A pure expression of Sangiovese, the Tenuta Sette Ponti 2016 Valdarno di Sopra Vigna dell'Impero opens to brambly notes of forest floor and wild cherry, followed by crushed flowers and scorched earth. There is a warm-climate element to this wine that is specific to Tuscany, and that is presented with extra ripeness and spice. The wine finishes with some bitter almond and grilled rosemary. I tasted bottle 3,490 of the 9,767 bottles produced in this vintage.

The 2015 Valdarno di Sopra Vigna dell'Impero offers aromas of candied cherry, blackberry, spice and leather. The finish is on the soft side, and I am assigning a slightly shorter drinking window for this warm vintage as a result. The fruit is concentrated and rich, thanks to the heat of the growing season. The wine ages in large oak casks for two years. Some 12,688 bottles were made.