I sometimes find myself struggling with the ripeness and the lack of acidity in some of the wines of the Tuscan coast. Although technically well made, their warmth, elevated alcohol content, low acidity, and use of ‚international‘ grapes such as Bordeaux blends can sometimes make them seem interchangeable. Additionally, global warming hasn’t been favorable for these wines. Usually, I am more drawn towards wines that show a sense of place, a vision and have a soul and freshness. Tenuta Monteti (Link) is a great example of a winery that embodies all these virtues, while avoiding stepping into the trap of being over-complicated or too intellectual.
The wines of Tenuta Monteti embrace their origin, Capalbio, and a certain richness the southern part of the Maremma typically offers. At the same time, these wines always show a great sense of place, individuality and good freshness and tension. The story behind these wines is as fascinating as what is inside the bottle. For more detailed background on the winery and its origin, I would highly recommend Jean-François Guyard’s article from 2021 -in German- (Link) “Monteti, das erste Schmuckstück aus Capalbio”.
The wines
Monteti 2018
The Monteti (IGT Toscana) consists of 50% Petit Verdot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon from south and south-west facing vineyards with a plant density of 6‘600 plants per hectare. Harvest for the Monteti started on the 10th of September with Cabernet Sauvignon and concluded on the 24th of September with Petit Verdot.
Yields were 35hl/ha and the different plots are fermented in stainless steel (individually per plot), with pretty long maceration (21 days), and aging for 18 months in French barriques and tonneaux, of which 70% are new. After blending the individual plots, it rests in cement vats before bottling. Additional 24 months of bottle aging. There is no fining or filtration. The Monteti comes in at 14% alcohol.
The Monteti 2018 received three bicchieri from Gambero Rosso, 95/100 points from Falstaff and many more accolades.
Pretty deep ruby/purple color. This needs a few minutes in the glass to open up. Very pretty and complex notes of blueberries, but also some crunchy strawberries, and plenty of dark fruit, too. There are notes of tobacco leaf, some leather, earthy notes, some graphite and also a touch of dark chocolate and juniper berries. With some air also some flowery notes of crushed violets make an appearance. It‘s medium-full bodied, with some more persistence and mid-palate weight than the Caburnio tasted next to it, there is a beautiful medium+ acidity providing freshness and tension, and there is some medium-high tannin that is excellent quality but will also provide structure for aging. Long finish with building complexity. An excellent Monteti and a really beautifully layered wine that combines aromatic complexity with ripeness and a very nice freshness. Like all these wines, this also has a beautiful sense of place. While it is already pretty accessible, especially with some air, it wouldn‘t hurt to give this another 2-3 years in bottle. Good aging potential, too. 18.5/20 (95/100).
