Montecucco Sangiovese wines are, as their title suggests, red, Sangiovese-based cuvées from the Montecucco area of central southern Tuscany in Italy. For many years, Sangiovese produced under the Montecucco DOC was recognized for its fine tannins, sweet fruit aromas and rich black-cherry flavor. The wine was singled out for promotion to full DOCG status in 2011.
The official Montecucco Sangiovese wine production area comprises six villages: Cinigiano, Civitella Paganico, Campagnatico, Castel del Piano, Roccalbegna and Arcidosso e Seggiano. It is located between two of Tuscany's greatest wine towns, Montalcino (home of Brunello di Montalcino) and Scansano (of Morellino di Scansano fame), both of which use Sangiovese as the principal ingredient in their wines.
Sangiovese is Italy's most widely planted wine grape, and is almost synonymous with the great red wines of Tuscany. Roughly 10% of all vines on the Italian peninsula are now Sangiovese, and although Sangiovese wines are notoriously varied in terms of quality, greatly improved winemaking techniques in the 1980s saw a significant shift toward more quality-oriented releases. Montecucco Sangiovese wines often reflect this, and offer DOCG-quality Tuscan Sangiovese at relatively affordable prices (particularly when compared to their more famous cousins from Montalcino).
To ensure that the quality of Montecucco Sangiovese wines matches their DOCG status, various production conditions have been put in place, as set out in the appellation's disciplinare di produzione, the legal document that lays out the full specification for production of these wines. These conditions cover everything from the vineyard to the crush pad, from the tank to the barrel and finally from the bottle to the warehouse.
All wines made under this DOCG title must be aged for 12 months in oak barrels and a further four months in bottle, before being released for sale. Those bearing the additional quality term riserva are aged for 30 months, of which 24 are spent in barrel and the remainder in bottle. These conditions ensure that the wine is well cellared and is already progressing towards maturity by the time it reaches the consumer.
Excellent food matches for Sangiovese from Montecucco are Pappardelle pasta with rabbit and porcini mushroom sauce, or spinach-stuffed roasted veal (arrosto di vitello ripieno di spinaci).
