Here's one of the original Super Tuscan producers, the
group of wines known for using Bordeaux varieties
in Sangiovese country to create magnificent wines.
Tenuta dell’Ornellaia was founded by Marchese
Lodovico Antinori in 1981. He’s the cousin of Mario
Incisa della Rocchetta, founder of Sassicaia, and
brother of Piero Antinori who started Solaia at
Tenuta Tignanello. So Super Tuscans, and no doubt
competitiveness, run in the family.
The first wine, Ornellaia, was one of the very first of
its kind. Crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet
Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, on the slopes of
Bolgheri close to the Mediterranean Sea, very little
is made.
But Tenuta dell’Ornellaia doesn’t stop there. Whilst
their first wine remains a collector’s dream, value
lies in Le Serre Nuove, the second wine. Winemaker
Axel Heinz has told us he’s sure that its quality now
approaches that of early vintages of the first wine.
The vines are older, the work in the vineyard more
thorough, and the winemaking practices improved.