About this winery

In 1981, The Ornellaia Estate is founded by Marchese Lodovico Antinori. ORNELLAIA, perceived as one of the world’s iconic wineries, has flourished under the Frescobaldi family’s ownership. Our production philosophy revolves around Ornellaia’s obsession with excellence – at all levels. Every choice we make is of absolute importance and implies an all-consuming attention to detail.

See the Ornellaia detail page for more information on this brand

Product notes

After a standard winter, wet and mild but with some days below 0°, germination happened on time during the first few days of April. Spring was characterized, by dry and sunny weather, ideal conditions for normal egetative growth that led to quick and full flowering at the end of May. From June water stress steadily arrived. July will be remembered as being articularly hot and dry, with peaks in temperature consistently above 30°C on every single day of the month. The heat wave, together with the lack of rain gave rise to the fear that ripening would stop and that an early harvest would be necessary. Fortunately rain arrived around 10th August with heavy rainfall that unblocked the ripening process, bringing with it some much fresher weather during the final phase of ripening. In this way, we could harvest in perfect conditions during the last 10 days in August.

Production notes

The grapes were hand-harvested in 15 kg bins in the early hours of the morning and immediately cooled on arrival in the cellar to keep all their aromatic potential intact. Following careful selection the whole grape clusters were subjected to slow and soft pressing with maximum attention to protection against oxidisation. After static decantation lasting approximately 24 hours, all the must was placed in barriques, 30% new and 70% used, for alcoholic fermentation at temperatures no higher than 22°C. No malolactic fermentation was carried out. The ageing continued for 12 months on the lees with periodic batonnage over the entire period, and concluded in steel vats for 3 more months. Before bottling, blending of the various batches was carried out, along with light fining. The wine was then aged in the bottle for a further 6 months before its introduction to the market.

Tasting notes

This vintage has an intense but bright colour and its classic aroma of mature and lively citrus fruits, highlighted with subtle toasted and vanilla notes, are picked up on the nose. A full-bodied and juicy palate reflects the sunny season, but at the same time its vibrant acidity and crisp fruity character leave a very fresh and elegant impression in the mouth. The tasting finishes with a classic touch of saltiness and subtle toasty notes.