Sergio Manetti & Montevertine
Sergio
Manetti and his estate, Montevertine, are the stuff of legend. Dr. Manetti
bought Montevertine, which is located about five minutes from Radda in
Chianti, to use as a weekend retreat back in the 60s, when he owned a
steel mill in the dingy industrial town of Poggibonsi. The farmhouse was
surrounded by several hectares of vineyards and he decided to try his hand
at making wines: He discovered that he liked it, and, what's more
important, that his wines were good. In short order he sold his
mill and turned his attention to wine making.
And found himself embroiled in controversy. The 1960s were a difficult time in Chianti Classico. The region had just been awarded DOC status, and had a set of regulations called a Disciplinare that said how the wine had to be made to qualify as Chianti. The most important characteristic was the composition, which had to be up to 70% Sangiovese (the great Central Italian grape that also produces Brunello), up to 10% Canaiolo, and up to 30% Malvasia del Chianti plus Trebbiano, both white grapes. These percentages were to be calculated in the vineyard, and since Trebbiano outproduces most other vines, many producers planted 30% Trebbiano and were making what was nominally a red wine with 50% white grapes. It wasn't very good, but it qualified.
Sergio Manetti would have none of this. "Why should I ruin my red wine by adding white grapes to it?" he asked, and refused to do so - his wines didn't qualify as Chianti, so he labeled them Red Table Wine from Radda in Chianti, and stood by with a grin as they proceeded to win almost every major enological award there is. Le Pergole Torte, his flagship wine, has gotten the coveted three glasses from Gambero Rosso, scores in the high 90s from Parker and Wine Spectator, and a host of gold medals over the years.
Since then, the rules governing the Chianti DOCG have drifted towards him: Now white grapes are no longer required in Chianti Classico; indeed, if a producer wants to, he can make his Chianti with just Sangiovese (many of the better producers do). Does this mean that Sergio Manetti will be rejoining the Chianti Classico consortium anytime soon? No. He's gained his present preeminence in the Italian wine-making universe through an unswerving dedication to quality, and he's just not satisfied with the guarantees the Consorzio is able to offer. "I bought this in Monte Carlo," he said, handing me a bottle from a shelf in his office. "It's undrinkable." The front label proudly proclaimed the wine to be Chianti Classico DOCG, while the back label said, in tiny letters, Bottled in Switzerland. "The wine undoubtedly passed the analyses in the Consorzio's labs," he said, warming to his subject. "But there's no telling what happened to it between here and Switzerland. The bottlers may have left the tank-truck out in the sun, or added something else. There's no telling. The problem is that the bottlers are allowed to behave this way by law, and there's nothing the Consorzio can do to stop them."
This sort of chicanery may come to an end, thanks to the 600% increase
since 1993 in the price of Chianti Classico sold in bulk, something that
Sergio Manetti is quite pleased about, because it allows producers to make
enough money honestly to survive. He's a lot less pleased with the
continuing rush to add so-called Vitigni migliorativi, or
complementary grapes (e.g Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc,
etc.) to Chianti Classico in an attempt to produce a more "international"
wine that will have broader appeal. "I fine the use of these grapes
shameful - write that down - because it implies that Sangiovese by itself
isn't good - that it needs help. That's absurd! You don't see the
producers in Bordeaux looking elsewhere for grapes to improve their wines,
and we don't need to either. Sangiovese is second to none. Those who add
these complementary
grapes are distorting the image of Chianti, producing something that
doesn't reflect the heritage of our land. I'll never use them. Never."
Sergio Manetti's flagship wine is Le Pergole Torte, a wine that has enjoyed so many superlatives already that there's no need for more here. He also makes a Montevertine Riserva (and pays a fine, because only DOC wines can be called riserva), which is again excellent, and Il Sodaccio, a cru from a specific vineyard. There's also a Bianco di Montevertine, a simple well-made white wine, and a Grappa di Montevertine, a new addition to the collection, distilled from the marks after the wine is fermented. Dr. Manetti has in the past made some single-issue wines as well. 1992 was a stunningly bad year, with 40 uninterrupted days of rain at harvest time, and when the skies finally cleared he made Tea, a white wine, from what red grapes were left in the vineyard.
Montevertine, as I said, is about five minutes from Radda in Chianti, or about an hour's drive from Florence, through some of the most beautiful countryside imaginable. If you want to, you can visit the estate, though you must call ahead to let them know you are coming; the phone number is 0577 738009. Though Dr. Manetti may or may not be available (he is a busy man), the cellars are beautiful, and there is also a fascinating farm culture museum that he assembled during the 1960s, when farmers were abandoning their homes to go live and work in the cities. There's everything from carts and tools to the pots the farmers' wives cooked the meals in and the plates they served them on; in short, the museum is a window to a world that now lives on only in memory.
In terms of recent vintages,
1992 was "awful," 1993 was "good," 1994 was "good," 1995 was "excellent," and 1996 was "very good for those who had the courage to wait. I started harvesting on October 21, and had perfect grapes, beautifully ripened and with nary a blemish. Those who got frightened by the September rains and harvested early rather than risk producing nothing at all are going to have swamp water to show for their efforts. Much better to take a risk than to play it safe and make plonk."
Sergio Manetti is right.
Tasting Notes 1994 Vintage
Tasting Notes 1995 Vintage
Good Food & Drink,
Kyle Phillips
