Wine Advisor
Ornellaia, Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia 2011
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2011 Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia comes across as tight and shut down today. There is plenty of depth in the glass, but less of the appeal I saw just a few months ago. The high tannins of the vintage and the relatively large amount of Petit Verdot (14%) are both very marked at this stage in the wine's life. Readers holding the 2011 are best off cellaring their bottles for at least another 1-2 years. The 2011 Le Serre Nuove is a powerhouse.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2011 Le Serre Nuove is striking for its beauty and symmetry. Some vintages of Le Serre Nuove are open and radiant, others are more structured. The 2011 seems to bring together elements of both in a wine of superb pedigree and pure class. Mocha, dark raspberries, tobacco and grilled herbs all flesh out on the inviting, vivid finish. Today, the 2011 is absolutely singing and points to a spectacular vintage at Tenuta dell'Ornellaia. This is impressive juice. In 2011 the blend is 57% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot and 12% Cabernet Franc. The relatively high amounts of both Petit Verdot and Franc are very much felt.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Deep ruby. Aromas of blackcurrant, sweet spices, licorice, violet and grilled herbs, plus a hint of peppery chocolate truffle. Sappy and highly concentrated, boasting terrific energy and a liqueur-like nuance to its flavors of black fruits, wild herbs and green pepper. Turns a little austere at the back, finishing with gripping, high-quality tannins and sharply delineated violet and black pepper notes that are true to the wine’s cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot elements. This is likely to be a long-lived Le Serre Nuove.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
A gorgeous wine, the 2011 Bolgheri Rosso Le Serre Nuovo dell-Ornellaia (57% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot and 12% Cabernet Franc) opens with an inky dark, almost impenetrable appearance and beautifully chiseled - but abundantly intense - aromas of blackberry, dried cherry, rum cake, leather, moist pipe tobacco and chewy black licorice. The balance and harmony are seductive and impressive and the wine lasts many long seconds on the palate. Noticeable tannic backbone gives us hope in its cellar potential. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. This year Ornellaia celebrates the 25th anniversary of its flagship wine, the eponymous Ornellaia (1988-2013). General Director Leonardo Raspini and his team decide to celebrate with a commemorative edition of the wine packaged in an etched bottle with gold lettering. Importer: Folio Fine Wine Partners; www.foliowine.com
About the Producer
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia (also known as Ornellaia) is located in one of the most beautiful natural locations in the Tuscany region of Italy, and the estate's priority is to produce wines of exceptional quality. The passion for wine, the dedication to quality and the unique terroir have created the highly acclaimed wines of Château Ornellaia, which have established the estate as one of the world's leading wineries. Located in the foothills of the Bolgheri region of Livorno, on the western edge of Tuscany, facing the Mediterranean Sea, Château d'Ornellaia is a unique wine estate. Thanks to its proximity to the sea, the cool sea breeze blows through the vineyards throughout the summer. The soil is predominantly alluvial and volcanic, and the unique terroir and microclimate create an excellent environment for the grapes to grow. There are two main vineyards: the original vineyard of Château d'Ornaya, where the winery is located, and the Bellaria vineyard, located directly east of the town of Paogli. Founded in 1981 by Lodovico Antinori, Château d'Ornaya began producing its first vintage in 1985, and in 1991 Michel Rolland became the winemaking consultant for Château d'Ornaya. In 2005, the Frescobaldi family bought all the remaining shares of Ornellaia and has been running it ever since. This brought Ornellaia back into the hands of the Italians. Since the foundations of Ornellaia were laid more than 20 years ago, the winery has had a vision that the Italian wines of the future would have to be created with a unique and new winemaking process, in search of great quality. To achieve this, the winery had to find a unique origin, get the timing right and have an optimal team. All of this is structured into a philosophy and has enabled Château d'Ornaya to unleash its unlimited potential. With its intelligent team and winemaking philosophy, as well as the inspiration of its "artists", each vintage is crafted into a masterpiece. Château d'Ornellaia is committed to following the laws of nature in the production of each vintage. The grapes are hand-picked when they reach full ripeness and then vinified individually according to the parcels in order to extract the unique and rare terroir brought about by the growing conditions. In addition, the team's dedication and hard work to achieve the winery's goal of producing excellent quality wines has resulted in bottle after bottle of excellent wines. The hand-harvested grapes were completely destemmed and then fermented, partly in wooden barrels and partly in stainless steel tanks. The wine then undergoes malolactic fermentation in oak barrels, 70% of which are new and 30% are old. The wine is then aged in temperature-controlled cellars for 18 months. Once the ageing period has reached 12 months, the winemaker blends the wine and allows it to age further. Château d'Ornaya's winemaking philosophy is based on the belief that wines must faithfully express the characteristics of the terroir. This adherence to this unique terroir is also firmly embedded in all aspects and processes of wine making, such as limiting yields to ensure the highest quality, paying attention to every detail and insisting on hand-selected harvesting and small batch fermentation and ageing.
