Cal-Ital Wines
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(Reprinted with permission: http://cici-online.com)
In the early 90s, the Cal-Ital wines took a new turn. Firstly, the winemakers and
representatives of the wine industry conducted a subtle, educational based campaign to inform the consumers that
the great red grapes of Italy were definitely not Barbera. But Nebbiolo and Sangiovese grapes, which only a
handful of Californians had heard about.
One of the foremost efforts to spread more publicity was by Piero Antinori when he
purchased Atlas Peak Winery in Napa Valley. He replanted most of the vineyard estate to Sangiovese, and
endeavored to inform the American wine consumers that it was the principal grape used in every Chianti Classico and
Chianti blend.
These early efforts to produce good quality Sangiovese at attractive prices proved
to be very promising, but did not do very well in the market. The reasons were plenty: Was it because of the
terroir? Or inexperience on the part of the winemakers? Or maybe the nature of the grape itself?
Were these the reasons why the Californian Sangiovese was stuck in the 90-100 bracket
for such a long time? Traditionally, the Italian Sangiovese is blended with small quantities of other wine
varieties to allow the wine to acquire balance, complexity and body. By the early 90s, Sangiovese finally made it
into the outstanding category of wine ratings and one year later Altamura, which is an example of a Sangiovese
winery, received 94 from the B.T.I.
Unlike the Barbera, which found some degree of popularity in the Central Coast and
Sierra Foothills, the most spectacular Sangioveses were largely concentrated in the Sonoma County and Napa Valley
wineries like Altamura, Benziger, Swanson, Consentino, Beaulieu Vineyards and Coturri, to name a few. For instance,
Santa Cruz, Santa Ynez, Monterey, the Sierra Foothills, and Paso Robles received rave reviews from some critics,
while undermined or ignored by others. Perhaps these critics were looking for the same depth and richness of the
great Cabernets, or the magnificence of the Pinots, or a similar high alcohol and fruit concentration as the
Renwood and Eberle Barberas.
One thing that most European winemakers have always considered as essential to fine
wine, but always takes second place in most reviews, is balance. There are many American reviewers who sometimes
describe a particular wine as elegant, giving us an image of light style, which is not particularly favored by the
American wine drinkers. However, few of us have grown out of the the bigger the better pattern of our youth. We
tend to favor explosive flavors, concentrated fruit, and high alcohol contents, the very elements that cover up the
fragile balance of flavors in painstakingly prepared foods. If there is something commendable about Italian wines,
it is that they are crafted to pair with the various foods that they were intended to accompany, not to subdue
them.
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