Visiting Tenuta Sette Ponti

Tenuta Sette Ponti vineyards near Arezzo

Before arriving in Italy, I reviewed my tasting notes over the years to survey which Italian wines I'd tasted that I'd like to learn more about. Being more of a new world kind of guy (that is to say wines from anywhere but Europe) the list was short.

In practice, I tasted more benchmark Italian wines at the 2011 Wine Spectator Grand Tour in Boston (full review) than I did most anywhere else so I looked closely at the Italian wines I liked there. One of the more impressive wines I tasted there was the 2008 Tenuta Sette Ponti Oreno, the $100+ release price flagship wine from Tenuta Sette Ponti.

We were staying just 35 minutes away from the winery so we paired a visit to Tenuta Sette Ponti with a stop at Cortona - the setting for the book and movie "Under the Tuscan Sun". Cortona was great and so was our visit to Sette Ponti.

Sette Ponti Export Manager Stefano Maggini

I always get a feeling I'm in for a good winery visit when the directions include notes about gravel roads and driving over bridges depicted in famous paintings. The one-way Ponte Buriano bridge you cross when driving to Sette Ponti from Arezzo is featured in the Mona Lisa now housed at the Louvre in Paris.

Ponte Buriano (photo credit)

We met with Stefano Maggini, Tenuta Sette Ponti's Export Manager. Sette Ponti derives its name from the seven bridges you'll cross driving between Arezzo and Firenze.

The Moretti family purchased the land in 1950 from the king's family. Antonio Moretti now owns not just Tenuta Sette Ponti in Tuscany but Poggio Al Lupo in Maremma and Feudo Maccari in Sicily.

Old vines, deep roots

The vineyards have a long tradition, but what drew me to Sette Ponti specifically was the international acclaim their wines have earned. Especially Oreno. 90% of the Sette Ponti wines are exported and the United States is their most important market.

It's been Sette Ponti's ability to build off their legacy while embracing the best of modern winemaking techniques that's enabled them to produce wines that can compete on the international stage. Check out this article from Wine Spectator (online subscription req'd) describing how a Sette Ponti consulting winemaker observed the conditions in Italy in the 1980's. Excerpt:

On a visit to a producer in Castellina-in-Chianti, Ferrini suggested crop thinning, a standard viticultural practice that lowers yields in order to increase the quality of the remaining harvest. The proprietor was incredulous. "Cut these vines and drop the grapes on the ground?" he said. "I'd sooner kill my own daughter."

Thanks to Sette Ponti's outstanding vineyards combined with forward thinking viticulture and vinification, their wines compare favorably with the best wines in Italy. But a more relevant comparison from my tasting experience is Bordeaux. For me, Oreno shows best as a serious sit-down wine meant to be savored with indulgent meals on special occasions.

Oreno and Crognolo aging in French oak barriques

Oreno is a blend of Bordeaux varieties. 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Petit Verdot. Although those varieties are familiar to California wine enthusiasts it's therefore surprising how much more accessible (that is to say easily enjoyable) its >90% Sangiovese sister wine Crognolo is.

Oreno and Crognolo - the cornerstone wines of Sette Ponti 

And Crognolo is much more affordable - it carries a release price of just $33 vs. $107 for Oreno.

Crognolo is big on the nose with rich fruit and supporting tar notes. It's fresh with subtle enjoyable toasty oak influence and firm but semi-sweet tannins. Very, very nice. 95 points James Suckling - great call.

I found it for around 17 euro at the supermarket in Italy but it's not much more in the US if you catch it from a discount retailer.

Try the affordable Crognolo, especially for immediate consumption

Don't get me wrong - the Oreno is terrific. Especially if you can catch it on a deal. But for me, for immediate consumption - Crognolo is the discovery here.

We tasted through other wines in the Moretti portfolio. Poggio Al Lupo (perfume,black licorice, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, firm tannins). Orma (situated between Ornellaia and Sassicaia, Merlot/Cab/Cab Franc, very nice, appealing purity of fruit). Good stuff.

And the Feudo Maccari wines from Sicily showing Nero d'Avola's juicy "drink now" characteristics very well. I spotted a great deal from Vino Divino on the Feudo Maccari  Nero d'Avola just yesterday. Definitely check that out if you're in Massachusetts.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Tenuta Sette Ponti was our first winery visit out of four while in Tuscany. It was a fantastic stop and it was great to taste Oreno on-site and compare it to other wines in their portfolio.

Crognolo was the discovery of the visit for me. Sort of the Clio to El Nido price and quality wise. Highly recommend. Find it on CellarTracker and Wine-Searcher.

Oreno is their flagship wine you've got to try. Find it on CellarTracker and Wine-Searcher.

You may notice that both of these wines sell in the US for significantly less than their release price. Especially the Oreno. For example (magnums for $111). I asked Stefano about this and he acknowledged that there's a bit of a grey market for their wines whereby distributors in some countries sell direct to retailers in other countries. My advice: Buy from retailers you can trust who care about the provenance of their wines.

So my recommendations based on this visit is to buy Crognolo for an affordable outstanding Sangiovese, get a taste of Oreno to establish a relatable frame of reference for the great wines of Italy, and explore the other bottlings in the Moretti portfolio.

