Sangiovese

wines

Here is another masterpiece from vintner Martino Manetti (and winemaker Paolo Salvi, following in the footsteps of long-time key figures Giulio Gambelli and Estate Manager Bruno Bini). The Montevertine 2022 Le Pergole Torte is 100% Sangiovese made in a similar winemaking style as the others, although both botte and barrique are used here. It opens to a dark garnet appearance that is velvety and rich yet shiny on the inside with a ruby brightness that is specific to this Tuscan grape. This is an amazing wine, so precise and balanced. I love the boldness of the vintage, and I am delighted by how elegantly it unfolds over the palate. The wine is contoured and pretty in terms of texture, and yet there are mineral notes that add freshness and vertical lift. This portfolio offers good scale with three wines, an entry-level, middle-level and top-end wine, each offering a distinct identity. Production is 30,000 bottles. This is one of my favorite wines from 2022, a vintage with highs and lows. This is definitely a high.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPA spicy and deep wine with licorice and bergamot aromas. The fruit is bright and layered, with plums and red cherries. But it’s on the palate where you feel the quality of this wine. It’s full-bodied with ripe, velvety tannins and long, refreshing acidity. Polished aftertaste. Made for the long haul, but also very drinkable now. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2022 Le Pergole Torte is every bit as magnificent as it was last year. Deep and expansive in the glass, with stunning depth, the 2022 stains the palate with layers of dark fruit, mocha, new leather and cedar. The 2022 starts to blossom with just a bit of time in the glass, leading to a finish that explodes on the back end. As has been the case for some time, the differences between Montevertine and Pergole Torte are increasingly mostly about style. The 2022 spent a year in Damy French oak barrels followed by a second year in cask. It will require a number of years to shed some baby fat to be at its most expressive.Vinous Media | 97+ VM

The aromas of dark cherries, bark, pine and orange peel come through clearly. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with firm and velvety tannins and a firm and savory finish. I like the freshness as well as the depth of fruit. Drinkable now, but better after 2028.James Suckling | 95 JSFrom the San Donato in Poggio subzone, the Marchesi Antinori 2022 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Badia a Passignano is a well-balanced wine with good continuity between bouquet and palate. That space is occupied by plush fruit flavors, fine tannins and fresh acidity. The goal is to achieve more red fruit flavors, and the growing season was slightly longer this vintage, thus making that task easier to achieve. This is 100% Sangiovese that shows genuine varietal character.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2022 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Badia a Passignano is dark, pliant and super-expressive. Black cherry, plum, leather, spice and mocha fill out the wine’s broad shoulders nicely. As always, the Badia is defined by its volume, but these days, there is much less oak impact in terms of flavor and tannin profile. Two thousand twenty-two was not the easiest vintage to rein back intensity, but this is a terrific effort just the same. The 2023 was aged mostly in 3HL casks, with some barrique.Vinous Media | 94 VMThe layered nose opens earthy and savory, then turns sweet with fresh blackberries and black cherries, before finishing with a hint of heat and spice. Figs and more black cherries ripen on the palate, but that peppery heat continues to make itself known, and the initial cool earthiness holds true as a foundation. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEA linear, dense red, whose strawberry and cherry flavors are delineated by vivid acidity and embraced by vanilla and oak spice notes. Builds to the lingering aftertaste, where the red fruit and oak accents linger beside dusty tannins. Shows fine potential; this just needs time. Best from 2027 through 2042. 10,761 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSFrom vineyards surrounding the centuries-old Benedictine abbey in the district of San Donato in Poggio, this is Antinori’s staple Gran Selezione with 120,000 bottles produced. The 2022 offers plenty of early appeal. Scents of mocha, liquorice and candied violets entice. Cheerful in fruit, it recalls dark cherry purée and raspberry coulis. Subtle stony minerals surface on the mid-palate, and soft, supple tannins embrace while wood nuances seduce. Seems a bit naive at the moment but could show greater complexity with time.Decanter Magazine | 92 DEC