Tenuta Sette Ponti’s Crognolo Toscana IGT 2024 comes from the Valdarno, the Arno valley stretch between Florence and Arezzo. The Moretti family estate, owned by Antonio Moretti, has built a reputation for polished, modern Tuscan reds, and Crognolo has been part of that identity since it was first made in 1998. The wine takes its name from the wild Cornelian cherry (“crognolo”) that grows on the property, and its backbone is Sangiovese sourced from the estate’s oldest vines, including a historic vineyard planted in 1935 on stony, marl-rich soils.
The 2024 blend is straightforward: 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot, finished at 14% ABV. Aging is in small French oak barrels for roughly 12–14 months, followed by additional bottle time before release. The estate describes a season that included a rainy spring and some disease pressure, but it reports a warm, balanced summer and favorable late weather that supported “balanced acidity” and “good phenolic maturity” at harvest, with moderately higher yields than 2023.
Critically, the early benchmark review is excellent. James Suckling scored the wine 94 points, calling it “a bright, vivid red,” with “crunchy fruit and plenty of orange blossoms.” He emphasizes the wine’s energy and poise, noting it is “medium-bodied with lovely acidity and length,” and finishes with a simple assessment: “Fresh.” Suckling also reinforces the blend and signals an immediate window of enjoyment, writing, “Drink now.”
In practical terms, Crognolo 2024 reads as a modern Sangiovese-led Tuscan red built around clarity of fruit, lifted floral detail, and a clean, acid-driven line, with Merlot and French oak used for rounding rather than weight. For buyers looking for a serious, highly rated Tuscan red that does not require extended cellaring, Suckling’s review positions this vintage as a strong choice.
