2017 Orma Bolgheri Rosso Passi di Orma, 1.5ltr

Orma is a Super Tuscan producer in Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast. It was founded by Antonio Moretti, a fashion industry entrepreneur who, in the 1990s, took over his family’s Tenuta Sette Ponti, in the Chianti appellation. As Moretti’s interest in winemaking has grown, so has his portfolio of wine estates grown. He owns other estates in Tuscany and one in Sicily. Orma is a boutique producer, with just 20 acres of vineyards on stony soil. Orma makes just one wine, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Gambero Rosso typically awards its highest rating of 3 glasses to each Orma vintage. Gambero Rosso notes that at Orma, Moretti “chose to channel his efforts into one very satisfying, elegant wine, which has rapidly become one of the best expressions of the territory.”

Bolgheri is a tiny village just inland from the western Tuscan coast with a storybook renaissance castle but no train station. To wine enthusiasts, however, Bolgheri DOC is perhaps Italy’s most exciting wine appellation. It is the cultural heart of the Maremma, the coastal stretch of Tuscany where some of the first Super Tuscans were produced commercially in the late 1960s. Various members of the legendary Antinori wine dynasty and other influential producers established estates in Bolgheri starting in the 1970s, creating such Super Tuscans as Guado Al Tasso and Ornellaia. Bolgheri was awarded DOC status in 1983. Red, white and dessert wines are made in this appellations, and many of the most renowned are the Super Tuscans made from blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese and other red varietals. The white wines are blends of Vermentino and Trebbiano. The reds are notable for being blends that have a distinctive Tuscan terroir.