2021 Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove

This is one of the great vintages for this cuvée and would be a wine for lovers of Bordeaux. The 2021 Le Serre Nuove Dell'Ornellaia sports a saturated red hue and opens to a great layered and harmonious nose, with aromas of kirsch, leather, fresh Mediterranean herbs, and crushed flowers that all resonate together with wonderful purity and depth. It’s open and generous on the palate, with refined, polished tannins, outstanding length, and refreshing acidity that’s seamlessly woven into the wine. Boy, is this hard to resist now and is a truly stunning wine from recently departed winemaker Olga Fusari. Bravo. Stash as much of this as you can away – it’s one for the ages. A great feather in the cap for Axel Heinz as well, it can only increase anticipation of the house’s top label for next year. Bravo tutti. Drink 2024-2044. 2023 saw the departure of longtime winemaker and estate director Axel Heinz, as well as winemaker Olga Fusari. Ms. Fusari has moved on to lead the team as winemaker over at Ruffino, while Axel has returned to his home of Bordeaux, where he is now the CEO of Château Lascombes. Marco Balsimelli has officially taken over the reins for Axel as of this month (January 2024). Founded in 1981 by Marchesi Lodovico Antinori, since 2005 the ownership of Ornellaia has been entirely with the Frescobaldi family of wine estates. Famed oenologist Michel Rolland has been an instrumental consultant since 1991 and remains so to this day. In the winery, they work entirely with medium toast French oak, hoping not to impact the aromatic profile of the wines too much. The Serre Nuove delle Ornellaia, which was established in 1997, originally served as an outlet for the younger vines of the estate, but today it has evolved, with its own full expression and style, as a wine to drink more immediately than the flagship label. At this year's tasting, I was especially impressed with the 2021 release of this cuvée, and I’m hoping it’s an indication of great things to come from the 2021 flagship label next year.

The 2021 Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia packs a huge punch. Masses of dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, leather, licorice and cloves saturate the palate. I don't remember a Serre Nuove with this much sheer power and somber intensity, but the balance is there, especially with aeration. It will be interesting to see how the 2021 develops. Today it is quite the powerhouse.

The 2021 Bolgheri Rosso Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia is a nicely extracted and rich blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This vintage is very generous, even opulent, with dark fruit that is framed by exotic spice, baking chocolate and softly toasted tones from French oak. The wine ends on a creamy note with vanilla and cinnamon. The oak needs a few more years to integrate.