2022 Bolgheri, Noi 4, Tenuta dei Sette Cieli, Tuscany, Italy

Tenuta dei Sette Cieli

"Tenuta dei Sette Cieli" translates to "Estate of the Seven Skies," perfectly capturing the essence of the winery's elevated position and awe-inspiring panoramic views.

Nestled on the slopes of the Monteverdi Marittimo hills, in the heart of Tuscany's Upper Maremma region, this estate benefits from a truly unique terroir. Combining high altitude, invigorating breezes from the Tyrrhenian Sea, and diverse soil types creates exceptional wines with distinct character and complexity.

With a firm commitment to sustainable and organic viticulture, Tenuta dei Sette Cieli meticulously tends to its vineyards by hand, ensuring the utmost attention to detail and cultivating the highest quality fruit. The estate embraces limited production, allowing for precise craftsmanship and an authentic expression of its terroir.

Specialising in cultivating Bordeaux grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, the winery capitalises on the unique microclimate and terroir of the estate. This results in wines that exhibit an exquisite balance of elegance, depth, and finesse.

Visiting the estate offers an opportunity to immerse oneself in the winery's rich history and winemaking traditions. Tenuta dei Sette Cieli firmly establishes itself as one of Tuscany's notable and esteemed wine producers by upholding a dedication to excellence and sustainability.

Bolgheri

Bolgheri is a new DOC in the coastal Maremma region which first rose to prominence during the 1970s with the emergence of the so-called Super Tuscan wines like Ornellaia and Sassicaia. These new ventures had rocked the DOC establishment by using high proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon, opting out of the DOC system and relabeling their wines as simply Vino da Tavola (table wine). 

Having won universal acclaim and exchanging hands for unprecedented prices (higher even than Tuscany's finest examples), the authorities relented and awarded Bolgheri its own DOC. The actions of the Super Tuscans inspired a generation in Italy, even if some of the wines here have lost a little of their lustre since.

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.