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  • Country ranking ?

    207
  • Producer ranking ?

    46
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Skirt Steak with Pomegranate Sauce

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The Story

Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore DOC is the estate's flagship wine which embodies the quality philosophy of the estate.

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia's production hilosophy is based upon the belief that wines must be the most faithful expression of the terroirs that produce them. The mild marine climate and the colours and aromas of the lush Mediterranean vegetation leave a special imprint upon the character of the wines. A respect for the estate's unique territory guides all aspects of production: limited quantities to ensure maximum quality, attention to every detail, selective hand harvesting, microvinification and ageing.

The Ornellaia vineyard totals 280 acres that are divided into more than 70 vineyard plots according to soil type, exposition and varietal. There are three major soil types: marine (sedimentary deposit from the sea), alluvial (marly, sandy clays with mineral veins), and volcanic (schist, gravel and porous soils). All the vineyards are about 3 miles from the Mediterranean shore. The mild maritime climate features sea breezes that keep the sky clear, low rainfall, and long summers that favor the development of aromatic compounds.
Vineyards are planted at high density, from 5,000-8,700 hl/ha, and feature several training systems – spur-pruned cordon, single Guyot, and head-pruned vines.

The clusters are hand-picked into 15-kg boxes and then go through a selection by hand on a double sorting table, both before and after destemming, and grapes are finally softly crushed. Each grape variety and single vineyard block is vinified separately. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at temperatures between 26-30°C for two weeks, followed by 10-15 days of maceration on the skins. The malolactic fermentation takes place mainly in oak barrels, 70% new and 30% once-used. The wine then remains in barriques, in Ornellaia’s temperature- controlled cellars, for about 18 months. After the first 12 months of maturation, the wine is assembled and then returned to the barriques for an additional 6 months. After bottling, the wine ages a further 12 months prior to release.

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Wine Information

The climate for the 1988 vintage was characterised by generally hot, sunny weather until the final phases of berry ripening with some peak temperatures during the month of August. The harvest was carried out entirely by hand, and the grapes were collected in baskets holding no more than 15 Kg. The Merlot was harvested on the 14th of September, and the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc were harvested starting on the 20th of September.

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

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Written Notes

The reds began with Tuscany, and a 1988 Ornellaia. It was still so young and fresh; I never would have guessed 1988. Its fruit was almost still purple, but it had that European goodness of fruit. Big Boy noted ‘mint.’ In 1988, the blend was about 80% Cabernet and 20% Merlot while today it is 60/30/10. There were light aromas of chocolate and cigar box, along with touches of smoke and gravel. It had a great nose; there was a lot going on. The palate had rich fruit and nice grit with touches of tobacco and solid acidity. A nice swath of cedar and wood held it all together. The Cardinal found it ‘perfect now’ (95).
  • 95p
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Information

Origin

Bolgheri, Tuscany

Vintage Quality

Above Average

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Below Average

Fake factory

None

Other wines from this producer

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Le Volte dell'Ornellaia

Le Volte dell’Ornellaia

Massetino

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Ornellaia Bianco

Ornus dell’Ornellaia

Poggio alle Gazze dell'Ornellaia

Inside Information

The grapes were destemmed and gently crushed, then introduced partly into wooden fermentors and partly into stainless steel tanks.  The fermentation and maceration period lasted for 15-20 days. Then the wine was transferred into French oak barriques where it completed its malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged in French oak barriques from June 1989 until April 1990 (11 months).  40% of the barriques were of new French oak (mostly from Allier and Nevers) and 60% were once-used.  This period was followed by a further 16 months in the bottle before release.

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