Montevertine is one of my favorite wines. If you're on the fence about joining our list and you'd like to know if we have similar tastes, I suggest drinking a bottle of Montevertine and getting back to us.

Elizabeth and I inherited a couple of ballet tickets and stopped at Arlequin Wine Merchant in Hayes Valley for a pre-show snack. I had every intention of picking out a Valpolicella to put us in the Veronese spirit of Romeo and Juliet but I'm not going to pass up a 2004 Montevertine.

The estate was founded by the late Sergio Manetti in the 1960s. Sergio's son, Martino, runs the winery now, but it was Sergio who created a cult-following for the flagship Montevertine and for the single-vineyard Le Pergole Torte. The estate is located in the hilltop town of Radda in the heart of Chianti Classico but Sergio famously rejected the ill-conceived DOC regulations of the day. He chose instead to label his wines with the lowly "Vino da Tavola" designation. Sergio championed Sangiovese and refused to include white grape varieties like Trebbiano in his blends. He also rejected the trend of adding international varietals, such as Cabernet Sauvignon.

Montevertine is the main wine but there's a less expensive wine called Pian del Ciampolo, and the more expensive Le Pergole Torte. Le Pergole Torte is only produced in the best vintages and is highly collectible and pricey but the other two wines are relative bargains. All of the Montevertine wines have stunning aromatics and offer purity and balance over flash and muscle.

jessebeckerMS
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