Check 'em out:

On the web: http://www.tenutasetteponti.it
Follow them on Twitter: @TenSettePonti

Next up: A visit to Casanova di Neri. I'd love it if you subscribed to The Wellesley Wine Press for future updates.

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Photo Trip Report: Food & Wine in Tuscany

Wine display at Drogheria Franci in Montalcino

We just got back from Italy and I'm pleased to report we got more chances than I thought we would to visit wineries in Tuscany.

Before I get into the winery visit reports over the next couple weeks I thought I'd share some photos of the highlights from our trip. Italy is such a photogenic country. Click any of these images to enlarge.

We stayed at an agritourismo in Tuscany called Borgo Iesolana. The property is surrounded by vineyards and olive trees they use to make a respectable house wine and impressive olive oil we enjoyed throughout our stay. The property has tremendous views and a couple of beautiful pools.

Salt water pool at Borgo Iesolana

The central location (between Siena and Arezzo) made for a great jumping off point for day trips. But first, we had to go to the grocery store to stock up on supplies for the week. The cheese and cured meat selection was amazing and the wine prices - almost entirely Italian not surprisingly - were quite favorable. It was a blast shopping there. I spent well over an hour trying to determine which product in the dairy case was half & half.

Coop grocery store in Montevarchi

Cortona was absolutely wonderful. Highly recommended as an accessible, charming, classic little Tuscan hill town.

Gorgeous views were plentiful in Cortona

We had a terrific lunch in Corona at Ristorante Preludio. Absolutely totally empty at 1:00 pm and for the entire time we ate there, which is usually a problem sign for a restaurant. But it was listed in the Gambero Rosso guide so we tried it and I'm so glad we did.

Upon arrival they poured a taste of Jeio Sparkling Rose that absolutely hit the spot. I'd love to track some of that down back here in the US but I'm fairly sure it was so good because of the overall situation in which it was enjoyed.

Jeio Sparkling Rose at Preludio in Cortona

The first winery we visited was Tenuta Sette Ponti near Arezzo, producers of the famous Oreno. Beautiful classic vineyards. If you like Oreno they've got another wine that's quite a bit more affordable I bet you'd enjoy. I'll tell you more about that visit soon.

Sangiovese vineyard at Sette Ponti near Arezzo

For our wedding anniversary (14 years!) Deanna and I went down to Montalcino to taste Brunello. This was probably the densest concentration of wineries we encountered in Italy. I wanted to visit a more modern producer with international acclaim (Casanova di Neri) as well as a more traditional one (La Gerla). Though both producers are well regarded by American critics these two visits provided for a very good comparison of styles.

Benchmark Brunello producer Casanova di Neri

The La Gerla name is very new to me. I was perusing the Wine Spectator ratings database and comparing scores from Antonio Galloni's Vinous Media and La Gerla jumped out at me.

Gli Angeli vineyard at La Gerla

We drove up to visit the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (a highlight for me and my 9 year old for sure). Earlier this year I heard this awesome story on NPR about the town where Tortellini comes from. It happens to be very close to a lot of exotic car manufacturers so it was a great time to stop in for some Lambrusco and Tortellini.

We had a fantastic meal at La Lumira, sampling all three distinct styles of Tortellini they offered that day. It was amazing how the cuisine changes just a few hours' drive north of Tuscany.

Tortellini di ricotta di bufala con salvia e guanciale at La Lumira in Castelfranco Emilia.

On the way to San Gimignano, just a short distance from our villa was Fattoria di Felsina. Their wines are very well regarded internationally (especially Fontalloro and Rancia) and their tasting room, grounds, and cellar are really nicely appointed.

Cellars at Fattoria di Felsina

On the flight back home I mentioned to the flight attendant that I was enjoying exploring their wine selections and he said "Oh, you're into wine? We've got a secret wine that's not on the menu from Bierzo. Want to try it?"

I remembered Adam Japko's posts on WineZag from a while back singing the praises of wines from this region. It was one of those things where I just kind of mentally filed it away for future action. But in referring back to Adam's post one of the two wines he specifically called out was from Losada - the very wine they were pouring on the flight. Combined with my favorable experience with the Petalos I've also had in the past, I too may become the next big fan of the Bierzo region.

Losada - an amazing discovery on the flight home

Side note: Lufthansa is my new favorite airline. Such awesome service across the board. They really know how to make a family feel comfortable in Business Class. They're like the Four Seasons of airlines.

See also: Lessons learned while earning and burning 1,000,000 points & miles

So that's a little preview of a few posts I'll have coming, hopefully in the next couple weeks.

I'd love it if you subscribed to the site so you can catch those posts as well.

Question of the Day: If you could visit any wine region in the world, where would you go next?

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Massachusetts Direct Shipping Bill Ready for Governor's Signature

The FY2015 Massachusetts State Budget has left the State Senate and is now ready for Governor Deval Patrick's signature. If approved it could finally mean winery direct shipments to Massachusetts consumers will be a legal reality.

