2020 Ornus dell'Ornellaia, Tuscany, Italy
Critics reviews
The 2020 Ornus dell"Ornellaia, the estate's sweet wine, is laced with tropical fruit, hazelnut, spice, tangerine peel and dried flowers. This release offers lovely textural richness yet remains light on its feet, although the 2020 comes across as a bit more exotic than previous editions.
There's quite a bit of news at Ornellaia and sister estate Masseto. Longtime Estate Manager Axel Heinz departed the wineries earlier this summer for his native Bordeaux, which opens a new chapter for both estates. “Two thousand-twenty was the last in a trio of vintages with more rain than usual and no drought, but quite a bit of heat during summer," Heinz explained. "Temperatures moderated in August, with the arrival of cool evenings. We picked quite a bit of Merlot early for the aromatics. Temperatures then rose markedly, leading to a week of rain, and then finally to good weather through to the end of harvest."
The 2020 wines strike me as quite aromatic in profile, with medium-bodied structures and a bit more restraint than is the norm. The 2021s, on the other hand, are more typical of Bolgheri. They possess notable textural resonance and volume, with fine-grained tannins and the exceptional balance of a great year.
Drink 2023 - 2030
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (August 2023)
Packaged in its distinctive 375-millilitre amphorae-shaped bottle, the Ornellaia 2020 Ornus dell'Ornellaia has a warm and sweet bouquet that recalls pastry cream, toasted almond, candied apricot, honey and sweet lemon candy. The wine is very smooth and creamy in texture. The acidity is a little less prominent in this vintage, and the wine makes up for it with lingering sweetness.
Following a very productive 17 years at Masseto and Ornellaia, Estate Director Axel Heinz announced in March of this year that he was leaving his position. He will join Château Lascombes in Bordeaux as CEO. Axel was born in Germany, raised in France and established a brilliant winemaking career in Italy. "It makes it difficult to know which national soccer team to root for," he once joked with me. Under his time at Masseto and Ornellaia, the two brands grew in respective strength with individual identities.
His new releases command some of the highest prices in Italian wine and are sought after by collectors worldwide. Axel oversaw the construction of the new Masseto winery, and he launched a second wine called Massetino (new vintages of both are reviewed here). Axel was quoted in the Italian press as saying, "Italy will stay in my heart forever, but it's time to go back to France."
Drink 2023 - 2030
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (May 2023)
About this WINE
Ornellaia
Tenuta dell’Ornellaia is located in one of the world’s most exciting wine regions: Bolgheri. A breathtaking avenue lined by towering cypress trees leads inland from the Aurelia, the old Roman coastal road, up to the walls of Bolgheri’s medieval hamlet. From the village the view extends far out to sea and on a clear day the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago and Corsica can be seen.
The mild maritime climate and the lush Mediterranean vegetation leave an imprint upon the character of the wines. Tenuta dell’Ornellaia's unique territory guides all aspects of production: limited quantities to ensure maximum quality, attention to every detail, selective hand harvesting, microvinification and ageing.
Ornellaia is a Cabernet/Merlot wine blend. Masseto is made entirely from Merlot - it is a model of rich, silky elegance and has rapidly become a modern classic.
Bolgheri
Bolgheri is a new DOC in the coastal Maremma region which first rose to prominence during the 1970s with the emergence of the so-called Super Tuscan wines like Ornellaia and Sassicaia. These new ventures had rocked the DOC establishment by using high proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon, opting out of the DOC system and relabeling their wines as simply Vino da Tavola (table wine).
Having won universal acclaim and exchanging hands for unprecedented prices (higher even than Tuscany's finest examples), the authorities relented and awarded Bolgheri its own DOC. The actions of the Super Tuscans inspired a generation in Italy, even if some of the wines here have lost a little of their lustre since.
Petit Manseng
Petit Manseng, sometimes translated as “Small Manseng” or rarely “Little Manseng,” is a white wine grape variety primarily grown in South West France. The grape derives its name from its small, thick-skinned berries. Among the Manseng family of grapes, Petit Manseng produces the highest quality wine. It thrives in regions such as Gascony, Jurançon, and around Madiran (for Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh).
Petit Manseng grapes are known for their stone fruit flavours, particularly peach and apricot, but can also exhibit hints of citrus and sweet spice. Winemakers often leave the grapes on the vine until December to produce a late-harvest dessert wine. These nearly raisin-like grapes yield rich, sweet wines with concentrated flavours.
While traditionally associated with France, Petit Manseng has drawn interest in New World wine regions. California, North Georgia, Virginia, and Ohio have started exploring this grape variety, and its popularity is expected to follow a similar trajectory to Viognier among white wine enthusiasts.
The variety goes by various synonyms, including Escriberou, Ichiriota Zuria Tipia (in Spain), Mansein, Mansenc Blanc, Miot, and more.
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Description
The 2020 Ornus dell"Ornellaia, the estate's sweet wine, is laced with tropical fruit, hazelnut, spice, tangerine peel and dried flowers. This release offers lovely textural richness yet remains light on its feet, although the 2020 comes across as a bit more exotic than previous editions.
There's quite a bit of news at Ornellaia and sister estate Masseto. Longtime Estate Manager Axel Heinz departed the wineries earlier this summer for his native Bordeaux, which opens a new chapter for both estates. “Two thousand-twenty was the last in a trio of vintages with more rain than usual and no drought, but quite a bit of heat during summer," Heinz explained. "Temperatures moderated in August, with the arrival of cool evenings. We picked quite a bit of Merlot early for the aromatics. Temperatures then rose markedly, leading to a week of rain, and then finally to good weather through to the end of harvest."
The 2020 wines strike me as quite aromatic in profile, with medium-bodied structures and a bit more restraint than is the norm. The 2021s, on the other hand, are more typical of Bolgheri. They possess notable textural resonance and volume, with fine-grained tannins and the exceptional balance of a great year.
Drink 2023 - 2030
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (August 2023)
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