The first week of 52 Weeks of Wine of 2019 has arrived! This week is a bit more exciting than the previous weeks because many of my friends and followers have chosen to purchase their wines through me and it all kicks off with this week! I’ve been receiving messages over the past few days such as, “Can we taste the Sangiovese yet?!”, “What should I pair with it?”, “What if I already drank it?”. You guys have had me laughing so hard! Let me break this to you: you can drink the wine any time you want and you can pair it with whatever you want! The idea behind only tasting one new varietal each week is to not overwhelm your palate and its growth. There is no such thing as cheating in the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program!
My tactic for compiling each month’s wines is to alternate red and white wines, include a more “common” varietal, and vary the origin of the varietals. Sangiovese is the more “common” varietal.
I’ve tasted an occasional Sangiovese over my wine drinking years and it never really spoke to me. I developed an initial and early obsession with jammy, California red wines and my palate wasn’t sophisticated enough to branch out of that category. Sangiovese is a medium-bodied red wine which typically assumes earthier characteristics over jammy traits, though dark fruits are usually present. Sangiovese originates from Italy, however, like most varietals, has become prevalent across the many wine production regions.
This 2015 San Polo Toscana Rubio is from Tuscany, Italy and lists around $15 (varying by location). The wine had a reddish-brown color and aromas of tobacco, leather, licorice and mild oak. I experienced a bit of sweetness which made me feel like it could be slightly later harvest. As with most Sangioveses, the tannins and acidity are high. Personally, this is the direction where my palate has been growing: away from the super jammy, full-bodied reds and into the medium-bodied, earthy and acidic red wines. Though I have little knowledge in the production of wine, it seems to me that this category of wine requires more finesse. With the jammy reds, the more fruit, the better. But with the earthy, medium-bodied reds, it’s a very precise balance against the acidity and tannins in the wine.
I hope those of you who are joining me in this tasting enjoyed this wine and I look forward to hearing about your tasting experiences! If your experience was different than mine, keep in mind that neither of us are right or wrong – just varying experiences! Those varying experiences are one of the main reasons why I love enjoying wines with others!