“We had the good fortune to partake in Tenzing Wine & Spirits “The Italians are Coming” tasting this month. Hear Elena Pozzolini, Winemaker at Tenuta Sette Cieli discuss this Tuscan property in Bolgheri. It’s located close to the sea with cool nights, creating slower ripening of the Bordeaux varietals grown here. Pozzolini, a Florence Italy native, brings her skills from stints as a winemaker around the world, back to her homeland in Italy.

“Through her travels, she especially appreciated the open mindedness of the wineries of California.  Listen as she talks of this special area where the famed Sassicaia originates. Pozzoini explains that Sassicaia means “full of stones” which describes the land where her vines grow organically and with an open mind, rather than a recipe.

“Every year is different and you need to treat the land in different ways each season,” Pozzolini says. The vineyards of Tenuta Sette Cieli are planted strictly to Bordeaux varietals grown on the Coast of Tuscany, 400 meters above sea level.

“The wines we tasted included:

2013 Yantra,  Tenuta Sette Cieli, a wine that’s 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, is fermented in stainless steel then aged in 5-6 year old barrels for nine months. Pozzolini uses an excessively slow fermentation to keep the tannins extremely round yet the acidity moderately high.

2009 Scipio Cabernet Franc, Tenuta Sette Cieli. This wine is aged in barrel for 24 months then bottle for another 24 months. It’s a small production gem that’s not produced each year, rather only in the best vintages. Tune in and meet Elena virtually and hear more on these wines.”

Listen to the podcast here.