Some notes on the wines of Sette Ponti:
2006 Sette Ponti Crognolo – excellent nose with hints of cocoa, tasty entry with medium soft tannins, smooth and drinking well now. A medium term wine that may improve a bit and should hold well. 90% sangiovese, 10% merlot
2006 Sette Ponti Oreno – their upmarket IGT with 40% merlot, 40% cab and 20% sangiovese. Sweeter nose, significant tannins a tad on the hard side, a vin de garde that needs 8-10 years. Very good international style – it would take you awhile to identify this as Italian tasting blind as the sangiovese doesn’t influence the wine that much.
2006 Poggio al Lupo – another IGT with 70% cab, 20% Alicante and 10% Petit Verdot (not much of this grown in Italy, I’d think). Medium colour, brighter fruit in the nose melded with vanilla from the oak, middle weight with good balance and very good length. Very nice now and will have a reasonably long life.
2006 Feudo Maccari Saia IGT – this is made from Nero d’Avola and comes across as a little on the rustic side, with a warm nose you’d expect from a hot country (Sicily) that later offered some black cherry aromas, full and warm in the mouth, slightly sweet and still a bit tight. I like a bit more age before drinking these wines, but I rather like them. Wouldn’t appeal to the Burgundy fans…
2006 Feudo Maccari Maharis IGT – 33% nero d’avola, 33%cab, 33% syrah. First time I have tasted this and I found the blend to be most agreeable. Nice nose with spice and nutmeg along with a hint of black pepper, long and smooth in the mouth with a little anise at the end, and only moderate tannins. This had great appeal and should suit the Rhone guys as well as many others.