($92, Wilson Daniels): It’s not surprising to see more estates popping up in Bolgheri, the area of the Tuscan coast that’s home to super star such as, Sassicaia and Ornellaia.  Moreover, it stands to reason that there’s potential for other producers to find the correct microclimates for their interpretation of wines made from the Bordeaux varieties.  Enter, in 2001, Tenuta Sette Cieli, the estate of seven skies.  They’ve hit the bull’s eye with this 2010 Scipio, made entirely from Cabernet Franc, a grape that is notoriously difficult to get right.  Sette Cieli has.  They make the wine only in years they think are perfect for the variety, so they skipped it in 2011 and 2012.  The 2010 is sensational with herbal notes for which the grape is well known, but with perfect ripeness, which avoids vegetal notes, for which the grape is also known.  The tannins are fine, which actually amplifies the gracefulness of the wine.  It bowls you over with elegance and suaveness, not power.   Each sip reveals new flavors, like drinking a kaleidoscope.  If your budget permits, don’t miss it.
96 Michael Apstein Aug 29, 2017