2020 Ornellaia 2020 1500mL

“With its usual deep ruby red colour, Ornellaia 2020 stands out on the nose with ripe red fruits and delicate vanilla and gentle tobacco notes. Upon tasting, the wine reveals itself to be rounded and velvety, making an enjoyable and engaging first impression that entices for a second sip. The tannins are dense yet elegant and the finish proves to be savoury and enduring.”

Ornellaia: The excellence, the beauty and the creative spirit of Tuscany. Since its foundation in 1982, Ornellaia has worked to create one of the world's greatest wines . Today, the Frescobaldi's family is at the helm of this prestigious estate and sees this pursuit of excellence as part of Ornellaia's Tuscan identity. Its refined Mediterranean style is shaped by Bolgheri's proximity to the sea and the decisions of those who work at Ornellaia, starting with those of its estate director, Axel Heinz. Ornellaia believes that wines should be the truest expression of the terroir from which they come. The great variability of the soils - marine, alluvial of volanic orgins - explains how Ornellaia can successfully grow both red and white varietals achieving complexity and richness in all its wines. Ornellaia is the faithful expression of a unique terroir developped in harmony with nature. According to the average Wine Advocate ratings over the 10 last vintages, it is consistently scored among the most iconic wines in the world. The 2020 vintage - "La Proporzione" The world chosen by Axel Heinz to describe this vintage is ‘La Proporzione‘ (proportion). Indeed, the blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot marks a return to a more typical blend following the pendulum swings of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon in 2019, and 51% Merlot in 2018. “With its usual deep ruby red colour, Ornellaia 2020 stands out on the nose with ripe red fruits and delicate vanilla and gentle tobacco notes. Upon tasting, the wine reveals itself to be rounded and velvety, making an enjoyable and engaging first impression that entices for a second sip. The tannins are dense yet elegant and the finish proves to be savoury and enduring .” Olga Fusari, Winemaker

After a mild and rainy winter, there was a temporary drop in temperatures in March with a few nights below 0°C
at the very start of the budding in the last week of the month. Fortunately, the newly opened shoots were still
protected by the cottony tissue of the bud and were not damaged by the frost. The rest of spring had generally
warm weather with normal rainfall that ensured regular growth until flowering, which took place on average
between 20 and 25 May. There was an intense rainy period in the middle of June, followed by a very long dry period
with a virtual absence of rain and torrid temperatures until the end of August. The véraison was even and quick
between 20 and 25 July, with the grapes beginning to ripen under a blazing sun.
Rains arrived at the end of August, resulting in a significant drop in temperatures, falling as low as 13°C at night,
and creating the ideal conditions for completing the ripening of the Merlot grapes. They were harvested in just two
weeks to preserve maximum freshness and fruitiness, just in time to avoid a sudden week-long heatwave during
which the thermometer registered temperatures of up to 37 degrees, sending sugar content soaring for all the
varieties still to be harvested. This led us to begin harvesting Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from young
vines as early as 17 September.
Towards the end of September, a passing burst of rain finally brought the climatic conditions back to normal, and
the water absorbed by the grapes lowered the alcohol content to normal values, allowing us to complete the
Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot harvest on 3 October.
VINIFICATION AND AGEING
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 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.
Axel Heinz - Estate Director