HISTORY OF DOMAINE: Montevertine is situated in the heart of the Chianti district about halfway between Florence and Siena and lying specifically about 3 kilometers distance from the village of Radda in Chianti. The Montevertine estate was first developed in the 11th century and was purchased by Sergio Manetti in 1967. The first vintage of Montevertine produced and bottled under the supervision of Signor Manetti was 1971. By 1981, due to Signor Manetti’s devotion to the Sangiovese grape, Montevertine left the Chianti Classico consortium, forgoing the Chianti Classico denomination in order to compose wines almost entirely of Sangiovese. The Montevertine estate is now in the hands of Martino Manetti, son of Sergio, who remains dedicated to the style and philosophy of his father.

COMPOSITION OF DOMAINE: There are approximately 10 hectares of vineyards at Montevertine planted almost exclusively to the Sangiovese grape. Small amounts of Colorino and Canaiolo are planted to supplement the Sangiovese. Some Malvasia is planted as well. Wine production at Montevertine is essentially devoted to three wines. The Pian del Ciampolo, composed of Sangiovese with a tiny amount of Canaiolo blended in, is the basic red wine of the estate. It sees 18 months of aging in large barrels and is the most precocious of the wines. The Montevertine is the standard bearer of the estate. It is aged 24 months in large barrel and is based on at least 90% Sangiovese with some Colorino added. Finally, Le Pergole Torte is the prestige wine of Montevertine and is not produced every year. This ultimate wine is aged in large barrel for 18 months and then racked into small French barrels for the final stage of its elevage. It is produced exclusively from Sangiovese.

METHOD OF VINIFICATION: After a manual harvest, the wines are fermented in large (150hl) cement cuves for at least 25 days. The malolactic fermentation also occurs in large volume in cement cuves before it is racked into both small (Alliers oak) and large (Slavonian oak) barrels for 18 to 24 months, depending on the cuvée. The wine is never pumped, all movement of the wine is by gravity, and the wines are bottled without filtration and then held in bottle for at least 4 months prior to first release.