Tenuta Sette Cieli, or âThe Estate of Seven Skies,â is a winery in Tuscany with incredible views of Bolgheri in every direction and set above the Mediterranean Sea.
In 1994, the Ratti family purchased the estate to bring their dream of making fine wine to fruition. Almost a decade later, they brought on Elena Pozzolini as head winemaker and soon also appointed her as the CEO.
Since then, Pozzolini has had her hand in every aspect of the winery, from making the wine to managing the business to handling export market sales.
Born near Florence, Pozzolini had dreamed of becoming an agronomist. But when she discovered a university focused on winemaking, her curiosity was immediately piqued.
She went on to earn a degree in Viticulture and Enology from the University of Pisa. Afterwards, she worked at wineries around the world including in South America, Australia, North America, and Europe. In 2009, she went went home and eventually joined Tenuta Sette Cieli.
Today, the winery owns 18 acres of high-density vineyards planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Malbec grapes. While historically there is a rarity of Malbec and Cabernet Franc in Bolgheri, Tenuta Sette Cieli began planting Malbec in the early 2000s and debuted its Indaco with the 2004 vintage, which has been a Malbec-based blend ever since. Today, Elena continues working with Malbec and says the cooler climate at Tenuta Sette Cieli preserves the violet and rose aromas, resulting in a wine thatâs fresh and elegant.
Tenutaâs other wines include Scipio, a 100% Cabernet Franc with fruity and spicy notes, Yantra, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that has soft and smooth tannins, and Noi4, crafted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc.
I had the pleasure of meeting Elena when she was recently in New York. We had a lively conversation where she told me what she loves most about her job and the beautiful region of Tuscany that sheâs lucky to call home.
Excerpts follow:
Where are you from in Tuscany?
I am from a small town on the countryside of Florence, Cerreto Guidi. The village is surrounded by vineyards and gentle rolling hills.
Whatâs your favorite part of your job?
I am very lucky because I love all facets of my job â everything from the vineyard to the cellar.
I believe that this work is like a long chain, connected by small links that are each an essential piece to complete the circle. Thatâs why I love experiencing the company at 360 degrees because I can fully understand everything to create the best wine.
Aside from that, spending time in the vineyards and natures makes me feel good.
What do you love most about the winery?
The uniqueness.
I have worked all around the world â in Mendoza and the Morningside Peninsula of Australia and Santa Ynez Valley, California â but what I found here at Tenuta Sette Cieli is really special. The combination of soil, altitude, position, and microclimate creates a unique and surprising place to grow vines.
What do you appreciate about winemaking in Tuscany?
Bolgheri is a natural theatre, where the Metalliferous Hills represent the steps to the east, reaching the coast with their lower offshoots. The hilly areas are mostly covered by woods, ensuring the maintenance of a complex ecosystem. This position of Bolgheri creates a unique microclimate with winds that cool the area for most of the year, giving greater freshness and elegance to the wines that I enjoy working with.
There is also a complexity to the Bolgheri wines due to the variability of the soils, which have a dual origin: marine, due to the retreat of the sea, and alluvial, linked to the deposits that the watercourses originating from the hills have formed over the ages.
Whatâs your favorite spot in Tuscany and why?
My favorite spot in Tuscany is anywhere I can fish off the Tyrrhenian Sea. Having the sea in front of me, with its thousand shades of blue, and its calming silence brings an overwhelming sensation of peace.
The most picturesque places in Tuscany are:
There are so many picturesque places that itâs difficult to narrow it down to just one. Visiting Tuscany from north to south, you have everything from incredible art cities, small villages that seem to come out of a Christmas card, multiple gentle hills that make the landscape unique, the vineyards, and the several islands of the Tuscan archipelago. And of course, Bolgheri that overlooks the sea surrounded by hills and woods â it has a power and beauty of nature thatâs intelligently protected by man.
Your ultimate weekend in Tuscany involves:
My ultimate weekend in Tuscany is showing my nephews how their aunt lives! I try to inspire them with my passions. In fact, one is in love with fishing, and the other says that he wants to become a winemakerâŠLetâs see what happens!
The after-work Tuscan ritual:
Drink a beer or a glass of wine and end the evening with fishing or a long walk.
What are the best culinary finds in Tuscany?
In Tuscany, you can find so many different oils based on where they are produced and the type of olive. I grew up using only raw oils in dishes; it enhances the food, and I am fascinated by its expressiveness.
The best restaurants in Tuscany are:
Regarding Michelin-starred restaurants, I like Santa Elisabetta in Florence and LâAsinello in Castelnuovo Berardenga. For more traditional, homemade Tuscan cuisine, I recommend Osteria Il Ghiotto in Monteverdi Marittimo and Adriano 731943 in Cerreto Guidi.
The souvenir to bring back from Tuscany is: A great bottle of wine đ