What a pleasure it is to taste the 2006 Le Pergole Torte now that it is in bottle. The wine reveals superior density and richness in an especially generous style for this wine. Notes of smoke, licorice, leather and underbrush develop with air, adding layers of complexity to the dark red fruit. Today the tannins are a bit on the firm side as is typically the case when this wine is young, but it is impossible not to admire the 2006 Pergole Torte for its superb purity. The heat of the vintage has given the fruit in these high altitude vineyards a level of ripeness and depth that is unusual, all while maintaining the classic sense of structure that defines the best Pergole Tortes. Run, don’t walk?.this is breathtaking juice no one who loves Italian wine will want to be without. This is Lot L 109. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2031. I was blown away by the two wines I tasted from Montevertine and proprietor Martino Manetti. These high altitude vineyards in Radda seem to have benefitted from the heat of 2006, and the results are striking. The 2006 Montevertine and Pergole Torte are even better than they were last year when I tasted them from cask. Unfortunately I was not able to taste the 2007 Pian del Ciampolo, which had not been bottled as we went to press, but I will post a note on that wine as soon as I have an opportunity to taste it. Readers who have visited the property know Montevertine is a tiny estate and the cramped quarters result in multiple bottlings of the wines. I have included lot numbers of the wines I tasted for ease of reference.Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchants, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990