Sangiovese

The story of the legendary Montevertine estate in Radda-in-Chianti begins in 1967, when Sergio Manetti purchased the property and planted two hectares of vines with the modest intention of making wine to share with his family and friends. It turns out he had a knack for the craft, and word swiftly spread in the area about the quality of wine Montevertine was creating from their excellently situated high-altitude vineyards.

The wines have been classified as “Rosso di Toscana” since 1981 due to their strong belief that Trebbiano should not be included in their wines—even though, ironically, they have always been, among the purest expressions of what Chianti can be.

Their vineyards are worked without chemicals; grapes are hand-harvested; fermentations are spontaneous; no stainless steel exists at the estate—only cement and old wood; sulfur is applied conservatively, and only at racking; and neither fining nor filtration are employed.

Not only the estate’s highest achievement, but one of Italy’s great wines. Since 1990 Le Pergole Torte, which translates loosely to “the crooked pergolas,” has comprised the estate’s best parcels and is first and foremost a staggeringly complex expression of pure Sangiovese grown in Radda’s high-altitude alberese sandstone soils.

Unfailingly profound, the 2020 is among the greatest versions in recent memory. In bottle, the 2020 Le Pergole Torte is both sumptuous and poised, simultaneously mouthcoating and racy, with gorgeously refined tannins and crunchy, spice-tinged fruit that feels like the Platonic ideal of Sangiovese.