Buy Tenuta Dell'ornellaia Ornellaia at The Finest Bubble
Ornellaia was founded in 1981 by Lodovico Antinori and is now one of Italy’s most respected wineries. Based in the Tuscan foothills of Bolgheri, it neighbours both Sassicaia (the first ‘Super-Tuscan’ estate to start producing a Bordeaux blend in Italy) and Masseto (Italy’s top Merlot, which until 2019 was produced at Ornellaia).
Being one of the early settlers in the region, Ornellaia are one of the few producers to actually own vineyards in the foothills. Bolgheri is a unique place – it’s close proximity to the ocean means less cloud and a higher level of reflected light from the sea, magnifying the solar intensity. The coastal flatlands also experience much higher winds, which creates a fluctuation between hot days and cool nights, locking in the grapes’ acidity, while giving the fruit great concentration and ripeness.
At Ornellaia, every plot is individually assessed, picked and matured in oak for 12 months before the final blending takes place. Within one vineyard alone the four varieties, eight different rootstocks and multiple geological fault-lines provide a complex palette of expressions to choose from. The estate now produces seven wines in total. It’s top wine – the eponymously titled Ornellaia – is a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Axel Heinz has been the winemaker at Ornellaia since 2005.
