Bolgheri DOC Superiore Rosso
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
Ornellaia 2021 displays the characteristics of a typical vintage in Bolgheri, with not a few sunny spells and devoid of rain, crafting a rich and concentrated wine that is also deeply expressive and generous. Signature notes of Mediterranean shrub, herbs, cypress berries, classic blackberry and dark fruit aromas unfurl on the nose, accompanying a palate endowed with dense tannins but certainly not lacking in precision and finesse. The finish is vibrant and enduring, bringing a feeling of aromatic freshness and elegance.
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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