Wine Advisor
Montevertine, Le Pergole Torte 1999
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1999 Le Pergole Torte is another striking wine. Today the 1999 is a bit closed in on itself, but this looks to be a vibrant Pergole Torte with good juiciness and fine overall balance. The 1999 doesn’t have the energy or vibrancy of the most long-lived vintages, but in exchange it will drink well relatively early, for Le Pergole Torte. It is one of the few vintages that is merely outstanding, but not immortal. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. In a week during which I tasted most of the reference point Sangioveses and Sangiovese-based reds, one wine stuck out - Le Pergole Torte. Quite honestly, I had a hard time getting to sleep the night I tasted these wines. They were that viscerally thrilling. Le Pergole Torte isn’t a great Tuscan or Italian wine. It is simply one of the world’s elite wines. Montevertine is located in Radda, one of the coolest, highest-altitude spots in Chianti Classico. When I visited last April, the vineyards were noticeably more backward in their development relative to what I had seen in the other parts of the region. Le Pergole Torte was a groundbreaking wine when it was first conceived by proprietor Sergio Manetti in the early 1970s. At the time, Chianti Classico regulations obligated producers to include white grapes in their wines. Manetti dreamt of something else, a wine that would explore the greatness of Sangiovese. Along with noted oenologist Giulio Gambelli, Manetti created Le Pergole Torte, one of the first 100% Sangioveses made in Chianti Classico. Because it was made outside of appellation laws, the wine carried the humblest of all designations, ‘Vino da Tavola’ But the wine itself was fabulous, and the public soon caught on. In 1990 Manetti bottled a wine that would become an icon, the 1990 Riserva, which was an absurdity on paper, given the inherent contradiction of the terms ‘Vino da Tavola’ and ‘Riserva.’ To add to the irony, years later the Chianti Classico laws were updated. The obligatory use of complimentary white and red grapes was abolished, which meant Le Pergole Torte could be a Chianti Classico, but Manetti never returned to the appellation that had snubbed him. One of the misconceptions about Le Pergole Torte is that it is a single-vineyard wine. That was true of the early years up to the late 1980s. By 1990 Pergole Torte had become a selection of the estate’s best fruit across several parcels, although it wasn’t until 2001 that the fruit was sourced from the same basic complement of vineyards that is used today. Sadly, Sergio Manetti passed away in 2000. Manetti’s son Martino took over and adds that he is fully responsible for every wine beginning with the 2001, where he personally made all the decisions. Le Pergole Torte is vinified in cement. The wine is aged for one year in French oak barrels followed by a second year in cask. Martino Manetti isn’t afraid to call them as he sees them. Manetti describes 1985 and 1997 – both heavily touted years – as overrated. For this tasting, Manetti pulled a selection of vintages from his cellar, all based on their personal significance to him. Montevertine Le Pergole Torte Key Points: 1. 100% Sangiovese from the estate’s best fruit across all of the estate’s vineyards 2. Traditional vinification in cement. Aging first in French oak barrels, then cask 3. A delicate, refined expression of Sangiovese 4. Aging potential: 30+ years
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Our bottle of the 1999 Le Pergole Torte was slightly off, and I put a question mark next to my score to reflect that fact. The bouquet is less precise and less focused overall. This is a relatively full-bodied expression of Sangiovese with aromas of dried rose petal and dark fruit followed by underbrush and wild porcino mushroom. The wine offers a solid and firm tannic backbone.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Our bottle of the 1999 Le Pergole Torte was slightly off, and I put a question mark next to my score to reflect that fact. The bouquet is less precise and less focused overall. This is a relatively full-bodied expression of Sangiovese with aromas of dried rose petal and dark fruit followed by underbrush and wild porcino mushroom. The wine offers a solid and firm tannic backbone.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1999 Le Pergole Torte is another striking wine. Today the 1999 is quite closed in on itself, but this looks to be another vibrant, classic Pergole Torte. The 1999 doesn't have the energy or vibrancy of the most long-lived vintages, but in exchange it will drink well relatively early, for Le Pergole Torte. This is a juicy, immediate style for Le Pergole Torte. It is one of the few vintages that is merely outstanding, but not immortal.
About the Producer
Montevertein is located in the heart of the Chianti hills, in the town of Lada, Chianti, at 425 meters above sea level. The winery grows only the indigenous grape varieties of the Chianti region: Sangiovese, Canajolo and Corolino. At Montevertine, simplicity, respect, extreme attention to detail and expertise are the guiding principles that inspire our daily work. The winery's winemaking methods are very traditional and have remained so since the first harvest. Hand-picked grapes are fermented in glassed concrete vats without temperature control, and pumping is done twice daily to keep the cap of the skins moist and thus more gently extract the tannins from the skins. After racking, malolactic fermentation begins in glassed concrete vats. Once fermentation is complete, the wine is left in barrels for approximately two years. The wines are aged in 5.5 to 18 hectoliter Slavonian and Ariel oak barrels and 225 liter Ariel oak barrels. The wines of the winery are never filtered, they are bottled by gravity.