2020 Montevertine

Martino Manetti excelled in both 2020 and 2021. The 2020s are shaping up to be modern-day classics. They offer a stunning mix of precision and power, tempered by a more moderate growing season. The 2021s are a bit richer but also show tremendous harmony. I tasted all the 2021s from cask after a first blending of all the lots.

As has been the case for a number of years, I continue to be impressed by the Montevertine, a wine that sometimes gets less attention than the flagship Pergole Torte. This is the first year that benefits from the inclusion of a new vineyard at the other end of town that was previously leased by Istine. Not much has changed here in terms of winemaking. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in cement, using indigenous yeasts. Malolactic fermentation follows, also in cement. The wines are racked off their lees and racked into oak in the early part of the following year. Montevertine spends two years in cask, whereas Pergole Torte sees a year in French oak barrique followed by a year in cask.

Martino Manetti’s 2019s and 2020s are magnificent. The Montevertine, which has long lived in the shadows of Le Pergole Torte, is quite impressive in both vintages. Because Montevertine is aged exclusively in cask (while Pergole Torte sees a year of barrel and a year in cask), it exudes a feeling of classicism that is especially distinctive. In 2020, Montevertine includes a new parcel on the other side of Radda that seems to add greater richness and weight. Manetti describes 2019 as a year with a regular summer and no excesses. Harvest started on October 5 and lasted 15 days, while picking began about a week earlier in 2020. In tasting, the 2020s show more density and opulence than the 2019s, but both vintages are strong across the board.