2012 Montevertine

Do you want the good news or the less than good news first? Starting with the positive, 2013 is shaping up to be a magnificent, perhaps even epic, vintage at Montevertine. The 2013s are sublime. Warm days and cool nights were ideal for the gradual ripening of Sangiovese that can produce truly magical wines at this small property in Radda. Vintage 2012 was another story entirely. Late season weather was hot, humid and damp. Far from ideal, to say the least. Rain during harvest was the proverbial nail in the coffin for what has turned out to be an average vintage at Montevertine. In response to the delicate grapes, proprietor Martino Manetti opted for shorter maceration times. Production is down, most notably for the Pergole Torte, where rigorous selection took with it 30% of the potential yield. Still, there is no denying that an average vintage at Montevertine is the equivalent of a top year at so many properties.