“My mother, Erika Ratti, and father are from the area of Milano and Como in northern Italy,” explained Ambrogio Cremona Ratti in a recent virtual tasting with two wines (sent as samples) from Tenuta Sette Cieli. “My mother loved horses and wanted to move to the countryside. In the early 1990s, she started looking for property on the coast of Tuscany. In 1994, she finally found and purchased what set the chain. It’s a very special place – very isolated and remote. It was abandoned for years and had a house dating from the 1200s on the property.” So began the story of Tenuta Sette Cieli located in Bolgheri, well known for highly lauded wines such as those from Sassicaia. Originally purchased just to breed horses, Erika Ratti developed Tenuta Sette Cieli in 1998 with a ”deliberate intent to make high quality wines.”
Photo Credit: Tenuta Sette Cieli
In 2001, the first four hectares of vineyards were planted on terraces at 400 meters (1312 feet) above sea level, an altitude that affords consistent ventilation and marked diurnal temperature shifts. The elevation helps retain acidity and aromatic complexity in the grapes. The intense sunlight reflecting from the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea is beneficial to ripening. Different soil compositions relate to the altitude of the vineyards: at the hilltops, rock is the dominant element whereas at the foothills, soil is mainly clay, orange/red sands and loam, all alluvional and colluvional in origin.
More vineyards were planted and today, Tenuta Sette Cieli owns 120 hectares of land of which 15 hectares are under vine. 10 hectares are found in Monteverdi Marittimo and 5 are in Castegneto Carducci.
The first vintage at Tenuta Sette Cieli was in 2005. “Our philosophy is that we’re organic in the vineyard,” continued Ambrogio. “We really want to respect the place we have. Because we are so isolated, it’s also a lot easier because we don’t have cross-contamination. We work as much as possible in the vineyard to make the best possible grapes that are balanced. Hopefully, this reflects in the wine. We’re very vineyard focused. The presence of the sea and the altitude mix constantly to result in a breezy, very cool climate.”
Ambrogio Cremona Ratti and Elena Pozzolini- Photo Credit: Tenuta Sette Cieli
Ambrogio Cremona Ratti ushers in the next stage of Tenuta Sette Cieli. His childhood was spent at the estate which has now become “an important reference amongst Super Tuscan names.” Ambrogio honed his skills while working in Australia, California and in Tuscany, but when he arrived at Sette Cieli “I fell in love with this place because I found so many different components that are of high quality to make wines.” Ambrogio has “strongly supported the idea of a further investment in Bolgheri.” In 2018, the winery purchased 32 hectares in the area, of which 5 are devoted to viticulture. “We are very proud to join the Corsortium of Bolgheri DOC and are aware of what this entails,” he explained.
Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec are at the core of the winery’s production. (There is one hectare of Sangiovese planted in 2016 as a “small challenge spurred on by the peculiar characteristics of the area. We do not blend this.”) In Bolgheri DOC, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates.
Elena Pozzolini oversees the production and is considered “one of the young winemakers who are shaping the image of the region.” To that point, she was featured among other “trailblazing women leading the wine industry forward” in Wine Enthusiast magazine and has experience in Italy, California, Australia and Argentina.
Vineyards are farmed organically and completely by hand. Each variety and single plot is vinified separately. Ambient yeasts only are used during fermentation. “We believe strongly in the identity of each terroir and, consequently, of each wine. This is the reason for our decision to work with indigenous yeasts,” Elena shared during the tasting.
Tenuta Sette Cieli is now on my radar of premium, high quality Italian wine producers, especially in Tuscany. You may want to consider doing the same.
Photo Credit: Tenuta Sette Cieli
Indaco is Italian for “indigo,” often the color of the sky at sunset at Tenuta Sette Cieli. Ambrogio shared, “During the sunset, all the land becomes blue indigo. You have the blue of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the blue of the sky so it’s mixed with different blue. Even the hills behind the property become blue. When I see this view I always take a deep breath and relax. This view on the Tuscany Archibelago is something unforgettable.”
The wines are just as unforgettable as the sunset view. Our group tasted Indaco 2019, a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot cultivated on Tenuta Sette Cieli’s high altitude vineyards. Aged for 14 months in French oak, the blend is elegant and unique with intense aromas of rich black cherries and baking spice wafted from the glass. Moderate tannins and vibrant acidity framed notes of herbs, dried leaves and ripe fruit on the palate. Just delicious, the wine was a mouthwatering complement to a recent dinner that included a juicy rib eye steak still sizzling from the grill.
Scipio was a famous Roman general and statesman who defeated Hannibal at the final battle of the Second Punic Wars in 202BC. Just as powerful is Scipio 2019 of 100% Cabernet Franc aged for 24 months in French oak. Deep ruby, the nose burst with ripe raspberries, dark red cherries, smoke and hint of earth. Wood, sweet fruit and red pepper notes on the palate were settled on a foundation of bright acidity and firm tannins. The lush, bold notes of the wine were brilliant with creamy mushroom risotto and a lean pork tenderloin cooked to perfection. Just wow!
Currently, Tenuta Sette Cieli produces 90,000 bottles across four labels: Indaco (Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot), Scipio (Cabernet Franc), Noi 4 (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc) and Yantra (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot). 75% of the production is exported to their main markets in the United States, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Benelux, Germany, Russia, Canada, Japan, Brazil and Austria.
Cheers! ~ Cindy
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