Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove Bolgheri 2017

Ornellaia "Le Serre Nuove" Bolgheri 2017

As has become our custom, gathered in the city for final stages of our planning meetings, we dined at Italian Village for dinner. Seeking basic American cuisine I ordered a filet of beef and baked potato. For a wine accompaniment I chose from the vast Italian Village, Chicago, extraordinary wine cellar list, this 2017 Bolgheri Rosso Le Serre Nuove dell' Ornellaia. It turned out to be a perfect selection, amplifying the enjoyment of both the beefsteak dinner and the wine. 

 

First released in 1997, this is the twentieth anniversary release of this label. It is the 'Second' wine of Ornellaia, produced to broaden the selection of wines crafted during the assembly of the base wines of Ornellaia. It is produced mainly from younger vines, but crafted to match the profile of freshness, accessibility and flexibility with structure, balance and intensity typical of the great terroirs of the company properties.

Ornellaia is somewhat of a legend, one of the first “super-Tuscans”, the result of Marchese Lodovico Antinori’s ambition to produce a great Bordeaux-style wine in Tuscany. The first vineyards were planted in 1981 and today have expanded to almost 250 acres. 

Today, the winery is owned by the Frescobaldi family, one of seven estates they own and manage across the Northern Italian Tuscany Bolgheri region, some of which have been in the family dating back to the 1300's.

This label was awarded 93 points by James Suckling, Wine Spectator and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 92 points by Vinous. 

This is a Bordeaux Blend of 54% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. It was aged for 15 months s in oak. The significant production was 250,000 bottles released in September 2019.

The year 2107 vintage was hot and dry which contributed to the richness and concentration of the fruit.

Winemaker's Notes: “Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2017 expresses itself with outstanding elegance, combining great ageing potential with immediate enjoyability. A deep ruby red colour with purple highlights, a beautifully complex nose characterised by scents of small red berries and balsamic notes reminiscent of Mediterranean scrub vegetation. The quality of the tannins on the palate is particularly striking, smooth and silky. The mouthfeel ends with a lingering finish and unexpected freshness.”, Olga Fusari – Winemaker – May 2019.

Bright ruby colored, medium full bodied, seductive floral aromas sprouted from the glass, vibrant, expressive round balanced and nicely integrated full black berry and ripe plum fruits are accented by  leather, spice and pipe tobacco, notes of cedar and hints of  licorice and mint with silky full fine-grained tannins on the long full finish. 

RM 93 points. 

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