Patrick previously said he would sign a bill enabling the direct shipment of wine if it ever made it to his desk. But he's likely going to be considering bigger issues than wine shipment when considering this issue. That's because wine shipment was shrewdly buried within the entire state budget.

The Governor now has 10 days to approve the budget:

The Governor has 10 days to review the budget and take action to either approve or veto the budget. The Governor may approve or veto the entire budget, veto or reduce specific line items, veto outside sections or submit changes as an amendment to the budget for further consideration by the Legislature.

Source: Massachusetts Budget Process

In reviewing the changes the budget would bring to the relevant sections of Massachusetts law it's clear the intent is to establish a framework to allow the direct shipment of wine. But it's not clear whether all of the regulatory hurdles will be sufficiently removed so as to allow shipments to occur. Specifically the sticking point of per-truck licensure of FedEx/UPS trucks.

From this Boston Globe piece out last week it appears I'm not alone:

Boston Globe: Online Wine Could Finally Come to Massachusetts Drinkers

FedEx said "no comment". UPS said it's too early to tell. And Jeff Carroll from Ship Compliant (who has forgotten more about wine shipping laws than I'll ever know) agrees it's unclear whether the proposed changes will collectively and fully enable direct shipments.

In an effort to keep things high level I shared:

“This is good news for Massachusetts wine enthusiasts, who will now be able to purchase wines they currently don’t have access to,” said Robert Dwyer of Wellesley, who blogs about wine. “This is also good news for Massachusetts in general since it will mean new revenues.”

Best case, winery direct shipments will start occurring next year. Retailer shipments (which would be even more beneficial to wine enthusiasts) are not included in this bill which is a shame. Because it means access to imported wines won't improve one bit with these changes.

So file this under "progressing well" but we're still not home free. Still - I'm very pleased with this progress because these recent developments are the most tangible positive progress we've seen on this front in a long time.

Subscribe to The Wellesley Wine Press to keep up with future updates.

PS I was in Tuscany on vacation last week and visited some benchmark producers. Tenuta Sette Ponti, Casanova di Neri, La Gerla, and Felsina. I tasted a bunch, learned a lot, and got some great pictures. Can't wait to tell you about them.

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Mission Impossible: $8 Wedding Pinot Noir

A WWP reader asks...

Hi there Robert,

I found you while browsing lists of inexpensive, yet great wines locally, and your top 8 list at Trader Joe's came up. I'm getting married here in California (northern) in August and we're looking to buy a couple of cases of good Pinot Noir at about $7-8 if that's even possible. Thought I'd give you a shout and see if that exists at any of the small to large stores like TJ's, Safeway, and the like. Hopefully not the stuff that will peel the paint! 

 
Thanks man.

Thanks for reaching out!

Like you sensed ("if that's even possible") it is tough to find good Pinot Noir south of $20. It's almost impossible to find even an enjoyable one for less than $10.

I do think California Pinot Noir is a nice pick for a summer wedding in California. It's versatile from a pairing perspective and lighter in weight than Cabernet Sauvignon. But if you find a good one, Pinot Noir can be effortlessly full of delicious flavor.

What you'll tend to find for around $10 at Trader Joe's is brands like Mark West, Castle Rock, and Trader Joe's private label wines. Occasionally these wines are enjoyable and some even show desirable Pinot Noir markings like aromas of fresh perfectly-ripened strawberries, supporting brambly notes, and orange oil aromatics. But they lack a certain personalized touch that I'd consider desirable for a wedding wine.

I was thinking back to the last really enjoyable, varietally correct California I had that was in the $10 neighborhood and one that immediately came to mind was the 2012 Ramsay North Coast California Pinot Noir. You can find it for less than $12 on the east coast.

Ramsay is a second label for Kent Rasmussen Winery. A second label typically means it's made by the same people that produce more expensive/prestigious wine but sold under a less expensive label. Kent Rasmussen Pinot Noir historically sold for around $35 whereas the Ramsay sells for $12. Second label wines aren't always as good as their more famous siblings (the grape sources vary, the oak regiment varies etc) but they can potentially be a source of good value.

Here are my notes on the 2012:

2012 Ramsay North Coast Pinot Noir

Inviting nose of ripe black cherries, strawberries, and supporting brambly notes. Smooth on the palate and very easy to drink. If there's a fault, it's a lack of depth and a somewhat short finish. But overall it's varietally correct and an amazingly strong effort in the $12 range. 13.5% alcohol. The perfect weeknight Pinot. Amazing value here.

89/100 WWP: Very Good

The best way to find a specific wine like this is through Wine-Searcher. It allows you to see which retailers have a specific wine for sale for shipment to specific states:

Here is a deep link to search for this wine for shipment to California

Ironically it looks like the best pricing for this wine is from retailers in New York and New Jersey. I'd be careful about shipping wine across the country since temperatures are creeping up and that can destroy wine in transit. I think they might have this at Total Wine locations in California so you may want to check there or at other local wine stores.

I think it's worth stretching from $7 to $12 per bottle to get a little bit nicer wine for your special day.
My best to you and your bride!

Hope this helps!

Question of the Day: What wine would you recommend for this situation?

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