Montevertine

Montevertine is situated in the heart of the Chianti district about halfway between Florence and Siena, specifically 3 kilometers or so south of Radda in Chianti. Documents attest to the fact that the hilltop hamlet of Montevertine was first inhabited in the 11th century as a rural defensive fortress. There are traces of the original construction on the site today. Sergio Manetti acquired Montevertine in 1967 as a vacation home for his family. Once there, Signor Manetti planted two hectares of vineyards and built a small cantina with the idea of producing some wine for family and friends. The first vintage produced and bottled under the supervision of Signor Manetti was 1971 and was received with great praise for its quality. Shortly thereafter, Signor Manetti abandoned his principal activity to devote himself to producing wine at his magnificent estate.

The estate sits at an elevation of 425 meters. 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 cuves 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 cuves before it is racked into Slavonian oak barrels that range in size from 5 ½ to 18 hectoliters capacity. The Pergole Torte is ultimately racked into smaller French (Alliers) oak barrels for final six months of its elevage.

Indeed, walking along the ridge which bisects their vineyards like a spinal column, it is easy to inhabit the ancients’ conception of Pācina as a holy place, so unmarked are these sensuously rolling hills by obvious signs of modern life. In true polycultural fashion, only 11 of the estate’s 65 hectares are planted to vines; the rest comprise olive trees, various crops such as chickpeas and spelt, uncultivated fields, and unadulterated woodlands. Vines are tended without any chemical interference, and Giovanna and Stefano use exclusively massal selection for new plantings, which are done vine by vine rather than in large swaths. There is, of course, plenty of Sangiovese; there is also Ciliegiolo, Canaiolo, Trebbiano, Malvasia di Chianti, and a touch of Syrah. Vegetation is allowed to freely flourish everywhere on the property.

All movement of the wine is by gravity and the wine is never pumped, in accordance with the traditional methods of the region. The wines are bottled without filtration and then held in bottle for at least six months prior to release.