Wine Reviews

This red is saturated with black cherry, blackberry and pomegranate flavors, with a hint of vanilla. Assertive tannins tip the balance to the dry, astringent side on the long, black cherry– and blackberry-infused aftertaste. Opens with several minutes of aeration, so be patient.

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.

The 2021 Sette is 100% Merlot. Lavender, spice, menthol, chocolate, blueberry jam and give this mid-weight Tuscan red a unique profile to complement its mid-weight structure. I would give this a year or two to shed some tannin

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.