Vignamante Review: Sangiovese Metodo Classico Rosé

A sparkling rosé from Chianti. You don’t expect one from a region built on red wine, yet Vignamaggio in Greve in Chianti makes one: the Vignamante metodo classico rosé extra brut. Half Sangiovese, half Pinot Bianco, two years on the lees, 5,000 bottles. Vignamaggio sent me a bottle.

The estate

Vignamaggio is one of Italy’s oldest agricultural estates, best known for its Chianti Classico. Tradition has it that Lisa Gherardini, the woman in da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, was born there; the Monna Lisa Gran Selezione carries her portrait. With Vignamante the estate joins the Tuscan wineries trying their hand at sparkling wine.

The name plays on the estate’s own: Vignam-ante, a nod to celebration and bubbles. The label shows a harvest scene.

Salmon-pink Vignamante sparkling bottle with cherub label, flanked by two empty wine glasses on a kitchen counter

How it’s made

The grapes are picked by hand in early September and gently pressed. Fermentation follows the white-wine method, in stainless steel at 18 to 20 degrees, but with the skins in contact. In spring the wine is bottled for its second fermentation, then spends two years on the lees.

At disgorgement it gets a liqueur d’expédition of no more than 6 grams of sugar per litre. That makes it extra brut, the second-driest category. It’s a non-vintage wine.

Open Vignamante bottle and two glasses of salmon-pink sparkling wine, with the cork resting on the counter

Tasting Note

Appearance

Elegant old rose, with a fine, subtle mousse.

Nose

Bread, toast and fresh yeast. Roses and red cherry, with dried fruit: orange, lemon and peach.

Palate

Dry and creamy, with medium-plus acidity. Brioche, spice and fruit in balance: lots of red cherry, dried orange and lemon. A touch of wet stone adds a mineral undertone.

Finish

Medium length and fresh, with good structure and Tuscan herbs such as rosemary and fennel.

Quality

Delicious: Sangiovese’s character with Pinot Bianco’s finesse.

What to watch for

First, the finish is medium. It’s fresh and well built, but if two years on the lees has you hoping for a long finish, you won’t find one here.

Second, it’s dry. With at most 6 grams of sugar and medium-plus acidity, this is a lean, dry rosé. If your usual bubbles are Prosecco rosé, you’ll find it taut; at the table, that’s exactly its strength.

Third, finding it. Five thousand bottles isn’t much, so expect to hunt for it.

Hand tilting the Vignamante bottle beside two glasses of salmon-coloured sparkling wine

At the table

This is a wine for food. Think seafood and shellfish, pasta and risotto, grilled fish or a stew. A moderately aged cheese works too: the acidity and the cherry cut through the fat.

Producer: Vignamaggio, Greve in Chianti
Wine: Vignamante Metodo Classico Rosé Extra Brut
Vintage: Non-vintage
Region: Greve in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
Grapes: Sangiovese (50%), Pinot Bianco (50%)
Method: Metodo classico, two years on the lees
Dosage: No more than 6 g/l (extra brut)
Production: 5,000 bottles

More information: vignamaggio.com

Sources

My own tasting note, 2024
Vignamaggio (official): vignamaggio.com