Wilson Daniels Introduces Tenuta Sette Cieli: The Estate of The Seven Skies

10 Dec 2014

10 Dec 2014 --- Wilson Daniels, one of the industry's foremost wines and spirits importers and marketers in the U.S., announces a new partnership with an Italian rising star winery Tenuta Sette Cieli, located in southern Tuscany's Maremma region.

Tenuta Sette Cieli sits high in the hills above Bolgheri and Castagneto Carducci, overlooking the coast of Tuscany from 400 meters above the Mediterranean Sea. Surrounded by the lush green woods of Monteverdi Marittimo, this stunning estate has developed 17 of its 173 hectares as stone-terraced vineyards. Here, densely planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec vines look out over a long series of hills that slope gently down to the sea.

Owner Ambrogio Cremona Ratti, born in Milan, Italy, studied in England and Italy, and began a career in renewable energies and real estate before taking over the wine estate founded by his mother, Erika Ratti, in 1994. Ambrogio is fully engaged in the success of Tenuta Sette Cieli, and dedicated to creating cutting-edge world-class wines while integrating traditional Italian methods that amplify the purest expression of Tenuta Sette Cieli's terroir.

Winemaker Elena Pozzolini, a native of Empoli, a town and commune in Tuscany, Italy, received a degree in viticulture and enology from the University of Pisa, Italy. Elena's winemaking experience spans several continents, including South America and Europe. Prior to joining Tenuta Sette Cieli in 2013, Elena worked as winemaker for Testamatta di Bibi Graetz, Evening Land Vineyards, and Bodega Renacer.

In 2002, the Ratti family began collaborating with Giuliano Tarchi who is well-known in Bolgheri, a region of Tuscany, for his visionary approach to sustainable grape-growing practices. Over the course of 12 years, Giuliano has cultivated the stone-terraced vineyards and is currently paving the way to plant more vineyards on the Tenuta Sette Cieli estate.

With the guidance of Giuliano, Tenuta Sette Cieli has taken maximum advantage of the benefits bestowed by nature. The local terroir is rich and well-defined, as temperate marine breezes push up from the sea to create a unique microclimate in this hillside setting. The vineyards are well ventilated and experience a significant range of temperatures. Local soils are lean, comprised of rock, sand and clay. Weather, geography and geology are all in balance — conditions that bring out the best in the classic grape varieties planted here.

All work in the vineyards and the cellar is done by hand. Each grape variety is vinified separately; fermentations are started with wild, indigenous yeast; aging takes place only in carefully selected French oak. The result is a family of wines that has been nurtured and cared for through every step of development.

"The goal of Tenuta Sette Cieli is to transform the essence and the strength of our remarkable terroir into great wine," remarks Ambrogio. "By working in harmony with nature and respecting the values and noble traditions of Italian wine culture, Tenuta Sette Cieli firmly believes the result is wines of great personality and character."

Tenuta Sette Cieli offers four wines: YANTRA — Sanskrit for "instrument"— a map, chart or geometric pattern representing the universe; the center of the yantra signifies unity; NOI4 — translates to "the four of us," representing the four members of the Ratti family ; INDACO — Italian for "indigo," representing the sky above the estate and vineyards ; SCIPIO — a famous Roman military general who defeated Hannibal in 202 BC, representative of precision and power.

Of the estate, Antonio Galloni says: "Tenuta Sette Cieli remains one of Maremma's most intriguing young properties," and "…the wines so far have been quite promising."