Tenuta dell' Ornellaia
Founded in 1981 by Ludovico Antinori, this estate quickly rose to the top of the so-called “Super Tuscans” wines. Situated near the Tuscan coast, in the small town of Bolgheri, the original name was “Tenuta dell’Ornelllaia”, but the name was changed in 2012 in “Ornellaia e Masseto” due to the importance of the cult wine “Masseto”.
“Ornellaia e Masseto” has a total of 99 Ha, 41 Ha surrounding the estate and 58 Ha in an area called “Bellaria”, which is close to the Tyrrhenian Sea. 97 Ha are planted with vines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and some Sangiovese. There are also small parcels planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Petit Manseng.
In 2001, Antinori sold the estate to the Constellation Brands of Robert Mondavi, but in 2005 the Frescobaldi family became the sole-proprietor.
The first vintage from Ornellaia was released in 1985. The estate is adjacent to the famous “Tenuta San Guido”, which produces another Super Tuscan, “Sassicaia”.
Ornellaia e Masseto brings several wines on the market. “Ornellaia” (120.000 – 150.000 bottles per year), dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon is the original wine. The wine stays in oak barrels of which are 70% new. The second wine is called “Le Serre Nuove” , a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It is primarly made from the younger vineyards, and was first released in 1997. “Le Volte”, another wine from this estate and first released in 1991, is a blend from Sangiovese (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Then “Masseto”, the cult wine from the estate, made entirely from Merlot grapes from a small 7 Ha vineyard with its own winery. Matured for a year in small new oak barrels from the forests of “Massif Central” in France and another year in the bottle. Masseto was first released in 1984 and received already very good reviews from the international wine critics. Annual production for Masseto is only about 35.000 bottles.
The top recent vintages for Ornellaia are: 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013. Top vintages for Masseto are: 1999, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2015 en 2016.
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