Tenuta Sette Ponti, “Crognolo” 2015 (about $28)
Italian Wine for febuary, 2018
The Sette Ponti estate lies about fifteen miles northwest of the city of Arezzo in Tuscany’s famed Chianti zone. The name Sette Ponti translates as "seven bridges" and refers to the seven ancient bridges that cross the Arno River between Arezzo and Florence.
The Sette Ponti estate is owned by Antonio Moretti Cuseri, the talented and uber-successful textile entrepreneur and veteran wine producer who is generally regarded as one of Tuscany’s most innovative and quality-driven producers of world-class Super-Tuscan wines. In addition to Sette Ponti, Moretti Cuseri also owns the highly-regarded Poggio al Lupo and Orma wine estates in Maremma, Tuscany’s premier coastal wine region, and the Feudo Maccari winery in the Noto area of southeastern Sicily.
Crognolo (pronounced cron yoh’ loh) is a blend of 90 percent Sangiovese and ten percent Merlot graps sourced from 30 to 40-year old estate vines. The wine is aged for 14 months in French oak barriques and spends an additional 6 months in the bottle before release.
This stylish Super-Tuscan blend merges the austerity and 
structure of Sangiovese with the suppleness and fruit-forward flavors of Merlot to yield a firmly structured and flavorful yet elegant wine. It is full-bodied and brimming with ripe cherry and blackberry flavors supported by supple tannins and a long, fruity finish lifted by a touch of kitchen spices.
2015 was a top-quality vintage in Tuscany that followed on the heels of the dismal 2014. It was a warm summer with sunny skies and plenty of heat but cool, night-time temperatures and well-timed late summer rains helped keep the Sangiovese grapes balanced with good fruit and acidity.
This is an excellent Super-Tuscan at a very reasonable price. While drinkable now the 2015 Crognolo will continue to evolve and mature over the next 5 years. My recommendation? – buy several bottles, drink one now to establish a base-line then sock the rest away in your wine cellar for a couple of years.
©Richard Marcis
February 9, 2018
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