Montevertine
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Country of Origin: Italy
Location: Radda, Chianti
People: Martino Manetti, Owner & Winemaker | Paolo Salvi, Oenologist
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
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Situated in the very heart of Chianti, the history of the hilltop hamlet of Montevertine dates back to the 11th century, when it was first inhabited as a rural fortress. Traces of the original construction remained when Sergio Manetti acquired the estate in 1967 as a vacation home for his family. Wanting to make wine for family and friends, Signor planted two hectares of vineyards and built a small cantina. Releasing his first vintage in 1971 to great praise, Signor soon decided to expand production and devote himself to producing wine at his magnificent estate.
Recognizing the significance of Sangiovese, Signor Manetti focused his production almost exclusively on the grape. Upon the Chianti Classico consortium's incorporation of Trebbiano in 1981, Montevertine left the consortium, thereby forgoing the Chianti Classico denomination. While in time the powers that be recognized the wisdom of Manetti’s stance, Montevertine remains to this day outside the consortium, simply labeling its wines “Rosso di Toscana.” Because of these circumstances, Montevertine is frequently, but erroneously, included in the category of Super Tuscan wine. In fact, Montevertine’s policy of strict reliance on Sangiovese with a small complement of Colorino and Canaiolo is in direct contradiction to the approach of the Super Tuscan group of wines which purposely include non-local grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot in their blends. Despite the formal lack of the appellation, Montevertine is one of the rare examples of a true Chianti Classico.
Recent years have seen a generational shift at the Montevertine estate with the passing of Sergio Manetti, Giulio Gambelli (the estate’s oenologist for many years, and a fierce proponent of the Sangiovese grape), and most recently Bruno Bini (the cellar master). Montevertine is now in the hands of Martino Manetti, son of Sergio, and Paolo Salvi, Gambelli’s protégée, both of whom remain dedicated to the style and philosophy of their forebears. This seamless transition has ensured that Montevertine’s tradition of excellence will be carried far into the future.
There are 18 hectares of vineyards at Montevertine, 90% of which are planted to the Sangiovese grape with the remaining vineyards dedicated to Colorino and Canaiolo. The vineyards are divided into nine separate parcels with the oldest vines planted in the Pergole Torte Vineyard in 1968. After a manual harvest, the wines are fermented in large (150hl) cement tanks for at least 25 days. The wine is pumped over and the cap submerged daily to create optimum conditions for a long and slow extraction. The malolactic fermentation also occurs in large volume cement tanks before it is racked into Slavonian oak barrels that range in size from 5 ½ to 18 hectoliters capacity. The wines are bottled without filtration and then held in bottle for at least six months prior to release.