Montevertine

If today a wine lover has a bottle of Le Pergole Torte with the characteristic artist's label in front of him, it is hard to believe that fifty years ago this famous winery was only the holiday home of an Italian industrialist who wanted to produce a few bottles of wine for friends as a hobby. And even more incredible is that he just wanted to know if he was okay and sent a few bottles to the Vinitaly in Verona, which were served there by the Chamber of Commerce Siena. It tasted so good even then, because the popularity was enormous and tempted Sergio Manetti to quit his highly paid job and become a winemaker. The rest is an incomparable success story. Today the wines of Montevertine are among the absolute top wines of Italy.

The vineyard is still comparatively small with its 18 hectares. Only three wines are produced from only three grape varieties. Sangiovese dominates with 90%, Colorino and Canaiolo are added. No international grape varieties, although Montevertine and Le Pergole Torte are often referred to as "Supertuscans". The third is called Pian Del Ciampolo and, according to Martino Manetti, the son of the company founder, who died in 2000, is virtually a second wine in the sense of the Bordeaux classification. In addition to the three wines, an exquisite olive oil is pressed in very small quantities and a fine grappa is distilled from the Sangiovese grape marc.

Nine vineyards, all located at about 450 m above sea level near the dense forests above Radda in Chianti. This small region is often described as one of the best in the Chianti-Classico area. The nearby forests and the mountains behind create a cooler climate, especially at night. A lot of wind blows the fog out of the vineyards early and dries the grapes well. The soils are stony and calcareous, which often gives Sangiovese its more filigree and elegant wines. Until 1997 about 3,200 vines per hectare were planted in Guyot education, the newer vineyards became denser, with up to 5,000 plants and are cultivated in the Italian Cordone Speronato education. Since 2009 we have been working strictly organically, fertilizing with our own compost and fighting the wine diseases with the minimum of copper and sulphur.

In the cellar "very traditional, but with modern equipment" is used. The hand-picked grapes are macerated for about a month in concrete tanks without temperature control and then aged for one to two years in large Slavonian oak barrels. Only the pure Sangiovese Le Pergole cake is put into French barriques for a year and then into the large barrels for another year. Martino Manetti, with the help of his oenologists Bruno Bini and Paolo Salvi, continues his father's unmistakable, idiosyncratic traditional style. Very gratifying. The international wine critics, who rave every year and award the highest distinctions, naturally also find this. We are convinced that you will also be enthusiastic, especially if you give the wines some time after opening. SUPERIORE.DE

"Since then, the wines of the house have become showpieces for the whole region and provide a Sangiovese that is hardly more complete in Tuscany. Unmistakable in style, original and well-balanced, Montevertine wines have earned an absolute top position in the national wine league."Gambero Rosso