Le Pergole Torte: One of Italy’s most consistent wines

1980 was a particularly cold vintage in Radda, 'immediately forgotten by critics, upstaged by 1979, 1981 and 1982' says Martino Manetti. The harvest started on the 6 October, almost a week earlier than average at Montevertine. The wine has a vivid pale ruby core with a brick-toned rim, full of aromas of eau de vie de framboise, underbrush and appealing whiffs of dried plums. This is balanced in the mouth by fresh pomegranate and rhubarb candy flavours, showing an almost lean body and dusty tannins which complete the finish.

Pergole Torte 1990 Riserva was produced in small quantities of just 2,500 bottles, 1,000 magnums, plus around 400 in larger formats. The product of a great vintage, the 100% Sangiovese aged for 24 months in both barriques and botti grandi. The wine is still incredibly youthful, with a slightly garnet colour. Austere and dark on the nose, with an intoxicating violet aroma combined with cherry kernel and hematic, earthy notes. The attack is powerful, with almost zesty acidity, then long freshness and a mass of tannins which are silky at first and then chalky. A great wine, full of structure and energy, this deserves time to enjoy its evolution in the glass. An Italian jewel.

The picking date was crucial in 1995, when Tuscany experienced a cool, rainy summer followed by a dry and hot October. The producers who were able to wait obtained very classic wines, often superior to 1997. Le Pergole Torte was harvested very late, on 17 October, giving a jammy, cherry fruit profile to the wine with some rose and violet complexity. It's medium-bodied with chalky tannins, although it's drying on the finish.

1999 was the final vintage of Sergio Manetti, who died in 2000. Today this bottle seems to be proof of his will to produce outstanding wines. Harvested on 11 October – perfectly average for Montevertine – it's considered a classic yet austere vintage in Tuscany compared to the riper 1997 and 1998. It's a bright ruby colour, with a restrained nose of rhubarb candy, privet and Earl Grey tea. The palate flows freely and fully, showing velvety tannins, vibrant freshness and an amazing finish.

In 2001 Martino Manetti, who had worked alongside his father Sergio for 10 years, stepped up for his first solo vintage. A freezing spring - with a recorded temperature of -8°C on 16 April - provoked drastically lower yields than normal. The wine today is full of scents of privet, red cherry, bergamot, leather and oxidative notes, with an appealing hint of nutmeg. In the mouth it's full and powerful, and is one of the most extracted and ripe examples of Pergole. A truly gourmet wine.

Harvested on 13 October from an abundant vintage following the heat of 2003, the 2004 vintage marks the first year of collaboration between Martino and his wife, Liviana. In the glass it still shows an incredible youthfulness of colour without any rim variation. The nose opens with an intense meaty, bloody character followed by a core of dark cherry fruit. The palate brings in rhubarb notes and a vivid acidity which balances the full body and chalky yet ripe tannins.

In 2007, widely considered a hot vintage, the harvest started early on 1 October. Nevertheless, Le Pergole Torte boasts precise red cherry fruit with a whiff of privet, followed by a smoky woodland depth. The palate is savoury and full, more powerful than elegant, with firm acidity and tannins leading to a slightly thick, dry finish.

The 2010 vintage was considered a very good vintage in Tuscany due to an even growing season, and Montevertine began the harvest on 7 October. The colour is vividly ruby, with a fragrant bouquet of rose, violet, raspberry and a hint of rust. The medium to full palate flows with bright cherry fruit and youthful, grainy tannins - a chewy, crisp drinking style. The youngest vineyard (after a series of replanting) was 10 years old at the time.

If 1999 was a testament to Sergio Manetti, 2013 is the 'heritage vintage' of his son Martino. Again, harvest commenced on the 7 October in a vintage that's considered very classic for Tuscany. This was the second vintage with Paolo Salvi as winemaker, and it's the best expression of Le Pergole Torte of the decade. It's youthful and almost crimson at its core, showing signature aromas of privet and matcha tea over a savoury cherry and boiled beetroot core. It has a hearty character with large, velvety tannins and melting acidity.

The hot 2015 vintage resulted in the most alcoholic Pergole Torte, coming in at 14%, regardless of the fact that it was harvested not long after 28 September. It has a generous fruit profile of ripe cherry and raspberry, and although it's estery on the nose it still has an underlying depth of liquorice and flowers. Refined, grainy and crunchy tannins balance the powerful fat fruit, as does the typical chewy acidity that Sangiovese rarely lacks.