If you take a careful look at the Mona Lisa, you’ll notice that just to the right of that famous smile, there’s a bridge hidden in the background. It’s one of the seven bridges spanning the River Arno, connecting Florence and Arezzo. And this is also where the winery takes its name: Tenuta Sette Ponti.
The winery is located along that very trail, in the heart of Tuscany, Valdarno di Sopra, which I had the absolute pleasure of visiting, reminding myself what la dolce vita is all about. Although it takes some time to get there from Pisa or Florence, I would still recommend making the trip, because both the road and the vineyard itself are incredibly picturesque.
Oreno laying down
The story of Tenuta Sette Ponti began in the 1950s, when the grandfather of the Moretti Cuseri family, Alberto (an architect by trade), purchased the estate from Princesses Margherita and Maria Cristina of Savoy Aosta, daughters of Duke Amedeo of Aosta. The estate had been making wine for years before, under the watchful eye of the Grand Duke, but it was in the 1990s that Alberto’s son, Antonio, decided to launch Tenuta Sette Ponti as his own label for a broader audience. His sons, Alberto and Amedeo, followed suit, enhancing the family enterprise with new ventures in Bolgheri and Sicily.
Today, Tenuta Sette Ponti spans 300 hectares in the heart of Tuscany, with 50 under vine and production of around 400,000 bottles a year, half enjoyed in Italy, half abroad. The estate blends tradition and innovation, crafting Sangiovese classics alongside international Super Tuscan blends. At the top sits Oreno, the flagship, but our tasting began with something far more intimate: the historic Vigna dell’Impero vineyard.
Vigna dell’Impero, Valdarno di Sopra Sangiovese DOC, is made from a three hectare, 90-year-old vineyard, although the wine only started being released as a single vineyard expression in 2012 (the fruit was previously used in Crognolo blends). The vines are listed in the historical registry and are part of the Old Vine Project, together with one of Tenuta’s Sicilian ventures. The views from the site are nothing short of spectacular. Other wines produced from this fine vineyard include Trebbiano, which remains under Toscana Bianco IGT.
Vigna dell’Impero Sangiovese 2019 – Valdarno di Sopra Sangiovese DOC
100% Sangiovese
Aged for two years in large oak casks, followed by a year in bottles. It opens with beautiful cherry notes, evolves into hints of blood orange, and finishes with a pinch of violet. On the palate, you can feel the wine’s imperial nonchalance, silky tannins balanced by fabulous freshness. A fantastic wine, truly. I loved it.
Sette 2021 – Toscana Rosso IGT
100% Merlot
Seven is a lucky number for many, including the Tenuta Sette Ponti. This wine comes from seven Merlot parcels, each with different exposure and soil (sand, clay, silt), and each vintage label lists them all. I was pleasantly smitten: raspberries, redcurrant, ripe plums, and a structured yet elegant palate with smooth tannins. Not something I expected from Merlot, I must say.
Crognolo 2022 – Toscana Rosso IGT
93% Sangiovese, 7% Merlot
Named after a wild Cornus bush that grows around the estate, this was the first wine released by the Moretti Cuseri family back in 1998. A Sangiovese-led Super Tuscan that shows precision and flair, violets, orange peel, a hint of cinnamon. Very refreshing, high acidity, juicy tannins – a great introduction to Tuscan reds. It would pair beautifully with wild boar ragù.
Oreno
A classic Super Tuscan blend. The proportions shift each year depending on the vintage, but the core remains Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot, with Merlot usually in the lead. Since 2022, Cabernet Franc has also joined the mix.
First released in 1999, Oreno shows what a Bordeaux blend can become with a Tuscan soul. After four weeks of fermentation and maceration with manual punch downs, the wine spends 18 months in French barriques, followed by a year in bottle. The result is the estate’s flagship, shaped by hills, river breezes, and serious ageing potential.
We tasted a full vertical of Oreno, from the newly released Oreno 2023 to the library gem Oreno 2010. It was a masterclass in how a wine can wear its years with grace. The younger vintages shimmered with energy: Oreno 2023 fresh and lively, Oreno 2022 beautifully poised, while the older bottles revealed a quiet nobility that only time can teach. Two vintages, in particular, were calling my name: Oreno 2016, all light prunes, wild red fruit, and seamless tannins, paired gloriously with truffled gnocchi and ricotta spinach nudi; and Oreno 2010, complex, soulful, and layered, almost a Tuscan autumn evening captured in a glass.
