2019 Indaco, Tenuta Sette Cieli, Tuscany, Italy
Critics reviews
Full bottle 1,262 g. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (roughly one-third pf each). An ‘extreme selection’: best parcels and best parts of the parcels and best barrels. 18 months in barriques. Winemaker Elena Pozzolini finds that Malbec from this region is much fresher than what she was used to working with in Argentina. She says she always adapts the winemaking to the vintage – she has no recipe. In 2019, she found they were getting slightly higher alcohol, so she does less extraction during the fermentation and a bit more cold maceration before fermentation. They always do spontaneous fermentation but carefully control temperature. She does a little bit of open pumper if she needs oxygen.
Pressed straight to 225-litre French barriques once fermentation is over (they find the 225-litre barriques are best for their wines). In 2019 it was 15 months in barrel, then racked into tank, and then three years in bottle before release - the reason for this is that altitude and soil it means the wines have very high acidity and low pH, so when they are young, they are not very approachable. It needs time in bottle to ‘relax’. They rented a huge warehouse so they can hold bottles back until they are ready to drink. She puts 30 mg/l when she bottles and usually when the three-year ageing is over, free SO2 is around 10 mg/l and total added is around 60 mg/l. 14,500 bottles.
The scent of iris and violet and orris root floats above the glass – too river-stone cool to be heady, but too fragrant to be stony. The wine is like a warm summer night, the way it moves over the skin: a flow so laminar it is stillness. Midnight-blue fruit soaking through the cashmere tannins. Dark-red wild berries curling through the cracks in the stone-and-iron minerality. Cool oakmoss breath of cistus warming into musk as it becomes saturated with the quiet, graceful beauty of the fruit. It's glorious right now but has a long life ahead.
Drink 2024 - 2035
Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com (March 2024)
Impressive depth here with some pine needle and roasted dark spices to the black cherries and currants. Full-bodied on the palate, with creamy, dissolved tannins that extend to a long yet juicy and fruit-expressive finish. Precise, pure and mineral. Lovely balance.
Drink or hold
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (February 2023)
Indaco 2019 is still very youthful. The result of a hot and dry growing season through until July, which subsequently cooled, offers black cherry, blackcurrant and herbs with ripe, grainy tannins and a chocolatey background. There’s an earthy, gravelly character on the mid-palate with some balsamic lift, then a dark fruit finish.
Drink 2024 - 2032
James Button, Decanter.com (October 2023)
Made from Malbec, Cabernet, and Merlot, the dark red 2019 Indaco is expressive with a floral perfume and ripe fruit with good purity on the opening, revealing notes of blueberry, plum, polished cedar, mocha, and sweet herbs. On the palate, its plush fruit gives way to undercurrents of dark mineral earth, saline, and espresso on the finish. It offers ripe but youthful tannins, possibly from wood, and a rather persistent finish. As with the other wines in the range, it’s a great option with a New World sensibility.
Drink 2026 - 2040
Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com (January 2024)
About this WINE
Tenuta Sette Cieli
Tenuta Sette Cieli transcribes as “Seven Skies Estate”, fittingly named due to the amazing panoramic views and huge skies surrounding the 16 hectares of vineyards and picturesque cantina. This trailblazing producer sits apart from the other producers of Bolgheri, both stylistically and geographically. The estate looks over towards the original Sassicaia vineyard, above Bolgheri’s fertile plains and Tyrrhenian Sea beyond. The penthouse of the region, sitting at 400 metres altitude, their organic vineyards are envied by every winemaker in the region. The site benefits from much cooler temperatures, up to 10 degrees Celsius cooler during the summer months, which results in longer, later harvests – up to one month after the fertile plains below. This gives a very different character of wine to what is expected of Bolgheri; fresh, finessed, energetic and crunchy, further enhanced by the ancient soils of the hills, which are filled with calcareous boulders and crystallised minerals giving vibrant salinity to the wines.
Wolves and wild boar roam free up in these hills, as all the vineyards are enclosed by untouched wilderness, and the deep wooded hills of the Monteverdi landscape. Originally bought as a retreat for the Ratti family, it was only planted with vines in 2001. Today, it’s under the control of superstar winemaker Elena Pozzolini, who has taken this estate to new heights. She crafts the wines with immense skill, fierce passion and sensitivity. These are not rich, blockbuster Bolgheri wines; they are nimble, detailed and elegant, standing out against the richer styles of the region. Although many of their vineyards are technically outside the Bolgheri DOCG, due to the altitude, these are some of the most exciting wines in the area. For Elena and Tenuta Sette Cieli, only the sky is the limit.
IGT Tuscany
IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) Tuscany is a wine classification from Italy's Tuscany region. It is one of the official wine classifications recognized by the Italian government. IGT is a step below the highest classification, DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), and above the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) level.
The IGT classification was introduced in 1992 to allow winemakers more flexibility in grape varieties and employ winemaking techniques while still ensuring a certain level of quality and geographical indication. This classification gives winemakers more freedom to experiment and innovate, deviating from the strict regulations of the DOC and DOCG classifications.
IGT Tuscany wines can be produced throughout the entire region of Tuscany, encompassing various sub-regions and terroirs within the area. This classification allows winemakers to use traditional Tuscan grape varieties, such as Sangiovese, and non-traditional grape varieties, including international ones like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and others.
The IGT Tuscany classification gives winemakers the flexibility to create wines that showcase the unique characteristics of their specific vineyards and winemaking styles. It allows for experimentation with blending different grape varieties, using innovative winemaking techniques, and exploring new regional vineyard sites.
IGT Tuscany wines can vary greatly, from traditional and terroir-driven expressions to more modern and international styles. This classification has played a significant role in developing Super Tuscan wines, often IGT designated and known for their high quality and international recognition.
Overall, IGT Tuscany provides a platform for winemakers in the region to express their creativity and produce wines that reflect their unique vision while maintaining a connection to the rich heritage and traditions of winemaking in Tuscany.
Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
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Description
Grown on the highest terraces of the estate, located at 400m altitude, this incredible wine is an equal blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The 2019 was fermented in steel, and underwent careful extraction with 14 months in oak barrique – 40% of which were new. The nose is layered, perfumed and bright, with violet, rose, Tuscan spice and a calcareous grip. The palate is layered, poised and complex; the tannins firm, but velvet-smooth.
Drink 2025 - 2040
Charlie Leech, Buying Assistant, Berry Bros. & Rudd (July 2024)
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