Montevertine, Le Pergole Torte 2006

vinous97

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Montevertine’s 2006 Pergole Torte is also 100% Sangiovese, but it emerges from vineyards in Radda in Chianti. The late Sergio Manetti created Pergole Torte at a time when the Chianti Classico regulations dictated that white grapes be part of the blend in Chianti Classico. Manetti created Pergole Torte as one of the first 100% Sangioveses, a wine that at the time had to be declassified to Vino da Tavola, the lowest designation, but it did not formally comply with the regulations of any appellation. Of course, a bevy of pure Sangioveses followed, but Pergole Torte was among the first. It remains one of the great wines of Italy. On this night, the 2006 Pergole Torte is shockingly powerful, dense and structured, with big tannins that give the wine energy and vibrancy. Readers should be in no hurry to open bottles. What a wine!

vinous98

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

In my opinion, the 2006 Le Pergole Torte is one of the greatest wines in the estate's history. Towering and explosive in all directions, the 2006 has it all. Power and finesse have rarely been fused together so gracefully. Today, though, the 2006 remains incredibly closed. Interestingly, the 2006 was not well universally received upon its release, especially in Italy. Perhaps some tasters found the 2006 atypically big. That is certainly understandable. A few days later I stumbled across a few bottles in a private cellar. I bought them all. Curiosity got the better of me. I opened one of the bottles and found the wine even better than what I had tasted in Siena. Martino Manetti adds that 2006 was defined by both high quality and quantity.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

What a pleasure it is to taste the 2006 Le Pergole Torte now that it is in bottle. The wine reveals superior density and richness in an especially generous style for this wine. Notes of smoke, licorice, leather and underbrush develop with air, adding layers of complexity to the dark red fruit. Today the tannins are a bit on the firm side as is typically the case when this wine is young, but it is impossible not to admire the 2006 Pergole Torte for its superb purity. The heat of the vintage has given the fruit in these high altitude vineyards a level of ripeness and depth that is unusual; all while maintaining the classic sense of structure that defines the best Pergole Tortes. Run, don't walk(.this is breathtaking juice no one who loves Italian wine will want to be without. This is Lot L 109.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

What a pleasure it is to taste the 2006 Le Pergole Torte now that it is in bottle. The wine reveals superior density and richness in an especially generous style for this wine. Notes of smoke, licorice, leather and underbrush develop with air, adding layers of complexity to the dark red fruit. Today the tannins are a bit on the firm side as is typically the case when this wine is young, but it is impossible not to admire the 2006 Pergole Torte for its superb purity. The heat of the vintage has given the fruit in these high altitude vineyards a level of ripeness and depth that is unusual, all while maintaining the classic sense of structure that defines the best Pergole Tortes. Run, don’t walk?.this is breathtaking juice no one who loves Italian wine will want to be without. This is Lot L 109. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2031. I was blown away by the two wines I tasted from Montevertine and proprietor Martino Manetti. These high altitude vineyards in Radda seem to have benefitted from the heat of 2006, and the results are striking. The 2006 Montevertine and Pergole Torte are even better than they were last year when I tasted them from cask. Unfortunately I was not able to taste the 2007 Pian del Ciampolo, which had not been bottled as we went to press, but I will post a note on that wine as soon as I have an opportunity to taste it. Readers who have visited the property know Montevertine is a tiny estate and the cramped quarters result in multiple bottlings of the wines. I have included lot numbers of the wines I tasted for ease of reference. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchants, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990

robert_parker98

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2006 Le Pergole Torte is utterly spellbinding. It hasn’t fleshed out yet like the 2004, but it nevertheless possesses breathtaking inner perfume, great purity in its fruit and fabulous overall balance. Today the tannins remain a touch firm, but the wine’s beauty is impossible to miss. True pleasure is still a few years away. I imagine the 2006 will still be fabulous at age 30. The 2006 Pergole Torte is shaping up to be yet another jewel in a long line of stunning wines from Montevertine. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2036. 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

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Monica Larner

Compared to the 2007 vintage, the 2006 Le Pergole Torte shows a slightly more accelerated evolution. This is an elegant and streamlined wine that is amply layered with dark aromas of pressed fruit, dry spice and pressed rose petal or wildflower. What stands out most, however, is the unique structure of the mouthfeel. This wine is very gentle and graceful on the palate. It does not show that deep tannic structure and zesty acidity that you sometimes encounter in Sangiovese from this cool and balanced vintage. This expression shows a milder temperament with a touch of sourness on the close and lingering notes of wet earth and pressed violets.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Compared to the 2007 vintage, the 2006 Le Pergole Torte shows a slightly more accelerated evolution. This is an elegant and streamlined wine that is amply layered with dark aromas of pressed fruit, dry spice and pressed rose petal or wildflower. What stands out most, however, is the unique structure of the mouthfeel. This wine is very gentle and graceful on the palate. It does not show that deep tannic structure and zesty acidity that you sometimes encounter in Sangiovese from this cool and balanced vintage. This expression shows a milder temperament with a touch of sourness on the close and lingering notes of wet earth and pressed violets.

vinous98

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Montevertine’s 2006 Pergole Torte is also 100% Sangiovese, but it emerges from vineyards in Radda in Chianti. The late Sergio Manetti created Pergole Torte at a time when the Chianti Classico regulations dictated that white grapes be part of the blend in Chianti Classico. Manetti created Pergole Torte as one of the first 100% Sangioveses, a wine that at the time had to be declassified to Vino da Tavola, the lowest designation, but it did not formally comply with the regulations of any appellation. Of course, a bevy of pure Sangioveses followed, but Pergole Torte was among the first. It remains one of the great wines of Italy. On this night, the 2006 Pergole Torte is shockingly powerful, dense and structured, with big tannins that give the wine energy and vibrancy. Readers should be in no hurry to open bottles. What a wine!