Montevertine Le Pergole Torte Rosso 2012

Montevertine Vineyards in Radda in Chianti

Montevertine Montevertine lies within the heart of the Chianti hills, in the community of Radda at an altitude of 425 m above sea level. Documents show that the site has been dwelled since the 11th century. Traces of the original construction, which undoubtedly was of defensive nature and which later on had been converted to a rural housing, are still preserved. In 1967, Sergio Manetti, at that time a manufacturer of steel products, bought Montevertine as a holiday house. He restored the house and returned it to its original dwelling destination, and right from the beginning, he planted two hectares of wine and he set up a small cellar. The idea was to produce some wine for friends and customers. The first vintage produced, 1971, was more than decent and Sergio Manetti decided to present some bottles at Italy's leading wine show, Vinitaly in Verona, via the Chamber of Commerce of Siena. That was an immediate success and Mr. Manetti was so enthusiastic about it that only a few years later he decided to give up his main former activity, in order to dedicate all his efforts exclusively to winemaking. The management of the vineyard is now in the hands of his son Martino Manetti, who is assisted by Bruno Bini, born in Montevertine and an in-depth expert of the zone and the soil.

Montevertine Le Pergole Torte Rosso 2012 Uneven ripening resulted in lower yields in this vintage. Usually 24,000 bottles of Le Pergole Torte are produced, but the 2012 Le Pergole Torte totaled a mere 16,000 bottles. Martino Manetti estimates that he had to throw away 30% of his grapes. That painful sacrifice yielded very good results in terms of the overall quality of this wine. This is a fluid and complex wine that is already showing signs of a slow and steady evolution. The bouquet is dark and penetrating with dark cherry, spice and red rose petal. Its not the best edition of this celebrated wine, but Le Pergole Torte remains one of the best wines made in this difficult vintage.  eRobertParker.com #223 Rating: 93 Drink: 2016 - 2030 The 2012 Le Pergole Torte is brilliant. In fact, this is one of the best showings of the 2012 that I can recall. The flavors are bright, focused and pulsing with energy. Because of its mid-weight structure and not overly complex personality, the 2012 looks like it will start drinking well sooner rather than later. Even today, the 2012 is extremely beautiful. This is a terrific showing for the 2012. Antonio Galloni Vinous 94 pts The Gotham Wine Team