Crafted from the same varieties, under the same sky, from the same philosophy: Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia is a proud second vin, which has the ability to foretell the personality of the estate’s flagship wine. Together, the two wines provide their own distinctive points of view. The pleasure of sipping Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia evolves over time, adding the charm of maturity to the vigour of youth.

Winemaker’s Notes

The 2020 Growing Season

After a mild, rainy winter, March brought a temporary drop in temperatures. A few nights dipped below 0°C at the start of budding. Fortunately, the cottony tissue of the buds protected the new shoots from frost damage. The rest of spring remained warm, and normal rainfall ensured steady growth until flowering, which occurred between May 20 and 25.

In mid-June, intense rain fell, followed by a long dry spell with little rain and high temperatures until late August. Véraison occurred quickly and evenly from July 20 to 25, with grapes ripening under the hot sun. Rains arrived at the end of August, causing temperatures to drop significantly to 13°C at night. This created ideal conditions for the Merlot grapes to complete their ripening.

We harvested the Merlot in just two weeks to maintain freshness and fruitiness. We timed this well to avoid a sudden heatwave that raised temperatures to 37°C, increasing sugar levels in the remaining varieties. Consequently, we began harvesting Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from young vines on September 17.

Towards the end of September, a burst of rain restored normal conditions. The rain absorbed by the grapes lowered alcohol levels to normal. We completed the harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot by October 3

Vinification & Aging

The grapes were handpicked into 15 kg baskets. The bunches were selected by hand on a double sorting table before and after de-stemming, then finally soft-pressed. In addition to handpicking, we introduced optical selection in 2016 in order to further increase the quality of berry selection. Each variety and each parcel of land was vinified separately. The alcoholic fermentation took place partly in stainless steel tanks and partly in concrete vats at temperatures between 22-28°C for two weeks, followed by maceration for a total of about 10-15 days.

The malolactic fermentation took place in stainless steelwas after which the wines were racked into barriques (25% new and 75% used once). The wine remained in barriques in Ornellaia’s temperature-controlled cellars for about 15 months. After the first 12 months the wine was blended and then returned to the barriques for an additional three months of ageing. The wine remains in the bottle for another six months prior to release. Axel Heinz – Estate Director

Learn more about this wine at the Ornellaia website here.

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Ornellaia is a blend of nature and musing. Complex ancient soils converse through human wisdom with a delicate microclimate that is echoed and reflected in the Mediterranean Sea. Prolonged ageing accompanies the estate’s fine wine in achieving its utmost expression, revealing finesse and generosity over time.

Winemaker’s Notes

The 2021 Growing Season

2021 began with a mild, rainy winter. This replenished the soil’s water resources. After a dry March, budbreak occurred in early April. Gradual temperature rises and normal rainfall allowed even shoot development. Flowering took place under superb conditions at the end of May.

Summer arrived in June with slightly above-average temperatures and almost no rain. Veraison occurred in the last week of July. The dry spell continued through August and September. However, spring rains and our estate’s deep soils prevented excessive water stress. This created conditions for small, concentrated grapes with exceptional quality potential.

September remained hot and sunny, with no rainfall. This allowed for an “à la carte” harvest, maximizing quality from each vineyard. We mostly harvested red grapes in September, starting with Merlot in the first fortnight. Other estate varieties followed from September 13 onward, ending on October 1.

Vinification & Aging

The clusters were hand-picked into 15 kg crates and then selected by hand on a double sorting table, before and after destemming, and then softly crushed. In 2016, optical sorting has been introduced in addition to manual selection, to further increase the quality of selection. Each grape variety and single vineyard block were vinified separately. Fermentation took place in stainless steel and concrete tanks at temperatures between 26 and 30°C for one week, followed by maceration for about 15 days, for a total time in the vat of about three weeks.

The malolactic fermentation took place mainly in oak barrels, 70% new and 30% used once. The wine then remained in barriques, in Ornellaia’s cellars for about 18 months. After the first 12 months of maturation, the wine was assembled and then returned to the barriques for an additional 6 months. After bottling, the wine was aged for a further 12 months prior to release.

Read more about Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2021 on the Ornellaia website here.

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Le Volte dell’Ornellaia combines a generous Mediterranean expression with structure and complexity, reflecting Ornellaia’s philosophy. This fine wine appeals to spontaneous wine lovers and requires no ceremony. Founded in 1981, the Ornellaia estate in the Bolgheri wine region of Tuscany pioneered ‘Super Tuscan’ wines, becoming one of its iconic producers alongside Sassicaia.

Winemaker’s notes

The 2020 Growing Season

After a mild, rainy winter, March brought a brief drop in temperatures, with a few nights dipping below 0°C during budding in the last week. Fortunately, the cottony tissue of the buds protected the new shoots from frost damage. The rest of spring remained generally warm, with normal rainfall ensuring steady growth until flowering, which occurred between May 20 and 25.

