2007 Montevertine Le Pergole Torte, 3-bottle Lot

Montevertine is located in Radda, in the Chianti hills in Tuscany. The relatively young winery was started in 1967 when Sergio Manetti, a manufacturer of steel products, bought the property and planted five acres of grapes with the idea of producing wine for family and friends. But Manetti decided his first vintage in 1971 was good enough to take to a wine show. Encouraged by the wine’s popularity at the show, Manetti became a full-time winemaker. Over the decades his wines became known as premier Chiantis. Manetti died in 2000 but his son Martino Manetti now runs the family business. There are now nearly 45 acres of vineyards and about 75,000 bottles are produced annually. Grapes grown are Sangiovese, which make up 90% of the vineyards, as well as small amounts of Canaiolo and Colorino. Montevertine’s signature wine is the Pergole Torte, a 100% Sangiovese. Several other wines have small amounts of Canaiolo and Colorino.

Tuscany, or Toscana in Italian, is Italy’s best-known wine region and its most diverse. Historically Sangiovese was the primary grape grown in Tuscany and Chianti was considered the purest expression of Sangiovese. Sangiovese and its many clones are still important, and they are the grapes used for the Tuscan appellations of Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano, Chianti, Chianti Classico and Carmignano. But in the last 50 years innovative producers, many of them in southwestern Tuscany in the area called Maremma, have also planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The tradition defying producers have blended those varietals with Sangiovese to produce dazzling wines that do not conform to Italy’s appellation regulations. Such wines are called Super Tuscans and cannot be labeled with either of Italy’s highest level quality designations, which are in order of status Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantia, (DOCG), and Denominazione di Origine Controllata, (DOC). (This has not at all hindered the demand for Super Tuscans, some of which are consistently among the world’s most admired and well-reviewed wines.) Tuscany has six DOCG appellations and thirty-four DOCs. Though famous for its red wines, Tuscany also produces whites made primarily from Trebbiano and Vernaccia. There are also many Tuscan Indicazione Geographica Tipica (IGT) wines that are often an innovative blend of traditional and non-traditional grapes. This relatively new appellation status was started in 1992 as an attempt to give an official classification to Italy’s many newer blends that do fit the strict requirements of DOC and DOCG classifications. IGT wines may use the name of the region and varietal on their label or in their name.