Ornellaia 2020 Bolgheri DOC Superiore in Box

ORNELLAIA 2020 ‘THE PROPORTION’ – BOLGHERI DOC SUPERIORE RED

Ornellaia was born from the encounter between nature and thought. Ancient and complex soils converse through human wisdom with a delicate microclimate that finds an echo and mirror in the Mediterranean Sea. Long aging accompanies the estate’s great wine to its fullest expression, revealing over time its finesse, breadth and generosity.

WINEMAKER’S TASTING NOTES

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot Alc. : 14.5% vol.

“With its usual deep ruby red color, Ornellaia 2020 is characterized on the nose by aromas of ripe red fruits and delicate notes of vanilla and sweet tobacco. On the palate, the wine is soft and velvety, with a pleasant and enveloping mouthfeel that invites a second sip. The tannic texture is dense and at the same time elegant, and the finish proves to be savory and beautifully persistent.”

Olga Fusari – Enologist – July 2022

THE CLIMATE OF 2020

After a mild and rainy winter, March saw a temporary drop in temperatures with a few nights below 0°C just as budding began in the last week of the month. However, the newly bloomed shoots were still protected by the cottony bud tissue, which prevented frost damage.
The rest of spring saw generally warm weather with normal rainfall, ensuring smooth vegetative development until flowering, which occurred between May 20 and May 25. In June, a rainy passage of great intensity in the middle of the month followed a very long dry spell with substantial absence of rainfall and torrid temperatures until the end of August. The veraison took place evenly and quickly between July 20 and 25, initiating the ripening of the grapes under a blazing sun. Late August brought rains that led to a significant drop in temperatures, with overnight lows as low as 13°C, ideal conditions for the Merlots to complete ripening. They were harvested early and quickly, in just two weeks, to preserve as much freshness and fruitiness as possible, just in time to avoid a sudden week-long heat wave where the thermometer marked up to 37°C, sending sugar levels soaring for all the varieties yet to be harvested, leading us to begin harvesting Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from the young vineyards as early as September 17.

Toward the end of September, a rainy passage finally brought weather conditions back to normal, the water absorbed by the grapes lowered alcohol contents back to normal values, allowing us to

conclude the harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot on October 3.

VINIFICATION AND AGING

Harvesting was done by hand in 15-kg crates, and the clusters were sorted on a double sorting table before and after destemming and subjected to soft crushing at the end. In 2016, optical sorting was introduced in addition to manual sorting to further increase the quality of sorting. Each variety and each plot was vinified separately. Alcoholic fermentation took place partly in stainless steel vats, partly in concrete vats at temperatures between 26 and 30°C for one week, which was followed by maceration for about 15 days, for a total stay in tanks of about three weeks. Malolactic fermentation took place mainly in oak barrels (70% new and 30% second-passage). The wine remained in barriques in Ornellaia’s temperature-controlled cellar for a period of about 18 months. After the first 12 months it was blended, then reintroduced into the barriques, where it spent another 6 months. The wine stays in the bottle for 12 months before introduction to the market.

Axel Heinz – Estate Manager