1985 Le Pergole Torte
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
After the washout 1984 vintage, the 1985 Le Pergole Torte came onto the scene with great expectations. Yet this vintage has never fully realized its potential. The 1985 growing season produced very closed wines in the Chianti Classico region, and you notice that straight off the bat. You are immediately aware of the wine's difficulty to achieve evolution or oxidation. It feels frozen in time, and it seems doubtful that it will ever fully open. This is one stubborn and inward-looking expression of Sangiovese.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
A powerful, intense wine, the 1985 Le Pergole Torte (double magnum) hits the palate with a huge fruit and searing, angular tannins. The aromatics are evolved and tertiary, yet the wine maintains an incredible amount of depth on the palate. Rustic and burly in its personality, the 1985 has held up well, even if it is a bit rough around the edges. At thirty years of age, it does not appear the 1985 will ever truly open up, although it does improve slightly in the glass. Hints of torrefaction, spice and cedar meld into the virile, imposing finish. "In life I have always tried to be first, but in this case, I will accept being second," Sergio Manetti once famously remarked in reference to all the accolades that were bestowed on the 1985 Sassicaia.
About the producer
The legendary Montervertine estate was created by the Manetti family in 1967 and is best known for its iconic pure Sangiovese, Le Pergole Torte. Based in Chianti but with the wines labelled as IGT Toscana, these elegant wines are rightfully some of Tuscany and Italy’s most sought-after.