Sangiovese
Also known as Brunello, Morellino, Prugnolo Gentile
Tuscany, Italy
Tuscany's workhorse red grape, the backbone of Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino, prized for its bright acidity and savory, tart-cherry character.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Widely planted
Climate
Moderate climate
Ripening
Late season
Wine styles
Still
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
Italy
Tuscany (Chianti, Montalcino)
The grape's heartland, from everyday Chianti to the powerful, age-worthy Brunello di Montalcino.
Romagna
Historically a source of simpler, high-volume Sangiovese, increasingly taken more seriously.
Montepulciano (Tuscany)
Known locally as Prugnolo Gentile; Vino Nobile must contain at least 70% and is usually more structured than Chianti.
Background
Origin & History
Italy's most widely planted red grape takes its name, by one popular theory, from "sanguis Jovis" — the blood of Jupiter — though the etymology remains debated among scholars. A 2007 DNA study led by José Vouillamoz found that Sangiovese is a cross of Ciliegiolo, a Tuscan and Umbrian grape, and Calabrese Montenuovo, an obscure variety from Campania — pointing to origins in central-southern Italy. A second study the same year read the Ciliegiolo link the other way round, so the exact relationship is still discussed.
It forms the backbone of Chianti, where regulations once mandated blending in a small proportion of white grapes — a practice since relaxed — and of the more powerful, age-worthy Brunello di Montalcino, made from a specific, historically selected Sangiovese clone. From the 1970s and 80s, it also became a core component, alongside Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, of the innovative "Super Tuscan" wines produced outside the strictures of traditional appellation law.
Lineage
Family tree
Ancestry above, descendants below. Click a related grape to explore its own lineage.