A top-marks Sangiovese di Romagna? “Yes sir… General”

Here we are, burdèl. Today Sadifruttirossi plays its ace of clubs (and no, trumps aren’t cups). Are you ready to taste and pair one of the best Sangioveses di Romagna you could ever try? Shall I go on? Ready? Reading your messages, I’ve sensed a great, great desire to drink and pair a good Sangiovese di Romagna. And since here we are, why not drink one of the finest Sangioveses made in our Romagna?

Let’s drive towards Predappio — Predappio Alta, to be precise. We’re in one of the most important subzones for our Sangiovese. “La Prè”, as it’s called in Romagnol, is a hamlet of 500 people about 20 km from Forlì.

Predappio Alta is a small medieval village that grew around an ancient castle at 247 metres above sea level, on a spur of rock that forms the base of the castle and the houses within it.

Predappio Alta is a very charming village, rich in tourism, food and wine. Its municipal statutes, dating back to 1383, describe how the growing of Sangiovese around the castle was strictly regulated to obtain excellent grapes. In the past the economy was based on mining, above all the sulphur in the subsoil. Today the old sulphur mines, closed for many years, have been restored and are used to age a local cheese in their tunnels, which also house a beautiful nativity scene.

Here we admire hills covered with old vines, ancient sulphur mines and poor, calcareous, pebbly soils from which only “the tenacity of the vine and of those who grow it can draw excellent fruit”.

Right here, on this hill, in this little village, lives Alessandro Nicolucci, whom I’ve come to know recently and who is perhaps one of the professionals I respect most for his simplicity and professional honesty. He is one of the best, and he proves it every year by putting his “Vigna del Generale” on our tables: simply a perfect Sangiovese. There are no other words for it. I have a soft spot for his whole range and his estate: with all his simplicity, he manages to amaze me more every year.

The Sangiovese Riserva “Vigna del Generale” comes from the oldest vineyard still standing in Predappio, about 90 years old. Its name and label come from its history: a general who loved wine bought the best plot in the village when he came back from the war and planted Sangiovese. A very particular small-berried Sangiovese, able to give long-lived wines that can be enjoyed even after 20 years. The general had a very special friend wandering among his vines: a wolf with a sweet tooth for grapes, which often stained its grey coat.

That’s the story still told in the village, and from it comes this wine, made in limited quantities and not for everyone. In fact, for the sharp-eyed, the correct name is “Predappio di Predappio Vigna del Generale”, chosen by Alessandro’s father: if there was a Gavi di Gavi (famous at the time), there could just as well be a Predappio di Predappio.

The grapes for this wonderful Sangiovese will be picked in the first week of October, but I can tell you now that 2023 won’t be particularly generous: too many events and factors will add up to a lean harvest.

I sit down with Alessandro and some friends in his lovely tasting room and we taste the new 2020, just released. It is a full-bodied Sangiovese, complex on the nose and palate. A little cantankerous in its early years, perhaps, but time will make it perfect and soften it. The tannins, though, are already well integrated. But what are tannins in a wine? Here comes the explanation — ready? Let’s keep it simple, for everyone: they are responsible for the slightly bitter taste and the astringent, mouth-drying feeling. Think of a persimmon: that astringent feeling on your gums? And of course they can also come from time spent in cask.

Alessandro and I lingered on this topic, with an aside on the history of Vigna del Generale and how it has evolved over the years. Interestingly, from 2000 to today no interventions have been made to “round off” the wine to make it more appealing to the market. Alessandro, very professionally, also tells me that climate change is certainly lowering the acidity of the must, but that for years his finished wine has followed the same fortunate winemaking “recipe”.

Small-berried Sangiovese, matured for two years in 30-hl oak casks, followed by three months in bottle. Ruby-garnet in colour; complex on the nose, with clear spicy notes as well as coffee and chocolate. On the palate it is balanced, with excellent structure, elegant, with a very long, soft finish supported by lively tannins. I recommend putting on your table a Vigna del Generale “at least a year back” (today, the 2019) to get the most from it and the right balance. Its 15% alcohol is not perceptible at all, well balanced by its body.

Today’s pairing? Want to show off like a true Romagnolo? Buy the Vigna del Generale Selezione: a red satin label, beautiful to look at and touch. Only the best of the grapes destined for Vigna del Generale go into the “Selezione”: two months of fermentation, forty months in cask, only 1,600 bottles. Serve it at 16–18°C and cook a nice quail: quail-breast rolls on a brown sauce are perfect to showcase our precious Sangiovese di Romagna. Ready? Let’s drink…