Pietra-Santa Vineyards and Winery

Pietra Santa means “sacred stone,” a reference to this San Benito County estate’s granite and limestone soils left behind after thousands of years of geological movement caused by the San Andreas Fault.

Although the winery produces a variety of wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, there’s a decidedly Italian flavor to the place. Pietra Santa’s winemaker, Alessio Carli, is a native of Siena, Italy – Chinati country – and worked at Badia a Coltibuono, so it should come as no surprise that he has a way with Sangiovese.

This wine, which is 100 percent Sangiovese produced exclusively from grapes grown on the Pietra Santa estate, would never be mistaken for Chianti: It’s riper and higher in alcohol (about 15 percent) than its Tuscan cousins, with fruit that tends more to black cherry rather than Chianti’s red cherry. The wine, which spends more than two years of aging in seasoned French oak barrels, also displays some oak flavors that would be unusual in Italy. Still, it’s a very tasty Sangiovese that would make a nice companion to grilled meat (think a nice steak or tri-tip), some sort of mushroom dish or even a zesty pizza. And its $20 price tag is easy to manage.

Reviewed January 15, 2007 by Laurie Daniel.