Even before the leaves turn, autumn announces itself with the early dark and enough of a chill to drive even hardy specimens off the back porch and into the dining room.

Any minute now we'll be pulling the soup pot out from the cupboard and turning our attention to sniffing out savory $10-and-under reds for the fall table.

Sangiovese is an indigenous Italian grape most often associated with Tuscany, where it anchors the wines of the Chianti region (rule of thumb: The more sangiovese in the blend, the better the Chianti), but it's also planted in Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, and the Marche. With their black-cherry-like fruit and vibrant acidity, Sangiovese-based wines tend to be versatile things, nicely suited to the role of seasonal house red. The wines here may contain a small percentage of other varietals, but each delivers a satisfying mouthful of what we like best about this sturdy, workhorse grape.

There appear to be quite a few 2003s still on shelves. This excessively hot European vintage created problems for many producers, but where vineyards were managed skillfully, red wines of exceptional richness resulted. Good news for plonkophiles: In general, the lift provided by an exceptional vintage will always be experienced more keenly at the low end of the market.