1989 Montevertine L' Ottantanove di Sergio Manetti

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.

Chianti is Tuscany’s most famous and historic wine district. The Chianti DOCG is a large area with numerous sub-zones, many of them renowned. Chianti’s wines were so esteemed during the Renaissance that the Medici princes of Florence designated several villages within the Chianti region as discrete production zones, setting up the first appellations in Italy. By the 20th century Chianti was Italy’s primary wine export. But the pizza parlor Chiantis sent to foreign markets were inexpensive, unremarkable reds presented in round-bottomed, straw-covered bottles. To upgrade Chianti wines and the region’s image, the Chianti DOC was created in 1967 and the DOCG status came in 1984. Innovative producers started improving their wines and today’s Chiantis are nothing like the mass produced bottles of the 1950s and 1960s. Gambero Rosso, Italy’s leading wine journal, noted in 2014 that in Chianti “Sangiovese is back in its starring role…both as a component in blends and because it is now enjoying a correct interpretation.” Chianti DOC must be at least 75% Sangiovese.