ORNELLAIA | Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia | Bolgheri | 2017
merlot | cabernet sauvignon | cabernet franc | petit verdot

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For over six centuries, the name Antinori is synonymous to excellence in the art of winemaking and passion for viticulture through continuous pursuit for quality improvement, even in the smallest details. The Ornellaia Estate was founded by Marchese Lodovico Antinori in 1981, in 2002 Robert Mondavi acquires full control of Ornellaia Estate and transfers 50% to Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi, while in 2005 Marchese Ferdinando Frescobaldi acquires the remaining 50%, thus taking control over the Ornellaia Estate. Ornellaia believes that a wine should be the most authentic expression of the terroir from which it originates, where the maritime climate and the heterogeneous nature of the land (marine, alluvial and volcanic soils) allow varieties to express themselves in a way that is sets new standards for the future wines.

Today we’ve decided to review another wine that we were eager to try for quite some time – a genuine Super Tuscan wine from the famous Bolgheri region – Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2017 by Ornellaia. Semi-concealed in the foothills near Bolgheri, Ornellaia lies just a few kilometres away from the Mediterranean coast. During the summer months, the cool sea breeze caresses the vineyards and nearby olive groves, while during the winter the hills provide protection from the cold north winds. Made with the same passion and attention to detail as Ornellaia, this wine is a true ‘second vin’ – a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and petit verdot. As is the norm for this type of wines already, each variety and each parcel was vinified separately and blended only after the first 12 months spent in the barrels (25% new and 75% used, one-year old, french oak) and then aged in the barrels again for a further 3 months. After bottling, the wine was aged for an additional six months prior to release. Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia was first released in 1997 as a more affordable alternative to Ornellaia and with the release of the 2017 vintage it celebrates its 20th anniversary. That said, without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
concentration: deep
colour: ruby
clarity: clear
hue/rim: ruby

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits | blue fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry | wild cherry
__black fruits: black plum | blackcurrant | blackberry
__blue fruits: blue plum | blueberry
fruit character: ripe | overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | spice | oak | animal | earth
__floral: violet | lavender
__spice: red pepper | nutmeg | rosemary
__oak: sweet tobacco | oak wood
__animal: veal | leather | barnyard | foie gras
__earth: red soil | forest floor | truffle
__wood: old & new / light roast
aroma: primary | secondary | tertiary

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: med(+)
tannin: med(+)
__grip: fine & ripe
body: round | medium+
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
complexity: complex

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: overripe
non fruit: spice | animal
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: tart & seedy

//Scoring
ORNELLAIA | Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia | Bolgheri | 2017
variety: merlot | cabernet sauvignon | cabernet franc | petit verdot
country: Italy | Toscana
region: Maremma Toscana | Bolgheri
rating: 92.8

//Conclusion
maturity: youthfull | on the rise
verdict: great | a must try
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This is definitely a great wine of Italy and, with a total of 92.8 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a definitely a blueprint Super Tuscan wine blend – fruity-savory, velvety and elegant – a wine that is still on the rise, as it has yet to reach the summit of its prime form, a wine that requires another 3 or 4 years of bottle ageing. With fine-grained tannins, overwhelming mouth-watering acidity, well integrated alcohol levels and a seedy-tart finale, this wine is a fine example of how an old-world blend can be crafted using tradition and technology. It feels supple, round, plump, voluptuous and well structured, with a medium+ body and a noble mixture of primary ripe fruit, terrior-driven earthy notes and subtle tertiary floral hints – all this adds up to form an outstanding wine blend that has both, distinctive personality and the footprint of the Bolgheri’s signature terroir. Get one and enjoy!
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