Monteverro

With his Tenuta Monteverro, situated below the medieval town of Capalbio in the province of Grosseto, the successful German entrepreneur Georg Weber has courageously gained access to the society of the Tuscan wine aristocracy on the last hill before the Tyrrhenian Sea. Previously, the pedantic estate owner had spent several years searching for his vine paradise between Napa Valley, Bordeaux and Australia without results. In front of the entrance door of the winery in the Maremma stands a cast-iron wild boar, which also gave it its name: Monteverro means boar mountain.

Before he acquired a total of 50 hectares of land (of which 40 hectares are under vine) in 2003 in order to cultivate particularly high-quality growths with an international team. In 2006, work began on the construction of the estate building and the functionally equipped cellar built into a hill. Except for the white variety Vermentino, French varieties, mainly from the Bordelais, thrive in the Tenuta Monteverro in a south-southwest orientation. The light sea breeze, cool nights and sunny days create the best climatic conditions for the vines to grow well.

In order to press unique and authentic wines, Weber trusts the advice of renowned French experts: the soil specialists Claude and Lydia Bourguignon as well as the world-famous wine consultant Michel Rolland. In the cellar, only hand-picked fruit of the highest quality is processed very gently. The details of the winemaking process make the heart of every winemaker beat faster. The grapes are cooled down to seven degrees in a cooling tunnel. No pumps are used, only gravity is used to extract silky tannins. In the barrique cellar, the temperature under the wooden barrels can be raised via underfloor heating in case malolactic fermentation is interrupted.

The results of this meticulous work are united by the fact that they are shaped by the original landscape of the Maremma, the proximity to the coast and the very unique terroir of its southernmost foothills. Monteverro founder Georg Weber sums up his intention as follows: "Our goal is to bring wines into the glass that tell stories of their origins. Stories of the landscape in which they have grown and of the people who have worked for them."

That's why I'm such a big fan of Monteverro. An entrepreneur who has a vision based on his passion. A German entrepreneur who has no connection with making wines in Italian culture. And then succeeding in creating the vision that you are drawn to his house with every sip you take and in which you taste the story of hard work, lots of tasting, using the unique environment through innovation is something that shows what the new generation of winemakers has in store for us.

Top Monteverro vintages are: 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020.

FACTS

Year Founded: 2003
Owner: Georg Weber
Annual production: approx. 180,000 bottles
Vineyard: approx. 40 hectares
Organically certified cultivation since 2019