1980 Le Pergole Torte
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Our in-depth retrospective from Montevertine starts with the 1980 Le Pergole Torte. This wine represents Sergio Manetti's first attempt to make a commercial wine, as opposed to a wine for personal consumption. His son Martino says that despite his father's efforts, it's fun to taste the slightly rustic and artisanal qualities here. There is a very light touch of volatile acidity that lifts quickly to reveal dried fruit, spice and dark mineral. You even get dried blood orange with honey and wild rose. All of these aromas fit squarely into the profile of aged Sangiovese. The nice thing is that, although the wine reveals tertiary tones, it does not deliver oxidative ones. This was a cool vintage, and the mouthfeel is lean and compact. There are subtle metallic-like notes on the close.
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Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
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Now fully mature, the 1980 Pergole Torte is in a gorgeous place right now. Dried cherry, mint, tobacco, iron, savory herbs and cedar are all nicely delineated in the glass. The acidity of Sangiovese gives the wine its last vestiges of freshness and brightness, but 1980 is fully tertiary and needs to be drunk. This is a very pretty, at times lean, expression of Sangiovese that reflects the personality of the late harvest and character of Radda itself. All things considered, the 1980 has retained considerable color and overall intensity for a wine of its age. With time in the glass, the angular edges soften, and what remains is a lovely, mature wine. "You have to remember that at the time, Montevertine was a small property with three or four people who worked there. It was essentially a hobby for my father," explains Martino Manetti. "Nineteen eighty was the year that my father started getting serious about making wine his profession."
About the producer
The legendary Montervertine estate was created by the Manetti family in 1967 and is best known for its iconic pure Sangiovese, Le Pergole Torte. Based in Chianti but with the wines labelled as IGT Toscana, these elegant wines are rightfully some of Tuscany and Italy’s most sought-after.