Le Serre Nuove 2023 Tenuta dell' Ornellaia

Tasting Note Le Serre Nuove 2023

It offers aromas of dark cherries and plums, with a savory note of dried herbs emerging behind the fruit. It is quite concentrated for a second wine, and the texture clearly demonstrates this: it is velvety smooth and rich, with absolutely no harshness. Le Serre Nuove 2023 has a slightly lower alcohol content than typical for Bolgheri, making the mid-palate feel lively rather than heavy. It's already ready to drink, though the tannins still have room to become more integrated.

Grape Varieties

Merlot makes up the largest proportion of Le Serre Nuove 2023 and delivers a rich mid-palate. Cabernet Sauvignon provides the overall structure, Cabernet Franc adds the aromatic vibrancy that Bolgheri excels at, and Petit Verdot deepens the color and tannins.

2023 Blend Composition:

• 44% Merlot
• 37% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 11% Cabernet Franc
• 8% Petit Verdot

Cellaring Potential

It is ready to drink now, thanks to its velvety-smooth tannins. The flavor is fine-grained and fully ripe, with absolutely no hint of immaturity. The lower-than-usual alcohol content lends the Le Serre Nuove 2023 a freshness that will persist throughout its years of bottle aging. Serve at 16-18°C.

About Tenuta dell' Ornellaia

Bolgheri's coastal strip, between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the hills of Castagneto Carducci in the province of Livorno, is where Tenuta dell' Ornellaia grows classic Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, plus Sauvignon Blanc and some other white varietals for the Poggio alle Gazze white. Lodovico Antinori started the estate in 1981, and the first vintage was released in 1988 ( the 1985). Ownership shifted more than once after that, through Robert Mondavi, until the Frescobaldi family took full control in April 2005. Masseto, once part of the estate, became a separate winery in 2019, though production manager Marco Balsimelli still oversees both. Soils mix marine, alluvial material, and sea breezes cool the vineyards through summer. That shows in the wines. 

Terroir & Climate

Bolgheri is situated at the foot of the gentle hills along the Tyrrhenian coast, and this terrain offers two advantages to Le Serre Nuove. Sea breezes cool the vineyards throughout the summer, allowing the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot grapes to ripen slowly without scorching. In winter, the hills shield the vineyards from cold winds. The soil, a mixture of marine and alluvial deposits, drains well, making it far more suitable for Bordeaux varieties than for Sangiovese.

Winemaking

Le Serre Nuove is produced mainly from grapes grown in the younger sections of the Ornellaia vineyards; however, it is made using the same techniques as the ‘grands vins’, rather than being treated as a secondary product. The grapes are harvested by hand into 15-kilogramme baskets and sorted by hand on a double sorting table, once before the stems are removed and once afterwards, and then gently pressed.

Each grape variety and each batch undergoes separate fermentation, partly in stainless-steel tanks and partly in concrete vats, at a temperature of between 22 and 28 degrees, with the wine left on the skins for approximately ten to fifteen days. Malolactic fermentation begins in stainless steel tanks.

The wine is then transferred to French barriques, a quarter of which are new and the rest have been used once, and is aged in Ornellaia’s cellars at a controlled temperature for around fifteen months. The blend is finalised after the first twelve months, after which the wine is returned to the barrels for a further three months.

After bottling, it is left to age for a further six months before being released for sale.

Food Pairing

Grilled beef is the most obvious pairing, while Bistecca alla Fiorentina is the local answer: charred fat against fine tannin. Other dishes worth trying with Le Serre Nuove include:

• Pappardelle with wild boar ragù: The sauce, infused with the distinctive flavor of game, meets the wine's dark fruit
• Brasato Di Manzo al Vino Rosso: Slowly braised to deliver a rich, deep flavor
• Aged Pecorino Toscano: Characterized by a savory flavor that complements the wine's structure perfectly