Italiano
Twenty years of Le Pergole Torte
As we announced in our article yesterday on Sergio Manetti, today we present a vertical tasting of Le Pergole Torte
A worthy follow-up to yesterday’s article, today we present a vertical tasting of Le Pergole Torte with 16 vintages between 1996 and 2016. Almost all the vintages are from when Martino Manetti was at the helm of the estate, first assisted by Giulio Gambelli and then by Paolo Salvi, the most “Gabelli-esque” of Italian enologists.
This tasting was carried out together with Livia Berardelli. All the wines are 100% Sangiovese, matured for some two years in barrels of different sizes and origin.
Le Pergole Torte 2016
97/100 - € 160
Sangiovese grapes. Matured for two years in barrels of different sizes. An intense, ruby-garnet color. A complex and captivating bouquet with notes of black cherry, leather, tobacco, violent, aromatic wood and smoky hints of damp earth. The mouthfeel is agile and elegant with distinct and velvety tannins and an excellent acidity giving the flavor a refined silhouette with a subtle and persistent finish. An excellent version.
Le Pergole Torte 2015
96/100 - € 160
Sangiovese grapes. A great version that has an intense and luminous, ruby-garnet color. The aromas have incredible integrity with a happy interplay between the fruity and varietal elements, like the black cherry and blackcurrant notes and those of spice and wood, all expressing a certain grace. The mouthfeel is solid and elegant with thick yet velvety tannins, an alcoholic warmth that is not excessive but well-integrated and a finish with an excellent persistence. One of the best years ever.
Le Pergole Torte 2014
91/100 - € 140
Sangiovese grapes. A very limpid and luminous ruby-garnet color. One of the most extreme versions due to the cool and wet year but with the sun coming out towards the end of the harvest period. Aromas of jujube preserved in alcohol, floral notes of carnation, hints of spice and cardamom and sensations of underbrush. The mouthfeel is almost too agile, taut and even subtle with a rather pronounced acidity.
Le Pergole Torte 2013
94/100 - € 170
Sangiovese grapes. A luminous, ruby-garnet color. The bouquet is more traditional for this wine with notes that range from currant to blood orange, followed by scents of violet and hints of underbrush, raspberry and a touch of anise. The taut and agile mouthfeel packs a punch but is not aggressive but flavorful and elegant, the product of a cool year. The finish is subtler but has an unusual finesse.
Le Pergole Torte 2012
92/100 - € 150
Sangiovese grapes. A rather intense ruby-garnet color and a wrapping and slightly ethereal aroma with notes of blackcurrant, prune and black cherry with hints of wood and even damp earth and underbrush with a particular scent of caramelized sugar. The warm and wrapping mouthfeel is flavorful with dimples of tannins in a body that is heavier than in the other vintages. The hotter than usual year made this wine bolder and a bit less elegant.
Le Pergole Torte 2011
94/100 - € 160
Sangiovese grapes. An intense, ruby-garnet color and a more evolved bouquet of ripe fruit, slightly jammy with notes of wild strawberry, currant, spice and an evident woody sensation. The sapid and warm mouthfeel has a composed flavor and solid body while the tannins are more evident than with the other wines probably due to the warm weather.
Le Pergole Torte 2010
95/100 - € 190
Sangiovese grapes. A lively, limpid and particularly luminous ruby color. The bouquet has an excellent complexity and is particularly fine and intact with scents of black cherry, a little leather and hints of violet and flint. The mouthfeel is taut and very agile with widespread tannins that are not aggressive in a body nicely upheld by an acidity that provides elegance and freshness. Notes of red fruit and currant return in the finish.
Le Pergole Torte 2008
92/100 - € 220
Sangiovese grapes. A limpid and clear ruby color while the bouquet is an explosion of fruit, blueberry and raspberry with floral whiffs and a note of spice followed by a wrapping balsamic sensation. The mouthfeel is acidic, sharp with gushing yet elegant tannins that interplay with the acidity to create taut balance between the two component. Currant, raspberry and black cherry return in the after aroma and the long, warm and persistent finish.
Le Pergole Torte 2007
90/100 - € 240
Sangiovese grapes. A blazing and limpid ruby color. The bouquet opens with scents of violet and raspberry followed by evident spice sensations and is sweeter with its notes of dried fruit and confectioner’s sugar but there are also traces of blood and iron as well as underbrush. The balance of the mouthfeel is a bit less evident with tannins that are slightly less elegant and an acidity that is present yet fainter.
Le Pergole Torte 2006
91/100 – € 250
Sangiovese grapes. A ruby color with a garnet edge. The multiform aromas include notes of aromatic herbs, laurel and myrtle on a background of spice. These are followed by notes of iron, underbrush, whiffs of spice and a floral fragrance that shifts towards fruit jam and later almost medicinal scents. The mouthfeel has a vibrant synergy between the silky tannins and distinct acidic streak. Fruity and floral notes of marasca cherry and violet return in the long finish.
Le Pergole Torte 2004
92/100 - € 200
Sangiovese grapes. A garnet color and an aroma that is a bit raw and vegetal with notes of Mediterranean shrubs and wilted flowers, myrtle and balsamic sensations and those of toasting. The mouthfeel is less soft but very particular with a return of fresh floral sensations and mineral hints. While less fatty it remains elegant.
Le Pergole Torte 2001
95/100 - € 240
Sangiovese grapes. A lively garnet color. A masterful bouquet of rustic elegance with notes of tobacco, coffee, smoky scents and those of dates and walnut husk. These are followed by feral scents, dark minerals, cinchona, graphite, rhubarb and incense. There is great harmony in the mouthfeel between the pulpy body, tannins and acidity while smoky sensations and a note of menthol return in the after aroma. A wine with great personality and character.
Le Pergole Torte 2000
91/100 - € 220
Sangiovese grapes. A surprise. Given the hot year one would not have expected a wine to be so intact and have such elegance. A lively, garnet color and wrapping aromas of black cherry, wild strawberry and a hint of yellow peach. The mouthfeel is softer, very drinkable, decidedly balanced and with tannins and an acidity that are less evident. A warm and persistent finish.
Le Pergole Torte 1999
96/100 - € 220
Sangiovese grapes. A classic version, the product of one of the best harvests ever. An intense ruby-garnet color and broad, assorted aromas that range from the classic scents of black cherry and violet along with notes that are more balsamic, underbrush and almost damp earth. The mouthfeel is harmonious and taut with an excellent acidity, truly fine, extremely elegant tannins and an elegant, aristocratic and persistent finish that calls for another sip. A great wine.
Le Pergole Torte 1997
91/100 - € 260
Sangiovese grapes. A hot year that in upper Radda produced bold and even tannic red wines. The ruby-garnet color is quite intense and limpid. An ethereal, complex aroma with notes of black cherry and hints of resin, violet and tar. An intense, slightly tannic mouthfeel nicely upheld by the acidity with a warm and persistent finish.
Le Pergole Torte 1996
88/100 - € 270
Sangiovese grapes. A subtler and slightly edgier version due to the cool year. A bright, garnet color with aromas that are initially a tad balsamic but then shift towards citrus with hints of licorice. A “pointed” mouthfeel in which the acidity is a bit splintered with tannins that are only just noticeable and a subtle and agile body. The finish has a nice persistence.
