The estate of Sette Ponti lies in the heart of the Chianti zone, fifteen miles northwest of the city of Arezzo just past the village of San Giustino Valdarno. The Via del Monte, known locally as the Via dei Sette Ponti, leads into a beautiful hidden valley and to the estate. The name Sette Ponti, or "seven bridges," refers to the seven bridges crossing the Arno River on the road from Arezzo to Florence. The first, the Ponte Buriano, is nearby. Erected in the mid 13th century, it took nearly forty years to build, and is perceptible in the right far background of Leonardo DaVinci's Mona Lisa.

Previously the property of the Princesses Margherita and Cristina Savoia d'Aosta, the core of the Sette Ponti estate was purchased in 1957 as a hunting retreat by architect Alberto Moretti, and is now the family property of Antonio Moretti, his son. After graduating from Siena University with a degree in economics and banking, Antonio Moretti opened his first apparel store, a business which has since expanded to a chain of shops throughout Italy, and the acquisitions of Arfango, known for its fine leather goods, and Bonora and Carshoe, two brands of handmade shoes. Dr. Moretti's focus on quality has continued with the vineyards of the estate.

Like many Tuscan estates, Sette Ponti is multi-faceted. The 750-acre property encompasses a stud farm for race horses; breeding of native Tuscan Chiana cattle, which furnish the superb bistecca alla fiorentina; a preserve for the Cinta Senese, a rare breed of wild pig; and fields of sunflowers and maize. Viticulture is not new to the estate, but winemaking is; the yield of the property's vineyards was until 1997 sold to various respected Tuscan wine producers, among them Piero Antinori. Dr. Moretti's enjoyment of wine led him to ask Antinori if the estate vineyards could produce great wines, and Antinori thought they could.

A successful businessman, Dr. Moretti knew how to find the expertise he needed and, more important, how to learn from it. Once the decision to transform the vineyards was made, he engaged one of Italy's most innovative oenologists, Dr. Carlo Ferrini, and his assistant, Gioia Cresti. Dr. Ferrini consults independently for some of the great names of Tuscan viticulture, including Poliziano, Castello di Fonterutoli and Castello del Terriccio. After considerable research, he also engaged Gilbert Bouvet, one of France's most skilled viticulturalists, to source new vines and the appropriate rootstocks for the best clones of Sangiovese. Sette Ponti's varied soils, which are a mixture of clay, sand, limestone and the traditional stony galestro of Chianti, led Dr. Moretti to consulting agronomist Dr. Benedetto d'Anna, who guided preparation of the land for new plantings and creation of drainage channels without disturbing the natural balance of soil.

The vineyards occupy a total of 150 acres and lie at an altitude of 200 to 300 metres (600 to 900 feet). The oldest vines on the estate were planted in 1935 by HRH the Count of Turin, Vittorio Emmanuele di Savoia. This five-acre plot, called the Vigna dell' Impero (the "Vineyard of the Empire"), is a hand-terraced vineyard planted primarily to Sangiovese vines interspersed with traditional Canaiolo, Colorino, Trebbiano and Malvasia. An adjacent 87-acre section of this vineyard, also of principally Sangiovese vines, was planted in the early1960s by Alberto Moretti. The soils on which this vineyard lies are mostly galestro and limestone

The estate’s newer plantings, which total 68 acres, date from 1997, 1999 and 2000, and are situated principally in two separate plots. The Sorbaccio vineyard, planted in 1999, lies on rock, sand and clay soils with a minor galestro content, and covers slightly over thirteen acres. Vines are primarily select clones of Sangiovese with minor Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot plantings. The most recent plot is the Salverece vineyard, planted in May of 2000 on sand, limestone and clay soils. This 30-acre vineyard is also primarily Sangiovese vines with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Overall, new plantings are apportioned 35 acres to Sangiovese, eighteen acres to Merlot, thirteen acres to Cabernet Sauvignon and five acres to experimental varieties. Antonio Moretti is particularly enthusiastic about the merits of blending Sangiovese with Merlot, finding that Merlot performs well in this cooler part of Tuscany.

