Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli: Crawfish/Ricotta filling, Shrimp, Lobster, Asparagus, Heirloom Tomatoes, Vodka Sauce with Pesto Breadcrumbs and Lemon Zest $29
14 oz Ribeye: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $37
Pan-Seared California White Sea Bass: Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Grilled Artichokes, Lemon Caper Sauce $33
Braise - Sackett Farms Pork Shank Braised in Red Wine, Salt Water Potatoes, Roasted Red Pepper, Caramelized Onions and Spinach $31
Weekend Cocktail
Ginger Swirl - Novo Fogo Cachaca, Intense Ginger, Fresh Lemon, Simple Syrup, Muddled Fresh Ginger
M’tucci’s Moderno
14 oz. Ribeye - Traditional Italian Salsa Verde, Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, & Grilled Asparagus $39
Pan-Seared Norwegian Sea Trout- Roasted Artichoke, Braised Escarole, Mashed Potatoes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce, & Smoked Prosciutto Powder $29
Tortellini Francesa - Mushrooms, Roasted Carrots, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Garlic Demi Glace $19
Weekend Cocktail
Cappeletti Margarita - Deleon Tequila, Cappeletti, Fresh Lime Juice, Simple Syrup
M’tucci’s Twenty-Five
24 oz. Hand-Cut Porterhouse - Grilled Broccolini, Whipped Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Blackberry bone Marrow Butter $41
Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Stem on Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Butter Caper Sauce $26
Spicy Scallops - Blackened Baby Scallops, Roasted Artichokes, Caramelized Onion, Marinated Tomatoes, Capellini Pasta with Pesto Breadcrumbs $20
Weekend Cocktail
Bomb Bye Sour- Bramble Bombay Gin, Creme de Cassis, Fresh Lemon Juice, Honey and Egg White
M’tucci’s Bar Roma
Pan-Seared Monkfish - Garlic Whipped Mashed Potatoes, Braised Arugula, Garlic, Pan-Seared Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $31
Five Cheese Ravioli - Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, Seared Beef Tips, Porcini Brodo with Fresh Herbs $25
12 oz Bone-In Veal Chop - Creamy Risotto, Fresh Mushroom Herb Sauce $37
Weekend Cocktail
Sticky Situation - Gosling Rum, Whistlepig Maple Syrup, Peychaud Bitters
Live Music for September
M’tucci’s Bar Roma - Wed 6:30-8:30. Sunday noon-2pm
9/4 Rob Martinez
9/7 Shane Wallin
9/11 Shane Wallin
9/14 Sloan Armitage
9/18 Amy Faithe
9/21 Chessa Peak
9/25 John Martinez
M’tucci’s Twenty-Five - Thursday 6:30-8:30 * Friday 7:30-9:30
9/2 Jacob Chavez
9/8 Paul Hunton
9/9 Alex Maryol
9/15 Melissa Rios
9/16 RJ Perez
9/22 Amy Faithe
9/23 Lani Nash
9/29 Chessa Peak
9/30 Jacob Chavez
M’tucci’s Moderno - Thursday 6:30-830 *Friday 7:30-9:30
9/2 Chessa Peak
9/8 John Martinez
9/9 Russel Ash
9/15 Shane Wallin
9/16 Cali Shaw
9/22 Melissa Rios
9/23 Alex Maryol
9/29 Austin Van
9/30 Paul Hunton
Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!
