2020 Ornellaia: “A beauty”

2020 Ornellaia has recently been released. A wine known for its opulence, Ornellaia in 2020 displays exceptional balance. This is a product of the cooler intervals that moderated the Tuscan heat this year. The Wine Advocate‘s Monica Larner calls it ‘a beauty’, rating it 95-97 points, and Jancis Robinson calls it ‘very sumptuous’. 

One of the original Super Tuscans, Ornellaia was set up in 1981 by Lodovico Antinori. The estate has always included the four classic Bordeaux varieties. The 2020 vintage is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Each vineyard parcel is picked and vinified separately. Fermentation takes place in a mixture of stainless steel and concrete vessels, followed by malolactic in barrel to give extra roundness and integration to the wine. Maturation is in 70% new oak for 18 months, with a further 12 months’ maturation in bottle before release.

The result is a wine with pure fruit expression, fine-grained tannic structure and the complexity to age over many years. The style of Ornellaia has continued to evolve subtly in recent years. This latest release shows greater restraint and freshness than some past vintages – which in our view works very well indeed.

Ornellaia is offered alongside Le Volte dell’Ornellaia, the third wine of the estate. Made by the same winemaking team as the grand vin, Le Volte is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot, designed for earlier drinking and also highly recommended.

This is an excellent set of releases from one of Italy’s most celebrated fine wine estates.

Find more information about this producer here.

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