Ornellaia 2018 Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia, Bolgheri Rosso

The renowned Tuscan estate of Ornellaia resides on the hillside close to Bolgheri, hidden in the foothills that face the Mediterranean coast. The wines produced are world famous and eagerly sought after. Coming primarily from the Estate’s younger vineyards and made with the same passion and attention to detail as Ornellaia, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia is a true second wine. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia combines generosity and depth of flavor with an engaging and vibrant personality.

For this 2018 the grape clusters were hand-picked 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 was 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. The final blend is 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 17% Petit Verdot. 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.

James Suckling, tasting from barrel scored this 95-96 saying "Really beautiful second wine from Ornellaia with blackcurrant and blueberry aromas and flavors. Full body and round, soft tannins that caress the palate."