Ornellaia, Bolgheri DOC Superiore Rosso 2022

Description

Ornellaia is an Italian red wine produced by Ornellaia e Masseto. It is the estate’s flagship wine and one of the original and most famous Super Tuscan wines. It is regarded as one of the world’s iconic wines.  It is bottled as a Bolgheri DOC Superiore Rosso.

Produced by Ornellaia e Masseto

Ornellaia e Masseto (the name was changed from Tenuta dell’Ornellaia in 2012) is one of the best-known wineries in the Bolgheri appellation on the coast of Tuscany. The estate was founded in 1981 by Marchese Lodovico Antinori.

In 2002, the estate was purchased by Robert Mondavi, who entered into a partnership with the Frescobaldi family (Masseto, Luce et al.), who then bought it outright in 2005. Michel Rolland is the consultant oenologist.

A Maritime Climate

The Ornellaia e Masseto estate comprises 115 hectares of vineyards nestled in the foothills near Bolgheri, which lie just a few kilometres from the Mediterranean coast (next door to Tenuta San Guido, producer of Sassicaia).

During the summer months, the cool sea breeze caresses the vineyards and nearby olive groves, while during the winter, the hills protect from the cold north winds.

The vineyards benefit from a unique combination of maritime climate and a complex mosaic of marine, alluvial and volcanic soils – creating a distinct environment where red and white varieties can best express themselves.

Ornellaia Winemaking

Ornellaia 2022 is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. 

• Grapes are hand-picked into 15 kg crates and manually selected on a double sorting table before and after destemming, then softly crushed.
• Optical sorting was introduced in 2016 alongside manual selection to enhance quality.
• Each grape variety and single vineyard block is vinified separately.
• Fermentation in stainless steel and concrete tanks at 26–30°C for one week.
• Maceration for about 15 days, totalling approximately three weeks in the vat.
• Malolactic fermentation occurred mainly in oak barrels (70% new, 30% used once).
• Wine matured in barriques in Ornellaia’s cellars for about 18 months.
• After 12 months of maturation, the wine was assembled and returned to barriques for an additional 6 months.
• Post-bottling, the wine was aged for a further 12 months before release.

Ornellaia 2022: ‘La Determinazione’

The 2022 vintage has been named ‘La Determinazione’ – to reflect the determination and resilience of the vines during one of the driest periods ever recorded in Bolgheri. Available to buy now at Fareham Wine Cellar.