Excellence From TuscanyWith three outstanding vintages on the horizon, Italy's most popular

wine region looks to a bright future

• Another area in Tuscany that shone through the hundreds of wines I tasted this year was the appellation of Bolgheri and its satellite vine-growing areas around towns such as Bibbona and Suvereto.

• The growth in these lush, coastal wine regions has been phenomenal. Bolgheri now encompasses nearly 3,200 acres of vineyards (about two-thirds of that is in the appellation Bolgheri DOC); a decade ago vineyard plantings were about one-third of that. From the handful of pioneering wine producers, such as Antinori and Tenuta San Guido, the number has grown to more than 40.

• Suckling wrote: "Bolgheri is the hottest area for wine in Italy right now," …I tasted nearly 60 wines from Bolgheri and just next door in Bibbona, and about two-thirds of them were outstanding. These wines are mostly modeled after great Bordeaux, but they are slightly more flamboyant and lively in style. They are in some ways an exotic blend in style—Napa Valley meets Médoc or Pomerol.

• …Another Bolgheri newcomer to keep an eye on is Orma, a similar red blend from Sette Ponti, makers of the consistently classic Oreno, in the Valadarno. Owner Antonio Moretti bought this Bolgheri winery, which is located next to Ornellaia, a couple years ago from Napa's Delia Viader and the Piedmont wine family of Gagliardo. His debut wine, the 2005 shows lots of round, caressing tannins and plenty of ripe, opulent fruit character for a typical Cabernet-based wine of the region.

• "With the history and quality of wines from San Guido and Ornellaia, Bolgheri was a very attractive, even logical, place to invest in Tuscany," says Moretti. "Wines like Sassicaia and Ornellaia are the models for everyone now making wines in the region. And I hope to make wines as good as them very soon."

Owner of Podere Orma

• “Aside from being the founder of a department store chain and owner of Bonora and Carshoe, two handmade shoe brands popular worldwide, Antonio Moretti is in the early stages of bringing Tenuta Sette Ponti, located near Arezzo on the eastern edge of Chianti, to the forefront of Tuscan winemaking. “ Wine Enthusiast

Podere Orma Bolgheri

Podere Orma 1st vintage 2005• Classification I.G.T• .Vintage 2005• Production Zone Bolgheri• Varieties 40% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet

Sauvignon, 40%Merlot• ExposureSouth-eastern• Average Age of Vines 8 years• Altitude 20 m above sea level• Trellis Cordon• Spacing of Rows 1.8 meters x 0,75 meters• Production per Hectare 4000 kilo• Vinification 18 days of maceration with 15 days of

fermentation• Aging 12 months in 225 litre French barriques• Bottle aging prior to release 1 year• Colour Purple red with hints of violet • Bouquet Notes of intense berries, spice and hints of

tobacco • Palate Soft and velvety in the mouth with spice and

mature sweet fruit.• Alcohol percentage14%• Suggested Serving Temperature 18°• Serving Suggestions Full flavoured meats, game

and roasts

Wine Spectator on Orma 2005

• Dark in color, with intense aromas of blackberry and black licorice, with hints of oak and an earthy undertone. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins, a long finish and a round, caressing texture. The debut wine for Sette Ponti from Bolgheri. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Not imported into the U.S. Best after 2009. 1,000 cases made. –JS 91/100

Why?

• Bolgheri is very different from Maremma. 3 major differences are:• 1. The soil – a lot of sand and gravel combine with the galestro soil in Bolgheri mean

a very porous soil, while classic Maremma soil has a higher % of clay in the galestro.• 2. Altitude - Bolgheri is more or less at sea level whereas Maremma is principally

hilly terrain with an altitude between 200-300m asl.• 3. Ventilation – While temps can be as much as 8 centigrade warmer than Chianti,

Bolgheri benefits from sea breezes in the summer which are funnelled up between the islands of Capraia and Elba to the west of Corsica.

• Orma vineyards are in the best location in Bolgheri• No. 1 enologist in Tuscany – Carlo Ferrini • Top house from Tuscany with a very good reputation in the market. Kobrand sell

20,000 bottles of Oreno each year at $75 wholesale per bottle and a total of 150,000 bottles under Sette Ponti.

• One winery, ONE wine