Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove 2018

Cellar for up to 12 years. Decant 1 hour before serving.

Tenuta dell’Ornellaia is one of Italy’s most famous wineries thanks to the vision and dedication of its founder Marchese Lodovico Antinori. He’s the brother of Piero Antinori who founded Tenuta Tignanello, and also happens to be the cousin of Mario Incisa della Rocchetta who founded Tenuta San Guido where Sassicaia is made. Given the ambition and competitiveness of his relatives, it’s not surprising that Lodovico was one of the first to produce top quality Super Tuscans in Tuscany’s coastal Bolgheri region.

The estate’s second wine, Le Serre Nuove, is not as well known as Ornellaia, but it’s exceptional flavour profile and great value make it an enticing option for any Super Tuscan enthusiast. The wine is made from the property’s younger vineyards and is a complex Bordeaux-style blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Each variety is vinified separately to give maximum control over the final blend. The young wines spend 12 months ageing in oak barrels before blending with another 3 months of ageing to fully integrate all of the components prior to bottling. The result is a graceful Tuscan red that opens with enticing notes of blackberry, raspberry and red cherry along with wild rose, licorice and black peppercorns. The firm tannic structure and polish make this a great wine to serve with hearty red meat dishes or to cellar for a few more years.