WINE REVIEW: Tenuta Sette Ponti 2018 Oreno Toscana IGT, Italy ($115)

by Andrew Chalk

The winery notes "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." This Tuscan red is comprised of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Petit Verdot.

TASTING NOTES

In a era when new levels of quality designation appear seemingly every year this wine humbly describes itself as Toscana IGT. But self description is not the same as self presentation and that is the point where this wine shows why it scored 90+ points with multiple critics' publications.

The nose is an intense ball of dark fruit (blackcurrant) and herbal notes. The lush tannins make for a memorable sensual combination with the blackcurrant and herbs. Best with powerful red meats.

Sample.