The folks at this Santa Barbara County vineyard and winery know how to make rich, full-bodied style Sangiovese, but they note that it takes just right timing for harvesting and aging to tame the acid and tannins “to slip into the rich, ripe middle mouth feel” that is their goal. The grapes for this Sangiovese are fermented by carbonic maceration where whole grapes are put into a sealed tank into which carbon dioxide is added to displace oxygen. This causes intracellular fermentation which does not extract as much color and tannins from the grape skins as a traditional fermentation. The result is this delightfully juicy, easy to drink, light red wine with cherry, mixed berry fruit with zippy acidity, very smooth tannin and only 12 percent alcohol. Well chilled, it will make a versatile holiday wine as an aperitif or on the table to complement the myriad flavors of the season.
Stolpman Vineyards, Santa Barbara County (California) Sangiovese 2018
By Rebecca Murphy