Sangiovese & Merlot

Sangiovese & Merlot

Sangiovese and Merlot blends are especially common in the wine region of Tuscany, where they represent a modern twist of the Chianti blend under the Toscana IGT. This blend is also finding its feet in Australia and Claifornia.

Sangiovese
A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.
It is a high yielding, late ripening grape that performs best on well-drained calcareous soils on south-facing hillsides. For years it was blighted by poor clonal selection and massive overcropping - however since the 1980s the quality of Sangiovese-based wines has rocketed upwards and they are now some of the most sought after in the world.

It produces wines with pronounced tannins and acidity, though not always with great depth of colour, and its character can vary from farmyard/leather nuances through to essence of red cherries and plums

Merlot
The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.

In St Emilion and Pomerol it withstands the moist clay rich soils far better than Cabernet grapes, and at it best produces opulently rich, plummy clarets with succulent fruitcake-like nuances. Le Pin, Pétrus and Clinet are examples of hedonistically rich Merlot wines at their very best. It also plays a key supporting role in filling out the middle palate of the Cabernet-dominated wines of the Médoc and Graves.

Merlot is now grown in virtually all wine growing countries and is particularly successful in California, Chile and Northern Italy.

Show more filters
Available for delivery or collection. Pricing includes duty and VAT.
Available in bond
2013 Sammarco, Castello dei Rampolla, Tuscany, Italy
Red
2013
Drink, at peak
Full Bodied
Dry
14.0% Alcohol
Find out more
Available in bond
2012 Oreno, Sette Ponti, Tuscany, Italy
Red
2012
Drink, at peak
Full Bodied
Dry
14.0% Alcohol
Find out more
Available in bond
2017 Caiarossa, Tuscany, Italy
Red
2017
Lay down
Full Bodied
Dry
14.0% Alcohol
Find out more
Available in bond
2016 Chianti Classico, Vigneto La Casuccia, Castello di Ama, Tuscany, Italy
Red
2016
Drink, at peak
Full Bodied
Dry
13.5% Alcohol
Find out more
Available in bond
2018 Caiarossa, Tuscany, Italy
Red
2018
Lay down
Full Bodied
Dry
14.0% Alcohol
Find out more
Available in bond
2016 Caiarossa, Tuscany, Italy
Red
2016
Drink, at peak
Full Bodied
Dry
14.0% Alcohol
Find out more
Available in bond
2015 Caiarossa, Tuscany, Italy
Red
2015
Drink, youthful
Full Bodied
Dry
14.0% Alcohol
Find out more