Bolgheri Superiore

Rack of lamb, roasted lamb shanks in red wine sauce.

After a dry 2012, winter 2013 was characterised by mild but very rainy weather, which caused a delay in budding of up to 15 days. The cold and rain also led to irregular and very long flowering – with a two-week delay compared to the average – which reduced production and resulted in uncoordinated development of clusters. Fortunately, the summer, which arrived punctually at the end of June, was perfect, dry and sunny, but with a few peaks of intense heat in July and August. The slow vegetative development was ultimately beneficial because it deferred ripening until after the hottest period. The storms of August significantly lowered the temperatures, especially at night, which favoured aromatic expression, but led to a later than average harvest, between 9 September and 14 October, with mainly sunny weather without excessive heat.

The wine then remained in barriques, in Ornellaia’s temperature-controlled 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 aged a further 12 months prior to release.

The clusters were hand-picked into 15-kg boxes and then selected by hand on a double sorting table, before and after destemming, and finally softly crushed. Each grape variety and single vineyard block was vinified separately. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks at temperatures between 26-30°C for two weeks, followed by 10-15 days of maceration on the skins. The malolactic fermentation took place mainly in oak barrels, 70% new and 30% once-used.

In 1981, Marchese Lodovico Antinori breathed new life into Tenuta dell' Ornellaia, an estate whose potential had been ignored for decades. With the help of Andre Tchelistcheff, the famous agronomist, Antinori planted the first French vines in Bolgheri, which lies in the heart of Tuscany's coastal region, Maremma. The estate yields some of the finest Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc in Tuscany. In 2002, Marchesi de' Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi became owners of Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, which is now owned exclusively by Marchesi de' Frescobaldi. Ornellaia has established itself among the iconic wine estates in Italy (and beyond). The estate is dedicated to producing charming and opulent wines, full of Mediterranean character and finesse, reflecting the estate’s unique terroir in Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast. The combination of Bolgheri’s unique soils and growing conditions, and what can only be characterized as a total obsession with excellence, result in the world-class wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc that so many wine lovers across the world have come to cherish.