2004 Montevetrano Montevetrano Colli di Salerno IGT

• By Antonio Galloni
  The Noble Wines of Southern Italy (Aug 2010), (See more on Vinous...)

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• By Antonio Galloni
  The Best of Central and Southern Italy (Feb 2008), (See more on Vinous...)

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RJonWine.com

• By Richard Jennings
  5/30/2011, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 86 points

  (Montevetrano Montevetrano Colli di Salerno IGT) Bricking, nearly opaque red violet color; tart currant, lightly herbal nose; tangy, tart currant, tart plum palate with herbal notes; medium-plus finish 86+ points

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  7/30/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (Montevetrano (Salerno/Campania)) Montevetrano Dear Friends, Like our yearly Galardi offer, this is our annual Montevetrano offer and it is certainly interesting. As one of our favorite pioneers in the trade, Silvia Imparato continues to stand as a beacon for woman in the world of fine wine and she has never looked back. Her winery, Montevetrano, remains true to its original ideal and it remains a limited production, single wine estate that focuses all of its energy on one wine (similar to Galardi). Based in a beautiful region south of the Amalfi Coast, this Campania icon was one of the original "cult" wines from Italy and the added vine age over the years has only increased the tannic potential of the wine. If you are into "drink now", Montevetrano is not for you - if you are into 1986 or 1989-like Bordeaux, this is your calling. As one of the Wine Advocate's highest scoring entrants in its history, this wine has much to offer. Which brings us to today. Caught between 2006 and 2004, Montevetrano (like Galardi again) has stock of 2005 destined for distributors in Europe and the Far East that (due to the economy) has languished, waiting for them to pick up their allocations. Ms. Imparato is tired of waiting. Bad economy or not, Montevetrano has fans in the US that would be quite happy to have access to the wine and she is giving us a unique chance...with a twist. In exchange for your support of the 2005 at a crazy price, she will give you equal bottles of the highly coveted (and basically sold out) 2004 at the same price, but you must select both vintages in the same pack. 2004 Montevetrano (like 2004 Ornellaia, 2004 Galardi or 2004 Sassicaia) has been praised from day one as a Campanian masterpiece in the making. I pulled a bottle from my own cellar yesterday afternoon and watched it evolve over 6-8 hours, with food and without. After 3-4 hours, this wine started folding into itself and it was superb. It has already shed significant tannin and sediment and another 6-8 years in the cold reaches of the cellar should be about right. The wine is layered, already complex but only hinting at its outright potential. I can tell you from the inside that this wine is less than current wholesale...in Italy (forget the US - those that still have original release bottles may have it at $69.99-79.99 but current wholesale would make it closer to $100 or more). As far as deals, this goes without saying. There you have it - you must purchase an equal number of both vintages in one case pack - they are coming pre-packed from Montevetrano, we cannot offer the 2004 or 2005 alone. Usually, we shy away from packs like this but, in this case, the offer is so good that I didn't blink an eye (for the 2005 this is also a terrific price - the wine may not be as desirable as the 2004 but it is certainly no slouch). In addition, our kinship with the winery makes me feel good about passing on the savings to our email base - we are making next to no margin on this offer but all of your support throughout the yeas on so many other wines makes this a "thank you" gesture of sorts. With that, Thank You: 2004 Montevetrano (Salerno/Campania)(Veronelli "Blue" 3/3)(GR3) 2005 Montevetrano (Salerno/Campania)(Veronelli "Blue" 3/3)(GR3) Once again - both vintages must must be purchased together as a group. Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy6601 Italy6602 Italy6603

