No products in the cart.

Sangiovese: the grape variety, history, wines

Sangiovese: the grape variety, history, wines

The history of the Sangiovese grape

“[… ] and Sangiogheto is a juicy and very full of wine… that never fails” – Treaty of the Cultivation of the Vine of Giovan Vettorio Soderini.

Sangiovese is today the first autochthonous red berried grape in Italy. It is possible thanks to its exceptional wine characteristics, already recognized in 1600 by the agronomist Soderini. Sangiovese cultivation covers 11% of the national vineyards, but it is in Tuscany that the quality of Sangiovese reaches its excellence.

The origin of Sangiovese from Ciliegiolo and Calabrese

Some of the most renowned wines in the world originate from Sangiovese: Chianti Classico, Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. There are several hypotheses about the origin of the Sangiovese name: from the “blood of Jupiter” or the Tuscan town San Giovanni Valdarno.

Recently thanks to DNA analysis, ampelographers have traced the origin of Sangiovese to the crossing between two pre-existing vines, Ciliegiolo and Calabrese Montenuovo, a vine variety originating in southern Italy that has almost disappeared.

Chianti Classico Sangiovese

In the Chianti Classico area, the soil is predominantly calcareous-clayey, with a good presence of albarese, a typical white compact limestone, and galestro, a characteristic clayey rock of lamellar shape. To Sangiovese, the first gives longevity for prolonged aging in the bottle, while the second contributes to the weaving of refined elegance.

According to the production of Chianti Classico disciplinary, for production rules, Sangiovese grape must be present from a minimum of 80% up to 100%.

Sangiovese wine and Chianti Classico disciplinary

Chianti Classico, produced almost entirely from Sangiovese grape, is a wine with a medium intense ruby red aspect, with fruity aromas of cherry and plum, floral aromas of violet in the younger versions, leather, tobacco and undergrowth in older versions.

The taste highlights a good structure, built mainly on freshness, alcohol and tannins. The latter are most appreciated in Sangiovese aged in wood, where they reach full maturity.

Sangiovese in the territory of San Casciano in Val di Pesa

San Casciano is the northernmost town in the Chianti Classico area, with a warmer climate than the other appellation areas. The landscape is full of open valleys and rolling hills. The altitude is moderate from 250 to 350 meters, and does not show excessive variations between one ridge and another.

Among the main features related to its conformation are the presence of streams, the proximity of the sea and the mild climate that keeps away the frosts. The Pesa river and the Terzona stream, together with the mitigatory effect of the sea, separated from San Casciano by Monte Serra alone, allow the local wineries to anticipate the beginning of the harvest.

Sangiovese wines in San Casciano

San Casciano soil is a substantial part of skeleton composed by rocks of albarese and galestro, but also round pebbles of river origin. The water availability of San Casciano land protects the plants from excessive water scarcity caused by drought, as in the case of 2022.

Sangiovese wines produced in San Casciano are characterized by elegance and finesse, freshness and minerality. Essentially, we can define them as “vertical“. In the same way, the readily ripe tannins and the absence of harshness give great drinkability to these Sangiovese grapes, even when young.

Contact Principe Corsini

The Principe Corsini winery produces organic and vegan wine and oil in the estates of Villa Le Corti and La Marsiliana.

Contact us for more information!

Contact us
Receive a -20% voucher
Subscribe to our Newsletter

Insert your mail to subscribe to our newsletter and receive a -20% voucher for your first order!