Montevertine is part of history of Italian wine. By far one of my favorite stories about Italian wine. Montevertine, a boutique winery located in Radda in Chianti, has been making delicious wines since the beginning and it became historically important in 1981 when they decided to not be part of the Chianti appellation anymore. The winery was founded in 1967 by Sergio Manetti, originally as a vacation home in Radda in Chianti. What began as a small personal project—planting two hectares of vineyards and building a small winery—quickly evolved into a serious wine estate after Manetti’s early vintages received critical acclaim. After almost 15 years of making some of the highest rated wines in Tuscany, in 1981 they decided to divorce from the Chianti Consorzio (The regulator of chianti DOC and DOCG). They didn’t want to put white wine in their wine and that was required by law back then. The decision started the path for being recognized as one of the best producers in Tuscany not only in Chianti. Today, his son Martino Manetti and longtime winemaker Paolo Salvi continue his vision, crafting some of the region’s purest and most sought-after wines. The Montevertine that we offer here is their flagship wine, the label they started the revolution. What I love about this wine is that unlike many estates that chased the Super Tuscan trend by incorporating international varieties, Montevertine only works with Sangiovese and indigenous variety like Colorino and Canaiolo. Monteverine remains the benchmark of traditional Tuscan winemaking. It is not only a good wine but also a wine that has a place in the heart of wine lovers all over the world.
2021 Montevertine Toscana
Montevertine is a cult icon of Italian wine. Sergio Manetti founded it in Radda in Chianti in 1967, originally as a holiday home with two hectares of vines, and it quickly became a serious estate when his first vintages won acclaim. In 1981 he left the Chianti Classico consortium to make wine his own way, refusing the white grapes the rules then required and working with Sangiovese and the native Canaiolo and Colorino rather than international varieties.
Its “Le Pergole Torte”, released as a simple table wine, became a legend for its ethereal, almost Pinot Noir-like elegance. Today Sergio’s son Martino Manetti and longtime winemaker Paolo Salvi continue the vision. Fermented in cement and aged in large Slavonian oak, the wines are pale, perfumed and profound, the soul of Radda’s high terroir.
The estate’s Montevertine, the wine with which the revolution began, remains the benchmark of traditional Tuscan winemaking and one of the purest, most sought-after wines of the region.