Montevertine winery
Montevertine is situated in the heart of the Chianti district about halfway between Florence and Siena, specifically 3 kilometers or so south of Radda in Chianti. By 1981, due to Signor Manetti s refusal to incorporate Trebbiano into the Montevertine blend, Montevertine left the Chianti Classico consortium, thereby forgoing the Chianti Classico denomination. Montevertine is one of the rare examples of a true Chianti Classico. There are 18 hectares of vineyards at Montevertine, 90% of which are planted to the Sangiovese grape with the remaining vineyards dedicated to Colorino and Canaiolo. The vineyards are divided into nine separate parcels with the oldest vines planted in the Pergole Torte vineyard in 1968. After a manual harvest, the wines are fermented in large (150hl) cement cuves for at least 25 days. The wine is pumped over and the cap submerged daily to create optimum conditions for a long and slow extraction. The malolactic fermentation also occurs in large volume cement cuves before it is racked into Slavonian oak barrels that range in size from 5 to 18 hectoliters capacity. The Pergole Torte is ultimately racked into smaller French oak barrels for the final six months of its elevage. All movement of the wine is by gravity and the wine is never pumped, following the traditional methods of the region. The wines are bottled without filtration and then held in a bottle for at least six months before release. Wine production at Montevertine is essentially devoted to three wines.