Tenuta Sette Ponti : Oreno 2022

An organic blend of 45% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, the Tenuta Sette Ponti 2022 Oreno is a full-bodied Tuscan red with a big delivery of black fruit aromas. It comes at you at once, and the blend is seamless in the sense that you can't make out any one single variety, although interestingly, Cabernet Franc was added for the first time. It closes with sweet tannins and big richness that is never too heavy or bulky. In fact, it closes with medium intensity. This is a release of 49,000 bottles.

Oreno has evolved from a wine based on 50% Sangiovese in 2008 to one that completely omits the Tuscan varietal in favor of an international blend. In 2022, the percentage of Petit Verdot tops out at 15%—around 5% more than usual—because the hot, dry vintage produced very high-quality berries of this minor Bordeaux variety. Is it better than the 2021? Tasted side by side, the 2021 is richer and sturdier, while 2022 is more immediately accessible: pure, ripe, and intense, it shows vibrant red and black berries along with a streak of balsamic herbs and tangy pomegranate. It has wonderful verticality, with a soft, fleshy core and super-fresh edges, supported by sweet, grippy tannins and some creamy wood. Aged in light- and medium-toast barriques, I’m told the proportion of new oak is being reduced.

A vertiginous tight-rope walk between savory and sweet on the nose, from white tea leaf to tart blackberries to Bing cherries to damp earth and gunpowder; then it somersaults into ripe blackberries, black cherries, and orange peel, before sticking the landing with savory notes of black olives, a hint of grilled meat, and mixed bitter herbs. I have always enjoyed Oreno, but the introduction of the Cabernet Franc is cataclysmic. I can't wait to see where this goes.