Sunce Winery & Vineyard, Reserve Sangiovese Grosso 2015, Fox Hill Vineyard, Mendocino County, California

Tasting Note: A California sangiovese that proves Italy doesn’t have a monopoly on the grape varietal.

Medium-intensity ruby in color, this wine has a medium-intensity nose of red cherry, hibiscus, red plum, bramble and blossom.

On the palate the dry, medium-bodied sangiovese has bright, fresh, red-fruit flavors suggested on the nose supported by medium acidity and ripe, medium tannin.

The wine is balanced with some midpalate complexity and notes of clove.

Pairs terrifically with Bolognese as I’m enjoying tonight.

Bottle Note: Sunce is a family winery located in the Russian River Valley appellation of Sonoma County – specializing in small artisan lots of vineyard designated varietal wine and classic blends. This Brunello-style clone boasts grape harvest aromas of red fruit and cedar wood. Very well made, pristine, chiseled and sharp – but bold and generous at the same time. There’s a touch of almond and alfalfa followed by softer tones of pureed berry and an exotic masculine spice with a hint of leather chaps. Decidedly foreign with interspersions of an unnamable black fruit; rum cake, dry fudge, prune, black pepper, pipe tobacco, and cured meat. A beautiful ensemble with deep, deep, layers of beauty. A big, opulent pleasure bomb with lavish layers, loaded thickly on top of one another. Pair it with the right person or mood. In food, think: Eritrean, Ethiopian, Greek, or an early Anthony Bourdain travels to Southeast Asia. Only 6 barrels made.