Sangiovese has a special place in the hearts of those who love a tangy, savory, leathery, cherry fruit wine with an Italian accent threaded by crunchy acidity and a transparent, ruby color. Our previous 2016 Chianti Classico selection shows how you can still find great value wines from excellent producers in an outstanding vintage. While Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico are the most visited appellations for a sangiovese navigation, a few other areas off the main track also deserve serious consideration when looking for top value wines. Many only cost around $15.

Less busy satellite appellations surrounding Chianti Classico, such as the subzones of Chianti Rufina, Colli Fiorentini, and Colli Senesi, are too easily overlooked. To qualify as Chianti DOCG, one has to have at least 70% sangiovese in the bottle, save Colli Senesi’s minimum of 75% and Chianti Classico’s 80%. Among them, the small but well-defined Rufina is the most well-regarded in terms of terroir. Producers like Frescobaldi, Selvapiana, I Veroni, and Il Pozzo consistently deliver excellent wines from this appellation.

Further down south and not far from the coast, Montecucco Sangiovese DOCG and Morellino di Scansano DOCG are other excellent sources within Maremma DOC of good sangiovese. Much closer to the prestigious Brunello di Montalcino in southern Tuscany, the sangiovese here benefits from a slightly warmer climate, which gives the wines more roundness and completeness without too many hard edges. In Morellino di Scansano (whose name morellino, “the little morello cherry,” is the local name for sangiovese), a minimum of 85% sangiovese is required in the final wine, meaning the sangiovese character is likely to stay impervious to the much more saturated international varieties used in Maremma such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

And of course, in the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, where wines are comprised of at least 70% Prugnolo Gentile (the local name for sangiovese) with the remainder being local grapes, wines are still under the shadow of Brunello and many overachieving Chianti Classicos. Yet, at its peak, the quality here is very close to Brunello while only costing the price of a Rosso di Montalcino.

The following 10 bottles come from the wines we tasted last year from Chianti Rufina, Chianti Colli Fiorentini, Chianti Colli Senesi, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Morellino di Scansano. These are $15 bottles that you can buy a case of and enjoy with food. The brightness of fruit and acidity cuts through any greasy meat or pasta, which is why we so love the drinkability and the authenticity of sangiovese.

– Zekun Shuai, associate editor