Vineyards Magazine

The elegance, amiability and complexity of Bolgheri DOC Rosso make a lasting impression

The 2020 vintage of Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC Rosso has been released to the market on 1 September. The wine originally debuted with the 1997 vintage, when Ornellaia’s second vin became the most immediate expression of the estate’s hallmark style. The wine is produced with the same passion and attention to detail as Ornellaia. Every vintage is a blend of elegant amiability and Bolgheri-style complexity that is capable of evolving in the bottle for many years to come.

Axel Heinz, Estate Director of Ornellaia, describes 2020 as an extraordinary vintage of huge potential: “2020 will go down in history for many obvious reasons, but in terms of winemaking it will also be remembered for its energy, which resulted in the creation of opulent and full-bodied wines of huge potential. Over time, it will be regarded as one of Bolgheri’s greatest vintages such as 2006, 2010 and 2016.”

After a mild and rainy winter, the spring started slowly, protecting the buds from frost. A wet June was followed by a long spell of drought until the end of August. The dry conditions nurtured a slow and even veraison. The changes in temperature between day and night ensured that the grapes could develop all their aromatic potential and the right levels of acidity.

Like every year, each varietal and parcel was vinified separately in order to guarantee the utmost respect of the different traits of the grape with minimal human intervention. The wine was blended in barriques one year later and set aside to harmonize and form an array of flavours and colours.

Olga Fusari, the winemaker at Ornellaia, explains: “Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2020, with its deep ruby red hue and purple highlights, fearlessly reveals a clear and generous aromatic expression, marked by ripe red fruit aromas. The wine is soft, rounded and beguiling in the glass, in addition to being full-bodied, showing great balance between the structure, fullness and elegance.” This is a wine that displays attention to detail, character and terroir.