Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia

Tenuta dell Ornellaia is owned by the Frescobaldi family who spans 700 years as winemakers. Ornellaia was launched in 1985 and a few years later, they released Italy’s first ever second vin, Le Serre Nuove.

As for most second wine, it comes from young vines making it a great introduction to Ornellaia. However, in top vintages, such as the 2006 and 2013, the differences between Le Serre Nuove and its bigger brother can be minimal, as quoted in Decanter Magazine. Sourced from parcels dedicated to its production and wines that did not make it to the grand vin, it has developed its own identity and is now arguably considered as the best second wine from Italy.

Born in the shadow of Ornellaia, Le Serre Nuove today shines by itself, crowned as the best Italian second wine. – Decanter Magazine

The vineyards

The soils are made of sand, marl and marine fossils with clay emerging at a slightly higher altitude, dotted with limestone pebbles of varying sizes. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are the main varieties planted on the estate, followed by Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, while Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Manseng, Viognier, Verdicchio and Vermentino are the grapes used to make the white wines. The vineyards are mainly southwest facing to embrace the last ray of sunshine that sets over the sea. There are many small parcels which are all treated individually so the terroir expression is kept.

The growing season

2021 started with a mild yet rainy winter that enabled the water resources in the soil to be replenished. After a dry March, budbreak occurred in the first fortnight of April. The gradual rise in temperatures and normal rainfall allowed the shoots to develop evenly before flowering in superb conditions towards the end of May. Summer fully arrived in June with temperatures slightly above average and an almost total absence of rain, resulting in veraison in the last week of July. The dry spell continued throughout August and September, but the spring rain and our estate’s deep soils allowed the vines to avoid overly intense water stress, creating the conditions for small, highly concentrated grapes with exceptional potential in terms of quality.mSeptember was hot and sunny, devoid of rainfall, which provided for an “à la carte” harvest to convey the maximum quality potential of each vineyard. The red grapes were harvested mostly in September, with Merlot within the first fortnight, and other varieties on the estate from 13 September onwards, ending on 1 October.

Winemaking & maturation

The grapes were handpicked into 15 kg baskets. The bunches were selected by hand on a double sorting table before and after de-stemming, then finally soft-pressed. In addition to handpicking, we introduced optical selection in 2016 in order to further increase the quality of berry selection. Each variety and each parcel of land was vinified separately. The alcoholic fermentation took place partly in stainless steel tanks and partly in concrete vats at temperatures between 22-28°C for two weeks, followed by maceration for a total of about 10-15 days. The malolactic fermentation took place in stainless steel was after which the wines were racked into barriques (25% new and 75% used once). The wine remained in barriques in Ornellaia's temperature-controlled cellars for about 15 months. After the first 12 months the wine was blended and then returned to the barriques for an additional three months of ageing. The wine remains in the bottle for another six months prior to release.

Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2021

The 2021 has ripe tannins well-balanced with the concentration of fruits making it a high calibre and deeply satisfying wine.

A firm and linear red with currant, berry, chocolate and cedar character. It’s medium- to full-bodied. Fine tannins that run the length of the wine. It’s tight and focused. Energetic and bright. 50% merlot and 28% cabernet sauvignon and the rest split equally between petit verdot and cabernet franc. Better after 2026. 94 points James Suckling

The 2021 Bolgheri Rosso Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia is a nicely extracted and rich blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This vintage is very generous, even opulent, with dark fruit that is framed by exotic spice, baking chocolate and softly toasted tones from French oak. The wine ends on a creamy note with vanilla and cinnamon. The oak needs a few more years to integrate. 93 points Robert Parker