Home >Wine Store >Le Casalte Sangiovese

Cherry, plum, tobacco, black pepper and pine.

This red comes from the hillside vineyards of the small city of Montepulciano, where the local Tuscan staple grape, Sangiovese, is sometimes called "Prugnolo Gentile." It should not be confused, however, with the Montepulciano grape, which is grown in Abruzzo. The city of Montepulciano is located in the southern reaches of Tuscany, where the warm climate and clay soils produce especially ripe and supple Sangiovese. Guido and Paula Barioffi bought a decrepit farmhouse in the Montepulciano hills with the sole intention of creating a country retreat for their family. But they were bitten by the wine bug and replanted the estate's vineyards. Today their estate has 33 acres under vine and their daughter Chiara manages the estate alongside her father. Le Casalte has been a quality leader in the region since building a small but state-of-the art winery in the 1990s.

The deep cherry, dried flower, earth and spice flavors and brisk acidity of Sangiovese pair well with tomato sauces, mushrooms, salty, hard cheeses and braised and grilled meats. A big Sangiovese like this one is a great match for steak Florentine.

"One of the disadvantages of wine is that it makes a man mistake words for thoughts."--Samuel Johnson