YYC Wine Supplemental - 2008 Podere Orma Bolgheri from Tenuta Sette Ponti
On Wednesday, we spent some time with Stefano Maggini, the export director of Tenuta Sette Ponti of Tuscany and Feudo Maccari of Sicily to sample a vertical of their Bolgheri red estate wine Orma at Borgo Trattoria in Calgary.
The wine is from Sette Ponti's estate that is nestled between the vineyards of Ornellaia and Sassicaia and we were able to sample the inaugural vintage from 2005 all the way up to the current release of 2008. With the exception of the first vintage, it is a blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard is a mere 6 hectares and produces approximately 25,000 bottles or 2000 cases.
Of the 4 wines within the vertical, the wine that left most impression was the 2008. On the nose and the palate, this wine had oodles of black and blue berry fruit with supporting notes of tobacco and dark cocoa. It showed balanced acidity with soft, sweet tannin and stunning length. Usually a wine of this stature needs time to evolve but this vintage showcased a high level of accessibility. The current vintage is shifting from 2007 to 2008 and if you can find it, expect to pay around $76.00 retail per bottle. Compared to the $200 + retail for the Ornellaia and $175 + for the Sassicaia, the Orma is a relative bargain for similar levels of quality. I scored the wine at 95 points making it a candidate as one of my top red wines of 2012. Its agency Trialto, only receives 15 6-pack cases for the entire province so if you are interested in securing some for your cellar, reach out to your market with the CSPC of 238444. It is also available retail at Bin 905 in Calgary.
We would like to extend our thanks to Stephano Maggini from Sette Ponti, the Calgary team from Trialto and Borgo Trattoria for hosting this event.
If you liked this wine, check out our coverage of the Galileo Portfolio tasting