Sassetti Livio Pertimali Rosso di Montalcino 2018

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

All the grapes are harvested as Brunello, with Rosso and Riserva being selected out after the wine has finished fermentation/maceration (10-15 days) – Rosso to steel then 6 months in bottle. Like 18’s from elsewhere in Italy, this is cool and elegant, able to show clear, classy cherry fruit and a note of rose, smokiness and coffee grounds over a zingy Rosso frame. A dream economy Sangiovese.

About Pertimali

“This tiny estate, which has been making spectacular wines since 1982, makes some of the finest red wines in Tuscany. I am beginning to think that if I had only one Brunello di Montalcino to drink it would have to be Pertimali. Unfortunately, quantities are microscopic, making availability a major headache.”

Robert M Parker, April ‘96

Of course one always agrees with Parker when it suits, doesn’t one – even if these never were what you might call Parkerised wines. I have been as keen on Pertimali since my first experiences too. It was the very good ’94 (much better vintage there than most other places) that we first brought in (as David Ridge Wines, and later Distinguished Vineyards). The Pertimali style is probably not quite like anyone else’s.

These continue a tradition of really native Montalcino wines, quite nervy and essentially elegant wines with that distinct smoky, coffee-grounds, char and licorice Montosoli thing. The combination of the finesse and persistence of its northern Montalcino site, on the fabulous Montosoli slope, with an ability to get ripeness, results in a wine with both the gamey/leather/mushroom/tobacco persona and the black fruits, vegemite and graphite, tighter elements. Unlike maybe most Brunello, which can often perform quite quickly at table – well at least much faster than say Barolo! – these do need a bit more air. What you get are layers of the characters mentioned and in fascinating waves, persistent and re-appearing.

In the Vineyard

Livio Sassetti, part-time poet and an original founder of the Brunello Consorzio (1967) consolidated his father’s keen eye for the best vineyard land to bring their holdings of the great slope of Montosoli up to 16 ha, 12 of it able to produce Brunello di Montacino. The presence of another ‘Div 1’ producer Altesino and the consistent high results by others, like Canalicchio di Sopra and the wonderful cru La Casa of Carpazo tend to confirm the status of this treasured 75 ha patch, just north east of Montalcino. As ever, the wise old heads realised that the best wine comes from the best vineyards. This mostly south-facing slope is composed of marl and siliceous limestone soils, great for acidity, austerity, deep roots and excellent drainage. Altitude is from 350 up to 400 meters, and the whole terroir, soils and location offer notably lower temperatures than even a little further south (within the Montalcino zone). Vineyard practises are generally biodynamic – as they have been for decades now.

In the Winery

Current custodian Lorenzo Sassetti keeps the winemaking simple and consistent and essentially the same for both wines – a gentle press, with must and skins together in the ferment for 12-15 days at 28˚C. Yeasts are indigenous. Rosso does its time in tank then bottle, generally without any oak and Brunello has 36 months in 30hl Slavonian wood and 6 more months in bottle. So they’re not really ‘Parker’ wines at all, but pure expressions of the Brunello of Montalcino.

Where in the World are Pertimali?