Tenuta Sette Ponti's first release was the 1998 vintage Crognolo, named after a wild bush, Cornus, which grows on the estate. The blend of 90% Sangiovese and ten Merlot yields a refined, elegantly stylish wine of fruit forward lushness. The estate's second release, Oreno, named after a small river running through the estate, is a more international blend incorporating Cabernet Sauvignon for structure and fragrance. Plans are in place for the future release of a passito, called Grisoglia, produced from air-dried Malvasia and Trebbiano grapes.

In 1999, already clearly determined to make his mark in the wine world, Moretti purchased a second estate. His choice of zone was based on a desire to produce wine in an area clearly capable of yielding great quality, but also a relatively undeveloped one with tremendous potential for growth. With Ferrini’s and Cresti’s help, he acquired the Azienda Agricola Le Fornace in the Maremma on Tuscany’s southern coast, an area that would soon draw intense interest from several highly regarded producers. The property, in the D.O.C. zone of Morellino di Scansano near Magliano di Toscana, was renamed Azienda Agricola Poggio al Lupo, or ‘Hill of the Wolf.’ It covers 115 acres, but at the time of purchase supported only 12 acres of vines, the yield of which was sold in bulk. From the estate’s original Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante and Sangiovese plantings, established in 1989, total area under vine has been increased to 37 acres. Of this, 40% is in Sangiovese, 35% in Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% in Alicante and the remainder in Petit Verdot.

Confidence in the Maremma has proven to be justified, and for many microclimatic reasons it might have been inferred long ago. South of Bolgheri, it is similarly subject to the moderating influence of Mediterranean breezes, with a warm, consistent, exceptionally luminous climate. Rainfall is sufficient, and in the more humid months sea winds serve both to areate the clusters and dissipate early fall storms that sometimes plague vineyards further inland at harvest.

The property’s geology is a patchwork typical of Tuscan coastal areas, with pockets of soils rich in clay and others rich in gravel and fine stones set in various protected microclimates. The principal Poggio al Lupo vineyard is a southerly-exposed hillside vineyard parcel rising 330 above sea level planted to 5.5 acres each Alicante and Petit Verdot and the balance in Cabernet Sauvignon. The first release of the eponymous wine is in the 2001 vintage, with release of a Morellino di Scansano planned for future vintages.

Again in 2000 and with the consultation of Ferrini and Cresti, Dr. Moretti acquired a third property in a region well beyond Tuscany with which he had fallen in love through his travels. With his daughter, Monika, he prevailed in negotiating with numerous small landowners in the Noto area of Sicily. This part of the island, in the southeast corner, lies just south of Syracuse, and juts into the Mediterranean almost like a peninsula. The estate he assembled, just outside the village of Paccino and named Feudo Maccari, extends over 250 acres and at purchase was already planted to vines in scattered vineyard parcels. All of these were planted to Grillo, Insolia and Nero d’Avola, varieties of the region, and included plots of 12 and 13 years of age and some 40 year old Nero d’Avola vines. The plantings of Insolia have been uprooted, and the estate currently supports Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Cataratto in addition to Crillo and Nero d’Avola, the latter representing just under 40% of total acreage.

The Feudo Maccari lies just over a mile from the sea, and basks in a dry, sun drenched climate verging on torrid in the summer months. Mediterranean winds moderate the climate and aerate the clusters, and some irrigation is required during the hot, dry season. The vineyards lie 240 feet above sea level on southerly exposed slopes, and the predominant volcanic soil profile is mixed in a few areas with white sand and chalk deposits. The Nero d’Avola vines are trained on trees in the traditional Sicilian manner, with the other varieties to more conventional systems. The first vintage of Saia, composed entirely of Nero d’Avola, is in the 2002 vintage; experimentation continues with other varieties.

The diversity of the estates’ soil and climatic conditions dictates that cultivation and winemaking follow the demands of the environment and pursuit of quality. Yields are restricted, and at harvest the clusters are handpicked, sorted, destemmed, and put into a conveyer-belt apparatus which breaks the skins rather than crushes the berries. Fermentation takes place in a combination of temperature controlled stainless steel and lined open-top fermentors with maceration periods appropriate to the varietal in question followed by natural malolactic fermentation in tank. Cooperage consists primarily of 225-liter barriques with some capacity in 500-litre tonneaux, and is of new and one year’s use; length of oak contact depends on both the wine and vintage, but generally lasts for a period of twelve to eighteen months. A first blending of lots takes place when the wine is placed in barrique; a second at the first racking. The wines are then bottled with minimum intervention.