This spring, I had the pleasure of being invited by Liviana and Martino Manetti to their winery in Radda in Chianti, in the Montevertine area, to preview the new 2023 vintages of Pian del Ciampolo, the 2022 Montevertine and the 2022 Pergole Torte. These wines were tasted before lunch and during the pleasant meal cooked by the talented Liviana.
We were in the company of Martino’s nephew, Tancredi Reimitz, who deals with the commercial aspect of the wines, and Mr. Diego Barovier, the company’s sales agent for the Venice area.
Two days earlier, Martino and Liviana had hosted their sales representatives to let them taste the wines they were about to release, and had organized a lunch with the famous and excellent catering company Guido Guidi of Florence. The sales representatives were all present, except for Mr. Barovier, who was busy that day and came two days later when I was invited.
I really liked the new wines, in my opinion the 2023 vintage will be superior to the excellent 2022 and I think this not because I have already tasted them but because of the quality of the 2023 Pian del Ciampolo, last but not least, we drank the “21 di Sergio Manetti” which I awarded 99/100.
Before describing the wines tasted I must make the following clarification.
Regarding the width of the tannin, it’s important to clarify the following points so it can be understood. I taste the tannin in the wine on the upper gum. The total width of the tannin is 6/6, that is, the entire width of the upper gum. Obviously, if the tannin is less wide, it could be, for example, 5/6, and so on. The width of the tannin is important when its quality is good or high. The wider the tannin, the more worthy of attention the wine is, but the tannin, as I specified, must, in any case, be of good quality.
Let’s now move on to describing the wines we tasted.
MONTEVERTINE FARM
PIAN DEL CIAMPOLO TOSCANA IGT, 2023 vintage
(blend: 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo and Colorino)
Ruby red dress with purple hues.
From the glass, aromas spread, among which the intense aroma of ripe black marasca cherry stands out, followed by mint, eucalyptus, sweet notes of the outside of the sugared almond, old wood, rust, chinotto, intense violet, light hints of dried plum, peeled tomatoes and slight hints reminiscent of peach and apricot juice.
On the palate it reveals a medium plus body and a fruity flavour of cherry and plum.
A well-balanced wine with a freshness that completely envelops the alcohol. The tannins are sweet, thick, and quite broad (5/6), initially velvety, then slightly drying the upper palate. Its intense aromatic persistence is long and persistent. An exciting wine! Its structure reminds me of the 2015. Normally, this wine has a slight acetic acid aroma on the nose, which is somewhat characteristic of its character, but in the 2023 and 2015, I didn’t detect this aroma.
(93/100)
MONTEVERTINE FARM
MONTEVERTINE TOSCANA IGT, vintage 2022
(blend: 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo and Colorino)
Ruby red shines through the glass.
Rich and varied nose with aromas of black cherry, intense violet, light notes of old and new wood, Marseille soap, mint, eucalyptus, black pepper, nutmeg, wafer biscuit, juniper berry, peeled tomatoes, light notes of chocolate, finishing with sensations of peach juice.
On the palate, a slight hint of acetic acid is perceived, reminding me of Pian del Ciampolo in general, but not the 2023. This wine has a generous freshness that completely covers the alcohol content. Aging in the bottle will make it even more balanced.
The body is medium and the tannins are sweet, broad (6/6-) and velvety.
Its taste has a long persistence with a violet finish.
(93/100)
MONTEVERTINE FARM
THE TORTE PERGOLE, 2022 vintage
(blend: 100% Sangiovese)
Ruby red color.
Olfactory mix composed of aromas of sacristy furniture (incense), mint, eucalyptus, intense violet, woody notes, pot pourri, black cherry, intense sweetness of pipe tobacco (reminds me of Clan tobacco), plum, finishing with puffs of chocolate.
On the palate, it has a chocolatey flavor, a medium body, and a perfect balance between alcohol and freshness. The tannins are sweet and broad (6/6-), initially velvety, then slightly drying the upper palate. It has a long finish with a pleasant violet note.
(96/100)
MONTEVERTINE FARM
“SERGIO MANETTI’S 2021”
(Blend: 100% Sangiovese)
Produced for sale only in magnum format. 1,000 magnum bottles produced.
Sangiovese grapes from the oldest Pergole Torte and Montevertine vineyards were used.
Ruby red color.
An olfactory kaleidoscope of intense violet, dried plum, mint, eucalyptus, licorice, warm ironing cloth soaked in starch, hints of Bas Armagnac, boiled chestnuts, schiacciata with grapes, rosemary, blond leather, capers, Marseille soap, and ending with hints of iris.
On tasting, it reveals a medium-plus body and a perfect balance between alcohol and freshness, the latter completely enveloping the former.
The wine at the entrance has an intense violet flavour.
The tannins are sweet, quite thick, and broad (6/6–). They are initially velvety, then slightly dry out the upper palate (a sin of youth). The palate has a long, persistent finish with a hint of medicinal herbs.
(99/100)
In a previous tasting I had given it a score of 98/100, which with this tasting I raised to 99/100.
It was a pleasant meeting during which I was able to calmly taste the new wines.
