Tenuta Sette Ponti, Oreno, Toscana, Italy, IGT, 2017 (Tre Bicchieri Award - Gambero Rosso)

Overview of the Wine
The estate of Sette Ponti lies in the heart of the Chianti zone, fifteen miles northwest of the city of Arezzo just past the village of San Giustino Valdarno. The Via del Monte, known locally as the Via dei Sette Ponti, leads into a beautiful hidden valley and to the estate. The name Sette Ponti, or "seven bridges," refers to the seven bridges crossing the Arno River on the road from Arezzo to Florence. Erected in the mid 13th century, it took nearly forty years to build, and is perceptible in the right far background of Leonardo DaVinci's Mona Lisa.

Tenuta Sette Ponti, is, like many Tuscan estates, multi-faceted. The 750-acre property supports livestock and mixed agriculture, and although viticulture is not new to the estate, winemaking is; the yield of the property's vineyards was until 1997 sold to various respected Tuscan wine producers, among them Piero Antinori. Dr. Moretti's enjoyment of wine led him to ask Antinori if the estate vineyards could produce great wines, and Antinori thought they could. The estate has since been transformed through the consultation of respected oenologist Carlo Ferrini and his assistant, Gioia Cresti; Gilbert Bouvet, one of France's most skilled viticulturalists; and agronomist Benedetto d'Anna.

Oreno, named after the river that runs through the property, is the flagship of Tenuta Sette Ponti. The soils that produce the fruit for Oreno are a blend of clay, sand and the stony galestro limestone that is special to Tuscany. Clusters are reduced to one or two per stalk in May to assure maximum quality when they are hand harvested in autumn. In the winery, grapes are hand sorted and destemmed. Fermentation occurs in a combination of temperature-controlled and lined, open-top tanks, followed by malolactic fermentation. Oreno is aged in French Allier barriques and in bottle before release.

Grape / Blend
A Tuscan Bordeaux blend: 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot

Origin
Tuscany, Italy

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Oreno, wich takes its name from the river that crosses the estate and the hamiet where the farmhouse is found, is the estate’s flagship wine. Fruit of the blend of Merlot structure and Cabernet Sauvignon class, brought together with the elegance of Petit Verdot, it expresses best the potential of the territory and the Moretti Cuseri family’s idea of wine.

Product size: 750ml