Ornellaia 2018 Bolgheri Superiore DOC - Tenuta dell'Ornellaia

Ornellaia La Grazia 2018 – Tenuta dell'Ornellaia

Ornellaia is, with Sassicaia, the name that made Bolgheri famous worldwide. Founded by Lodovico Antinori in the early 1980s, with 1985 as its first vintage, the estate now belongs to the Frescobaldi family. Since 2009 every vintage has received a name and an artist's interpretation through the Vendemmia d'Artista project.

2018 is "La Grazia" (Grace): then estate director Axel Heinz described it as a rounded, silky wine in which all the elements blend in an expression of grace and beauty. The vintage was entrusted to Belgian artist Jan Fabre, who designed the special label for the 0.75 l bottles and three red-coral sculptures – the heart, the crown and the candle, symbols of passion, virtue and purity – for the large formats.

The blend shows a slight predominance of Merlot over Cabernet Sauvignon, completed by Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Fermentation in steel and concrete, malolactic in barriques (70% new), about eighteen months in oak with blending after the first year, then a year in bottle.

After hot, dry seasons, 2018 was a more regular vintage: a very wet spring, a warm summer and a dry September with cool nights that preserved acidity and aromas. The result is a harmonious Ornellaia, true to its name: red fruit, citrus notes, liquorice and Mediterranean scrub, dense and silky tannins and a long, savoury finish. Already enjoyable, with a long life ahead. With lamb, fillet steak or game.

At a glance: Merlot 51%, Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Cabernet Franc 7%, Petit Verdot 2% · 14.5% ABV · 0.75 l · Artist label by Jan Fabre · Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, Bolgheri