Simply put Sangiovese as a generous grape, is easy to abuse. It is easy to over crop, or assume it can be managed in the vineyard as one would Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah even though it is thin skinned and prone to sun burning. Respecting the fruit’s different responses to canopy management, sun exposure, crop level, watering etc. as well as site selection, vine density, row orientation, and clonal selection, are essential to realizing a great Sangiovese wine.

 

Washington State grown Sangiovese has a few advantages that Sangiovese grown in Italy does not. Careful water regulation and using irrigation can be used to control its natural rambunctious vigor. Mildew and bunch rot to which Sangiovese are susceptible, rarely effect the dry climate of the Columbia Valley. There isn’t a need for rootstock as phylloxera is not present, and due to its relatively gentle landscape, farming can be more easily mechanized.

 

Conversely the unique soils and varied growing climate of Tuscany have over the centuries proven themselves to produce one of the world’s great wines – Sangiovese. Generations of trial and error have informed an intimate understanding of those special places and their resultant world class wines like Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino. All of which begs the question what are those differences which distinguish Washington State Sangiovese from the great wines of Tuscany?