I am going to go out on a limb here.  California can not compete with Italy when it comes to the Sangiovese grape.  I have had several sangiovese based wines from California.  Many were from the Napa/Sonoma area, some were from Paso Robles/ central coast area, and others from Temecula.  So far, I have yet to find one that could compete with Italian Sangiovese when comparing wines of similar price points.  Let's face it:  15 bucks gets you a pretty decent Chianti, 20 bucks gets you great Chianti, and 45-50 dollars gets you great Brunello if you know which labels represent value.  Most California sangiovese wines sell for 15-30 dollars, and are not as good as the 15-20 dollar Chiantis from Italy, in my opinion.

That said, the Opolo Sangiovese 2003 (from Paso Robles, California) was o.k., but for $22, it was not a good value.  The main fault with this wine was that the alcohol was prominent.  The wine burned my palate on the finish, like I was sipping brandy, not drinking wine.  (This is what is referred to as the wine being "too hot").  Not suprisingly, the wine has 15.5% alcohol content, which I think is too high for Sangiovese.  The wine does not have enough stuffing to conceal the alcohol.  Those who like high alcohol wines will probably like the wine, and score it higher than I did.  The wine did have a nice bouquet, and the tannins were soft.

2.75 stars.  Wine purchased for $22 at Bacchus Wine Market in downtown San Diego.  My wife liked it a little more than I did and gave it 3 stars.  Drink this wine with spicy food and it will pair better.

 

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