One of the highlights in this tasting, the 2001 Le Pergole Torte is rich, powerful and explosive, with a real sense of energy. At fourteen years of age, the 2001 is incredibly primary. Stylistically, the 2001 recalls structured vintages such as the 1988 and 1999, but the 2001 has more inner sweetness and pliancy than those wines. Much of the wine’s personality can be attributed to a devastating frost in mid-April that took with it 30% of the production. The 2001 can be enjoyed today or cellared for up to another decade-plus. This is a fabulous showing.
Vinous Media | 96 VM
In 2001 Martino Manetti, who had worked alongside his father Sergio for 10 years, stepped up for his first solo vintage. A freezing spring - with a recorded temperature of -8°C on 16 April - provoked drastically lower yields than normal. The wine today is full of scents of privet, red cherry, bergamot, leather and oxidative notes, with an appealing hint of nutmeg. In the mouth it’s full and powerful, and is one of the most extracted and ripe examples of Pergole. A truly gourmet wine.
Decanter | 93 DEC
2001 is a top flight vintage in Tuscany and the Pergole Torte is likely to be one of the very best and longest-lived examples of the vintage from this region. The wine delivers a deep and very vibrant bouquet of red and black cherries, fresh herbs, woodsmoke, just a touch of tar, complex soil tones, gentle nuttiness and a topnote of coffee. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite powerfully built, with broad shoulders, a fine core of fruit, tangy acids and plenty of substantial, ripe tannins perking up the very long finish. The focus and grip here are excellent, but this wine will demand a fair bit of patience before it begins to offer up more generosity, as today it is a bit bound up in its fine structure. (Drink between 2016 - 2040)
John Gilman | 93+ JG
This is the first vintage made entirely by Martino Manetti. The 2001 Le Pergole Torte comes from a low-yielding vintage. On April 16, 2001, freezing temperatures blanketed the vineyards, and some 40% of the fruit was lost. This wine shows increased richness and concentration, with black fruit layers of dried cherry and blackberry preserves, spice, tar and licorice. The wine sports a strong mineral signature with graphite and dusty flint. During our conversation following this tasting, we remarked on the chiaroscuro appeal of this wine. It shows depth, texture and marked contrasts just like a Renaissance landscape painting. The wine reflects the tannic backbone you get in the 1999 vintage with the small berry concentration you get in 2000. To my palate, the astringency is on the bitter side, and I went down a few points in my final score as a result. The label artist Alberto Manfredi died in 2001.
Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP
