Sette Ponti is a magnificent estate, formerly owned by members of the Italian royal family.  It is situated in a remote and unspoiled region of the Chianti zone, on the Arno River near Arezzo.  The name of the property is a reference to the seven famous medieval bridges that cross the Arno between Arezzo and Florence.  Interestingly the most renowned of them, the Ponte Buriano, can be seen in the background of the Leonardo's Mona Lisa: it is reassuring that the beautiful landscape has changed very little since the early 16th century, and the bridge is a very fitting symbol for Sette Ponti in the 21st.

Sette Ponti reflects the vision of Dr. Antonio Moretti, who took over the estate from his father in the late 1990's, and immediately began producing estate-bottled wines. The vineyards occupy a total of 150 acres, at an altitude of 200 to 300 meters; the oldest vines (mostly sangiovese) date from 1935.  The soil is a classic Tuscan mixture of sand, clay, limestone, and schist-based galestro. The estate - 750 acres in total - is farmed in the traditional Tuscan way, so that the vineyards are surrounded by a pastoral landscape of olive groves, wheat fields, and natural woodland.

Sette Ponti Oreno (the name comes from the Oreno River, a small tributary of the Arno that flows through the property) is a classic Super Tuscan red, aristocratically structured and supremely elegant. Intriguingly, despite the fact that the blend is exclusively Bordeaux grapes (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and petit verdot) it has a profoundly Tuscan personality, combining juicy freshness, beautifully ripe tannins (emphatic but not astringent) and earthiness without coarseness. It is a very suave expression of merlot fleshiness, cabernet intensity, and petit verdot exoticism, gracefully validating the rule that the sum can be greater than the parts.  Compared to other Super Tuscans, Oreno will always be distinguished by its roundness, silky texture, and forward personality, ie drinkability.  It will also always be amongst the greatest values.  It is important to add only that early drinkability does not preclude age worthiness: balanced young wine begets balanced old wine!