Mike Lucia’s Rootdown project takes a serious, terroir-first approach to California’s underloved grapes, and the Sangiovese from Jane’s Vineyard is a great example. Since 2016, Rootdown has bought fruit from Jane, a retired hobbyist who farms this organic, biodiversity-focused two-acre plot near Duncan Peak in Hopland on Talmage soils. With gentle extraction and aromatic focus, the wine leads with red fruit, cedar, and a bone-dry, mid-palate grip that feels closer to Chianti than to most California Sangiovese. A finely tuned counterpoint to the bigger California reds out there.