Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC Rosso Le Serre Nuove 2015
- Vintage
- 2015
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Tuscany
- Size
- 750ml
- Grapes
- 64% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Rating
- WA93, WS92, JS94
Plenty of blackberry and rust with tile and stone undertones. Full body, tannic and structured. A big and flavorful red. Better in 2020 when it is a little softer. - JS94
This is a stunning and exuberant wine that drinks with beautiful intensity and personality. The 2015 Bolgheri Rosso Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia is made with fruit from the estate's young vines. Fruit from the older vines is instead directed to the top-shelf expressions. If this wine is any indication of what we can expect from the next vintage of Ornellaia to hit the market, we are in for a very special treat. This is a complete and richly concentrated expression that drinks with seamless intensity. It pits power against elegance with confidence and grace. - WA93
Lush and modern, this evokes black cherry, blackberry, plum and light earth and iron flavors. A dusty swath of tannins girds the finish, but this should come together nicely in a year or two. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2020 through 2028. - WS92
Le Serre Nuove dell’ Ornellaia 2015 perfectly represents its exceptional vintage, combining an ideal balance of elements in a way that rarely happens; a balance of ripeness, substance and a particular pleasantness. With an intense colour and youthful appearance, its intense and ripe fruity aroma with subtle spicey and toasted highlights are detected on the nose. Well-rounded and satin-smooth on the palate, great texture and harmoniously balanced, with a succulent fruitiness which ends with a zesty finish with no sharp edges, freshened by balsamic notes. - Winemaker's Notes
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia is one of the foremost producers in the Bolgheri appellation on the coast of Tuscany, particularly known for making one of Italy's most famous and expensive wines, Ornellaia. This Bordeaux-style blend is one of the original 'Super Tuscans', and is made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, instead of Tuscany's most famous variety, Sangiovese.
The vineyard, which neighbors Sassacaia in Tuscany's coastal Maremma region, enjoys gentle sea breezes which mitigate the summer heat, and is sheltered by neighboring hills from cold winter winds. The soils are a complex mix of alluvial, volcanic and marine elements, providing a good base for the Bordeaux varieties which are planted here. After hand picking and careful selection – firstly by bunch and secondly grape by grape – each variety and each vineyard block is vinified separately in stainless steel tanks. Ornellaia is aged for around 18 months in oak, 70 percent of which is new. Grapes which do not make the cut for the top wine are redirected to Le Serre Nuove, which usually has more Merlot, and less time in oak.
The Tenuta dell'Ornellaia portfolio also includes the second wine Le Volte, a blend of Merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, Poggio alla Gazze, a Sauvignon Blanc-based white and Ornus, a late harvest Petit Manseng. Tenuta dell'Ornellaia also owns Masseto, a single-vineyard Merlot with its own winery and an even higher price tag.
The company was founded in 1981 by Marchese Ludovico Antinori, with the first vintage in 1985. From 2002 to 2005 the estate was co-owned by Robert Mondavi and Marchesi di Frescobaldi, but since 2005 Frescobaldi has owned it outright. Michel Rolland has been engaged as consultant winemaker since 1991. – Information from Wine Searchers