Growers / Italy / Tuscany / Montevertine

Montevertine

Situated in the heart of the Chianti district, Montevertine lies about halfway between Florence and Siena, specifically 3 km south of Radda atop a 425-meter hill.

Inhabited since the 11th century, the hilltop hamlet long served as a rural defensive fortress until it was abandoned and then acquired by Sergio Manetti in 1967 as a vacation home for his family. Planning to make a small amount of wine for family and friends, Signor Manetti planted 2 ha of vineyards and built a small cantina. After rapid success and acclaim Signor Ma- netti decided to devote himself entirely to producing wine at his estate, doing so with vigor until 2000. After Sergio Manetti’s death, Montevertine passed into the hands of his son Martino and Paolo Salvi, protégé of longtime estate oenologist Giulio Gambelli.

textured background of dirt

Montevertine counts 18 ha of vines, divided into 9 separate parcels, with the oldest vines planted in the Pergole Torte parcel in 1968. Nine tenths of the vineyard is planted to Sangiovese, the remainder dedicated to Colorino and Canaiolo. By 1981, due to Signor Manetti’s refusal to incorporate Trebbiano into the Montevertine blend, Montevertine left the Chianti Classico consortium, thereby forgoing the Chianti Classico denomination. Because of this history, 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 super-Tuscan estates, 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.

Farming

Practicing organic

Treatments

Copper-sulfate only

Ploughing

Annual ploughing to promote vineyard health, with grass tolerated between the vines

Soils

Albarese (Limestone-clay) and Galestro (Schistous clay)

Vines

Planted at 3,200-5,000 vines/ha and trained in Cordon de Royat and Guyot, vines average 20 years old

Yields

Controlled via severe pruning, debudding, and partial deleafing

Harvest

Entirely manual, usually in early October

Sourcing

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

After total destemming, wines ferment spontaneously in 150-hl concrete vats. Cuvaison lasts c. 20 days

Extraction

Wines see pumpovers during maceration

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Vertical basket press

Malolactic Fermentation

Spontaneous, in concrete vats until March

Élevage

Pian del Ciampolo ages for 12 months in 7.5, 10, and 18-hl neutral Salvonian oak botti; Toscana ages for 24 months in 7.5, 10, and 18-hl neutral Salvonian and Allier oak botti; Le Pergole Torte spends 12 months in 10 and 16-hl neutral Slavonian oak botti and 12 months in neutral 225-l Allier barriques

lees

Wines remain on their lees until racking following malolactic

Fining and Filtration

All wines are unfined and unfiltered

sulfur

Applied at each racking and at bottling, with c. 81 mg/l total sulfur

Farming

Practicing organic

Treatments

Copper-sulfate only

Ploughing

Annual ploughing to promote vineyard health, with grass tolerated between the vines

Soils

Albarese (Limestone-clay) and Galestro (Schistous clay)

Vines

Planted at 3,200-5,000 vines/ha and trained in Cordon de Royat and Guyot, vines average 20 years old

Yields

Controlled via severe pruning, debudding, and partial deleafing

Harvest

Entirely manual, usually in early October

Sourcing

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

After total destemming, wines ferment spontaneously in 150-hl concrete vats. Cuvaison lasts c. 20 days

Extraction

Wines see pumpovers during maceration

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Vertical basket press

Malolactic Fermentation

Spontaneous, in concrete vats until March

Élevage

Pian del Ciampolo ages for 12 months in 7.5, 10, and 18-hl neutral Salvonian oak botti; Toscana ages for 24 months in 7.5, 10, and 18-hl neutral Salvonian and Allier oak botti; Le Pergole Torte spends 12 months in 10 and 16-hl neutral Slavonian oak botti and 12 months in neutral 225-l Allier barriques

Lees

Wines remain on their lees until racking following malolactic

Fining & Filtration

All wines are unfined and unfiltered

Sulfur

Applied at each racking and at bottling, with c. 81 mg/l total sulfur

Optional caption text here lorem ipsum

Growers