Oreno ages magnificently, balancing freshness and depth in perfect harmony. It’s a collector’s wine through and through, one to cellar with confidence and enjoy slowly, preferably alongside Tuscan game, wild boar ragù, or a bistecca alla Fiorentina. And so we did. Calling it a dinner hardly does it justice. It was a feast of porcini, truffles, handmade gnocchi (yes, there was a pasta workshop), turkey, chocolate, and apple tart.
Visiting Orma: Moretti Cuseri’s Bolgheri estate
The Moretti Cuseri family’s second winemaking venture, Orma, is located on the coast alongside Tenuta San Guido, capturing Bolgheri’s maritime charm across 7.5 hectares of vines. Producing around 40,000 bottles a year, Orma channels the elegance of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc into polished, sea breezed reds. Our tasting unfolded within sight of the Tyrrhenian, each glass reflecting Bolgheri’s effortless sophistication.
Bolgheri’s, sun-drenched corner of the Tuscan coast totals 1,370 hectares split amongst around 70 producers. The Vermentinos here sing, particularly with age, but it’s the international reds, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, that truly steal the spotlight. Planted beneath the hills, surrounded by sea breeze and sunlight, these grapes thrive.
Bolgheri was a next logical step for expansion by the Moretti Cuseri. In 2004, Antonio (the father) bought a vineyard glowing with promise, rocky clay soils, sea air.
Since 1994, red wines from Bolgheri could finally step out of their vino da tavola shadows and wear the DOC label with pride. Now, full disclosure: I’m wildly biased. Let me explain. Cabernet Franc, long a blend enhancer, is having a moment. Not just in Bolgheri, but also on London wine lists. And I’m here for it. Who’d have thought this shy grape would find what might be its finest expression, either solo or in the lead role, right here?
So yes, I’ve fallen head over heels for the Cab Franc-led Aola di Orma, and I’ll do what I must to secure an allocation.
We wrapped up the day with a luncheon by the seaside at La Pineta, one of the most Michelin decorated osterie I’ve ever seen.
Aola di Orma 2022 – Bolgheri Superiore DOC
85% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
My absolute favourite. Initially reserved in the glass but opens up beautifully. Silky yet structured tannins, warming red fruits, white pepper, and that unmistakable salty coastal breeze that Bolgheri does so well. There’s a fabulous concentration here of fruit, texture, and mineral energy. Soft, elegant, powerful, and frankly, I can’t imagine the wine world without it.
(P.S. Bolgheri Superiore requires lower yields, maximum 80 quintals per hectare, and at least two years of ageing, one in oak.)
Passi di Orma 2023 – Bolgheri DOC
40% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc
A vibrant, youthful expression with pronounced minerality and soil character. Fruit forward nose, red berries, a hint of coffee. Bright acidity, smooth tannins, joyful and utterly drinkable.
Orma – the flagship wine of the estate
The first vintage of Orma was released in 2005, and ever since, it’s been a standout gem. Aged 18 months in small barrels, followed by a year in bottle, this wine shows what elegance, structure, and Bolgheri sunshine can do together.
We tasted a vertical of Orma, from the bright, fruit forward 2023 to the hauntingly beautiful 2009, and it was nothing short of a revelation. Each vintage spoke of Bolgheri’s bold elegance, a balance between coastal breeze and vineyard warmth that gives the wines both generosity and restraint. The younger vintages were full of energy, 2023 especially, all red fruit and lift, showing that signature Bolgheri polish. The 2018 felt perfectly composed, already entering its stride, with layers of cacao and dark chocolate unfolding gently in the glass. The 2009 truly stood out for me: pure truffle magic, earthy and rich, with soft tannins and the faintest hint of cigar box.
Orma is a wine that grows more eloquent with time. Even in its youth, it’s seamless and sophisticated, but the older vintages reveal real depth, autumnal, textural, quietly luxurious. It’s a bottle I’d happily collect and age, knowing it will reward patience tenfold.
Bianco di Orma 2024 – Toscana Bianco IGT
100% Vermentino
A bright, coastal white carried by citrus, pear, and white flowers, with just a whisper of pine nuts. Refreshing and salty, it’s summer in a glass. Perfect solo, even better with fried courgette flowers.
And in addition....
The Moretti Cuseri family recently ventured beyond Tuscany, adding two Sicilian sites to its portfolio – Etna (with gloriously old vines) and Noto. If they return wines as spectacular as those from the family’s three Tuscan estates we are all in for a treat.
