ABOUT THIS WINE
The purists Tuscan red. Dense sappy fruit with crushed-rock minerality makes an impeccable, timeless Sangiovese. Its already been 30 years since winemaker Signor Manetti refused to add Trebbiano grapes to his Chianti Classico, causing him to leave the appellation. As a result of his commitment to the ultimate Tuscan varietal, Montevertine remains 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. On the contrary, Montevertines 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 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.
ABOUT THIS PRODUCER
A new round of releases from the legendary Montevertine estate, high in the hills above Radda-in-Chianti, is always a cause for celebration. Montevertine as we know it today began back in 1967, when Milanese steel magnate Sergio Manetti acquired the property as a summer home. Within a few years, and with the help of a beloved local named Bruno Bini who was born and raised at Montevertine, he planted vines and began producing wine from the farms enviably situated high-altitude hillsides, reaping virtually instantaneous acclaim. From the outset, Sergio was an ardent proponent of Sangiovese, and felt that the then-required presence of Trebbiano only compromised Chiantis ability to express a sense of placeespecially in such a refined terroir as Radda. When regulations finally changed to allow Chianti Classico to be Trebbiano-free, Montevertine had long since abandoned the DOCG, and the wines have thus been classified as Rosso di Toscana since 1981although, ironically, they are (and always have been) among the most pure expressions of true Chianti to be found. Sergio passed away in 2000, and his son Martino has held the reins since his death, changing virtually nothing about the steadfastly low-tech, traditional processes from which the wines are created. Vineyards are worked entirely without chemicals; grapes are always hand-harvested; fermentations are spontaneous; no stainless steel exists at the estateonly cement and old wood; sulfur is applied conservatively and only at racking; and neither nor filtration have ever been employed. These are wines that wear their low-intervention origins not as a badge but in a matter-of-fact manner; wines this pure, this expressiveof course they are produced without unwelcome manipulation. It is truly rare to find wines of this level of complexity and refinement that also lacks any sense of striving, and every bottle of wine issued from the Montevertine estate is a testament to the beauty of Sangiovese at its zenith.
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