• By Jon Rimmerman
  3/6/2008, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (MONTEVETRANO) 2004 Montevetrano Dear Friends, There’s nothing like a high score to fill up my email box and I get the message - you want more 2004 Montevetrano. Antonio Galloni gave this one of the highest scores of his entire review a few days ago (and one of the highest scores of any wine since he’s been reviewing for the Wine Advocate) and for good reason. 2004 in Tuscany and the south is a watershed vintage with wine that has so much natural material, tannin and balance they remind many of 1989 Bordeaux. The 2004 Montevetrano has a chance to last 20-30 years which is almost worth the price of the investment alone. The 1989 Montrose of Italy with a dose of 2005 thrown in? If you are buying 2005 Bordeaux, this wine remains underpriced for its level of quality and it will go toe-to-toe with any of the best Left Bank 2005’s - I said, “any”, including the 2005 Margaux. I’ve tasted both wines at least 4-6 times and the 2005 Margaux is no better than this wine. The Margaux is exceptional in its own way, even profound, but for $700-1000 bottle more, it is no better. We’ve offered this wine a number of times over the past 2-3 years and I asked for more this morning (just like everyone else in the world) but our prior support before it was reviewed is being rewarded (just like the Margui) - we have first dibs on the remaining stock, which is very small. The price is up but there’s nothing I can do. I originally purchased the wine a few years ago at 1.19 Euro to the dollar and today it is at 1.53! I am reducing our margin to basically nothing so I can keep this at this price level. All of you have supported enough other wines this year so call this a high scoring freebie on our part. There is a shop in Branson, MO that has 6 bottles purchased a few years ago at $65 if someone wants to grab those but other than that the price in the US will be $80-120 or even higher with the new score. Here you go, with perfect provenance - you can request as much as you want and we'll do our best.... 2004 Montevetrano Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy6022

• By Jon Rimmerman
  6/8/2007, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (Montevertrano) Montevetrano Vertical Dear Friends, This is a real treat to be a part of - an offer that is dear to my heart as well as my intellect and a winery that I give my complete support to. We’ve profiled the wines of Silvia Imparato and her small Montevetrano estate in Campagnia for nearly a decade and the wine has become one of Italy’s true first growths. Parker has compared this estate to Bryant Family and Colgin but has also classified Montevetrano as the Sassicaia of the south. In my estimation, the estate is more the Lafite of Campagnia and the wines are on course to age like it. Few Cabernet-based wines outside of Bordeaux appear to have the extended aging ability that Montevetrano has demonstrated and there is no vintage that is truly at its apogee (from 1991 on). With one of the wine-world’s most alluring terroirs (similar to Galardi), the elevated, sloping, rocky soil is cooled by the close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. A constant summer flow of temperate salt air flows up and over the hillside which moderates the improbably high solar-heating degree days that this vineyard receives. It would not be stretching things to say this may be one of the world’s single finest sites for growing thick skinned varietals - if balance and ripeness are your objectives. This estate has been so influential in the advancement of woman winemakers and woman winery owners in Italy (along with Elisabetta Foradori and her illustrious Granato) that I will go out of my way to support the wines and offer them at margins that are probably foolhardy (basically covering the cost of the Visa/MC fee but that’s it). All of you support us throughout the year with so many other wines that it’s time to give back. We’ve offered the 2003 and 2004 Montevetrano independently but when I asked for the three best vintages they’ve produced, the response was quick - 2003, 2004 and the otherworldly 2005 (a wine that will challenge the First and Second Growths of Bordeaux in 2005). If treated like a top Bordeaux, Montevetrano represents outstanding value at the highest end and I urge you to place this vertical case in a dark corner of your cellar for a rainy day - an investment for special times ahead. ...and now the extra bonus that makes this even more exciting. Silvia will sign 12 random bottles of 2005 and each will be placed in a vertical 6 or 12 pack. If you receive a signed bottle in your pack a very special gift awaits you...instructions will be included in your case. The gifts are about as memorable as it gets for a wine lover and the names of the 12 winners will be posted on our web site this fall (including the mystery gift they received). As one of the highest rated wines in the history of the Wine Advocate, International Wine Cellar, Gambero Rosso and others I could have cut and pasted a multitude of reviews from the last decade but this is quite representative of what Silvia Imparato is going for so I chose this one. This offer is not about gimmicks, vintage dumping or motives (there are none) - each vintage in this mixed case is highly desirable. I do not like to make proclamations as there are always people reading the offers that make it their life’s mission to make me eat my words but, as far as price is concerned, this is about as low as you will ever see in the US. This parcel is directly from the winery cellar with the finest provenance available - this is not via the grey market. Please note: the wines are not available individually and are only offered to us in the 6 and 12-pack mixed vintage format: Montevetrano Vertical 12-Pack 4 bottles 2003 Montevetrano 4 bottles 2004 Montevetrano 4 bottles 2005 Montevetrano (N/R) Montevetrano Vertical 6-pack 2 bottles 2003 Montevetrano 2 bottles 2004 Montevetrano 2 bottles 2005 Montevetrano (N/R) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy9849 Italy9848