Bolgheri DOC Superior Red
Ornellaia was born from the encounter between nature and thought. Ancient and complex soils dialogue through the wisdom of man with a delicate microclimate that finds its echo and mirror in the Mediterranean Sea.
A long aging accompanies the estate's great wine to its maximum expression, revealing its finesse, breadth and generosity over time.

Winemaker's notes
“With its usual intense ruby red color, Ornellaia 2020 is characterized on the nose by aromas of ripe red fruits and delicate notes of vanilla and sweet tobacco. When tasted, the wine is soft and velvety, with a pleasant and enveloping entry into the mouth, which invites you to take a second sip. The tannic texture is dense and elegant at the same time and the finish is sapid and with a nice persistence.”

Olga Fusari - Winemaker - July 2022

Ornellaia was born from the encounter between nature and thought. Ancient and complex soils dialogue through the wisdom of man with a delicate microclimate that finds its echo and mirror in the Mediterranean Sea. A long aging accompanies the estate's great wine to its maximum expression, revealing its finesse, breadth and generosity over time.

TASTING NOTES FROM THE WINEMAKER

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot

“With its usual intense ruby red color, Ornellaia 2020 is characterized on the nose by aromas of ripe red fruits and delicate notes of vanilla and sweet tobacco.

When tasted, the wine is soft and velvety, with a pleasant and enveloping entry into the mouth, which invites you to take a second sip. The tannic texture is dense and elegant at the same time and the finish is sapid and with a nice persistence.”

Olga Fusari - Winemaker - 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 right at the start of budding in the last week of the month.

However, the freshly blossomed shoots were still protected by the cottony bud tissue, which made it possible to avoid damage from frost.

The rest of the spring saw generally warm weather with normal rainfall, ensuring regular vegetative development until flowering which took place between 20 and 25 May.

In June, a passage of rain of great intensity towards the middle of the month, followed by a very long period of drought with substantial absence of rain and torrid temperatures until the end of August.

Veraison took place evenly and quickly between 20 and 25 July, starting the ripening of the grapes under a burning sun.

At the end of August the rains arrived which led to a considerable drop in temperatures, with night-time lows even reaching 13°C, ideal conditions for completing the maturation of the Merlots.

Their harvest took place early and quickly, in just two weeks, to preserve maximum freshness and fruitiness, just in time to avoid a sudden week-long heat wave where the thermometer marked up to 37°C, making the sugar content for all the varieties still to be harvested, leading us to start harvesting Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from young vineyards as early as 17 September.

Towards the end of September a rainy passage finally brought the climatic conditions back to normal, the water absorbed by the bunches lowered the alcohol content back to normal values, allowing us to conclude the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot harvest on 3 October.

VINIFICATION AND AGING

The harvest took place by hand in 15 kg boxes and the bunches were selected on a double sorting table before and after destemming and then subjected to a soft pressing. In 2016, in addition to manual selection, optical selection was introduced to further increase the quality of the selection. Each variety and parcel was vinified separately.

The alcoholic fermentation took place partly in stainless steel vats, partly in cement vats at temperatures between 26 and 30°C for a week, which was followed by a maceration of about 15 days, for a total stay in the tank about three weeks.

The malolactic fermentation took place mainly in oak barriques (70% new and 30% second passage).

The wine remained in barriques in the Ornellaia cellar at a controlled temperature for about 18 months.

After the first 12 months, the blend was carried out, then reintroduced into the barriques, where it spent another 6 months.

The wine remains in the bottle for 12 months before being placed on the market.

Axel Heinz - Estate Director