Ornellaia

Coordinates: 43°12′41″N 10°36′34″E / 43.2115227°N 10.6094568°E / 43.2115227; 10.6094568
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

43°12′41″N 10°36′34″E / 43.2115227°N 10.6094568°E / 43.2115227; 10.6094568

A bottle of Ornellaia of the 1997 vintage

Ornellaia is an

Super Tuscan wine. Ornellaia is considered one of Italy's leading Bordeaux-style red wines.[1][2] The estate also produces a second wine, Le Serre Nuove, the blend Le Volte, the Merlot-labeled varietal wine Masseto, in addition to estate production of grappa and olive oil
. In 2012, the winery's name was changed from "Tenuta dell'Ornellaia" to "Ornellaia e Masseto", in recognition of the increasing importance of the Merlot-based wine.

History

Ornellaia was established by Marchese Lodovico Antinori of the

The

vintage in 1985.[5][6]
A modern winery was built in 1987, and a second 56 ha (140-acre) property was later added, Bellaria, situated north of Bolgheri.

The sequence of ownership is featured in Jonathan Nossiter's film Mondovino and documentary series of the same name, which contain statements by Lodovico Antinori, and the Frescobaldi and Mondavi families, then joint owners during the time of production, which displays opposing accounts on the events.[12]

A Salmanazar (9 L bottle) of Ornellaia 2005 was sold for USD$33,600 at Christie's of New York.[13]

Vineyards

Ornellaia is located on the Tuscan Coast, overlooking the

Bellaria
, which is closer to the sea.

The vineyards are planted at altitudes ranging from 50 to 120 m above sea level, on slopes ranging from 5 to 20°. Planting density per ha ranges from 5,000 vines per ha in the older vineyards of the Estate to 7,000 vines per ha in the Bellaria vineyards. By comparison, some of the most recent vineyards can have up to 8,700 vines per ha. Ornellaia's 97 ha of vineyards are divided into 50 parcels planted to the four varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (38 ha), Cabernet Franc (12 ha), Merlot (38 ha), Petit Verdot (7 ha), and varieties Sauvignon blanc (2,5 ha), Viognier (0,5 ha) and Petit Manseng (1 ha).

Production

From a 91 ha (220-acre) estate, the vineyard area extends 76 ha (190 acres) in two separate locations, Ornellaia and Bellaria. The grape varieties are predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc,[5] as well as a small plot of Petit Verdot planted in 1995.[6]

In addition to Ornellaia, Merlot grapes from the 7 ha (17 acres) Masseto vineyard have since 1986 been produced as a varietal wine, initially simply as "Merlot", and since its second vintage by the name Masseto. Le Volte, first released in 1991, is a 50% Sangiovese and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend. The official second wine, Le Serre Nuove, has been produced since 1997.[citation needed]

References

  1. .
  2. ^ Atkin, Tim, The Observer (October 1, 2000). "Roll out the Barolo". The Guardian. London.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Robinson, Jancis, ed. (1999). "Antinori". The Oxford Companion to Wine (2nd ed.). winepros.com.au. Archived from the original on 2008-08-08. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
  4. ^ Teague, Lettie, Food & Wine (December 2006). "Are Super-Tuscans Still Super?".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ a b Brook, Stephen (May 16, 2013). "Producer Profile: Ornellaia". decanter.com.
  6. ^ a b Kissack, Chris, thewinedoctor.com. "Tenuta Dell'Ornellaia". Archived from the original on 2007-12-18. Retrieved 2008-04-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Harpers (April 3, 2002). "Mondavi to buy Ornellaia".[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Robinson, Jancis, jancisrobinson.com (March 19, 2002). "Mondavi acquires Ornellaia". Archived from the original on March 27, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ O'Keefe, Kerin, Decanter.com (April 5, 2005). "Frescobaldi now in full control of Ornellaia".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Nigro, Dana, Wine Spectator (April 1, 2005). "Frescobaldi Takes Ownership of Ornellaia". Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Shah, Michele, Decanter.com (July 12, 2005). "Rolland appointed new Antinori consultant".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Port, Jeni, The Age (September 13, 2005). "Grapes of wrath". Melbourne.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Harpers (October 31, 2007). "9-litre Ornellaia sells for £16,000". Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2008.

External links