Wine Reviews

This remains one of the best merlots from Italy, even though it was first made in 2019. Violets, tapenade, lavender, blackberries and blueberries. Medium- to full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that give presence and drive. Polished and rather endless. A merlot with structure and polish at the same time. Best after 2027.

Silky and plush, this red leans to the elegant side, featuring black cherry, blackberry, vanilla, iron and toasty oak aromas and flavors. Harmonious and well-structured, with polished tannins emerging on the long aftertaste and leaving a powdery feel.

The organic Tenuta Sette Ponti 2020 Sette is all Merlot from a vintage that saw rain toward the end of the season. The fruit is sourced from seven separate parcels and was harvested in early September with a careful berry selection process. The results are thick and sticky with blackberry preserves, spice, cinnamon and exotic spice. The wine offers a concentrated, full-bodied mouthfeel with a powerful 15% alcohol content. It’s big and generous, almost to a fault.

An unctuous, umami blend of hot tar, balsamic vinegar and wild herbs on the nose, with a crack of black pepper before blackberries flood in. More pepper and crushed stones on the palate insist on the savory and austere elements right now, but the fruit promises to mature and offer a truly luxurious experience with time

The nose is primarily herbaceous, with notes of sagebrush, leaves, cedar and soil, but varied undertones of plums, cherries and cured meat keep you on your toes. On the palate, the meatiness swells above the still fresh and savory herbs before an elegant, bittersweet finish.