2006 Napa County Sangiovese

Ahhh... Sangiovese - a noble grape originating from Italy. The name itself is derived from Sanguis Jovis, which translates to "blood of Jove." In other words, Jupiter of ancient Rome. And Jupiter must have liked fruity wines. So do we!

A wild weather harvest year made for some nervous farmers. Record flooding in winter and heat in July threw just about every extreme at the Napa Valley. But the growers prevailed and so did our Napa valley Sangiovese.

Out 2006 Sangiovese is a Super Tuscan style wine. "Super Tuscan" is a name given to wines originating in Italy that didn't adhere to the regions strict blending laws, but it didn't start out that way. Ironically, the Italian regulatory committees forced wineries to call their wines, "table wines," if they were blending with fruit not inherent to Italy. The name "Table Wine" was considered just that by Italian wine drinkers - it was not a prestigious name.

Then a funny thing happened. Those "table wines" started winning awards and accolades internationally. The Italian regulatory committee got smart and decided to create a new category for these wines and "Super Tuscans" - the name itself is ironic since it would appear to describe a wine and grape that is completely inherent to Italy - were born.

Our 2006 Super Tuscan style Sangiovese is blended with:

• 75% Sangiovese
• 20% Merlot
• 5% Cabernet Franc

 All grapes were sourced from Napa County in various appellations. The fruit was picked at maximum physiological ripeness early in the morning and then transported to our winery for crush and then cold soaked for five days. As with all of our wines, fermentation was achieved natively to develop complexity and flavors. This wine was on the skins for an additional 15 days to which it was pressed into barrels with 90% press run juice and 10% free run juice in each barrel.

The Merlot was used to gently soften up the Sangiovese fruit.  The Cabernet Franc was blended to enhance the finish. The wines were aged in 30% new French oak to add complexity, tannins and character. As with all of our red wines, our used cooperage if from Chardonnay Barrels made in the Chalk Hill Appellation. Barrel aging lasted 14 months.

View our maps page to see where 'X' marks the vine.

Tasting Notes

"Our 2006 122° West Winery Sangiovese has a lovely garnet hue that is thick and dense. The nose features a hypnotic blend of sliced raspberries, cola nut, blueberry and cumin. The wine has a wonderful strawberry and cranberry taste, easily delivering on the promise of fruit in the nose. The finish is inviting and zesty, last a good 30 seconds. This wine benefits from decanting and will drink best from the fall of 2008 through 2010. Bring on the pasta with cheese and marinara sauce - you'll get hungry just tasting this wine!"