In mid-June, intense rain arrived, followed by a long dry spell with little rain and high temperatures until late August. Veraison occurred rapidly and uniformly from July 20 to 25, with grapes ripening under the hot sun. Welcome rains at the end of August lowered temperatures, with night lows reaching 13°C. These conditions created an ideal environment for the Merlots to finish ripening.

We harvested the Merlots quickly, in just two weeks, to maintain their freshness and fruitiness. This timing was crucial, as a heat wave brought temperatures up to 37°C, forcing us to begin harvesting the later vines on September 17. A bit of rain at the end of the month restored normal conditions, allowing us to finish the harvest by October 3.

Vinification & Aging

Axel Heinz, Estate Director explains that the winemakers fermented the different varietals separately in small steel tanks to preserve their unique characteristics. After alcoholic fermentation, they conducted malolactic fermentation in the same steel tanks. The wine then aged for 10 months, partly in barriques previously used for Ornellaia and partly in concrete tanks. This process aimed to achieve the perfect balance between tannic structure and the expression of fresh fruit.

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Crafted from the same varieties, under the same sky, from the same philosophy: Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2018 is a proud second vin, which has the ability to foretell the personality of the estate’s flagship wine. Together, the two wines provide their own distinctive points of view. The pleasure of sipping Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia evolves over time, adding the charm of maturity to the vigour of youth.

Winemaker’s notes

The 2018 Growing Season

After several years of mild winters, 2018 brought normal climatic conditions. Temperatures dropped enough for the vines to rest. Spring became one of the wettest on record, with three times the seasonal average rainfall and high temperatures in April. Despite a late budbreak, the weather conditions allowed rapid growth. The vines caught up and bloomed a week earlier than expected.

In May and, to a lesser extent, June, rainfall remained above average. We finally received some respite in July with a warm, dry month. Veraison occurred between July 22 and 25. August was as hot as the previous year but slightly wetter. The sugars and acidity developed slowly. The berries grew larger due to the high water levels in the soil.

September remained warm and dry, with higher than average temperatures. Cooler nights helped the vines recover and preserve aromas and acidity. We began harvesting red grapes on August 31 with Merlot and finished on October 8 with the later-ripening varieties.

Vinification & Aging

The clusters were hand-picked into 15 kg crates and then selected by hand on a double sorting table, before and after de-stemming, and finally gently crushed. Since 2016, optical sorting has been introduced in addition to manual selection, in order to further increase the quality of selection. Each variety and each parcel were vinified separately. Alcoholic fermentation took place in stainless steel, at temperatures of between 26° and 30°C for two weeks followed by maceration of around 10-15 days. Malolactic fermentation was started in stainless steel and completed after transfer to barrels (25% new and 75% a year old). The wine remained in Ornellaia’s temperature-controlled cellar for a further 15 months. It was assembled after the first 12 months and then reintroduced in the barrels for a further 3 months. After bottling, it was aged for an additional six months prior to release. Axel Heinz – Estate Director

Learn more about the Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2018 at their website here.

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Crafted from the same varieties and under the same sky, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2019 stands as a proud second vin. It hints at the personality of the estate’s flagship wine. Together, these two wines offer their own distinctive perspectives. The pleasure of sipping Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia evolves over time, blending the charm of maturity with the vigour of youth.

Winemaker’s Notes

The 2019 Growing Season

The year 2019 featured a highly variable climate. It alternated between cold, rainy periods and long droughts with heat. After a normal winter, the budding began in the first week of April. Cold and rainy weather in April and May slowed vine growth significantly. This led to a 10-day delay in flowering compared to the average.

Suddenly, very hot, rainless weather arrived in June. Temperatures peaked at 37°C by the end of the month. The weather remained warm and sunny throughout the summer, with temperatures 2°C above average. The region experienced 45 consecutive days without rain.

This long dry period ended with two days of rain in the last week of July. The rain returned temperatures to seasonal norms, creating ideal conditions for ripening. Harvest began slowly on September 5. The last week of September brought cooler temperatures, preserving finesse and aromatic freshness. After another rainy event on September 21, sunny conditions returned. We completed the harvest of later-ripening varieties on October 4.

Vinification & Aging

The grapes were handpicked into 15 kg baskets. The bunches were selected by hand on a double sorting table before and after de-stemming, then finally soft pressed. In addition to handpicking, we introduced optical selection in 2016 in order to further increase the quality of selection. Each variety and each parcel of land was vinified separately. The alcoholic fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks at temperatures between 2630°C for two weeks, followed by maceration for a total of about 10-15 days.

The malolactic fermentation began in the stainless steel tanks, and was completed after the wine was racked into barriques (25% new and 75% used once). The wine remained in barriques in Ornellaia’s temperature-controlled cellars for about 15 months. After the first 12 months the wine was assembled and then returned to the barriques for an additional three months of ageing. The wine remains in the bottle for another six months prior to release. Axel Heinz – Estate Director

Learn more about this wine on the Ornellaia website here.

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