Ornellaia was born from the encounter between nature and thought. Ancient and complex soils dialogue through wisdom
of man with a delicate microclimate that finds its echo and mirror in the Mediterranean Sea. A long refinement
accompanies the great wine of the estate to its maximum expression, revealing its finesse over time,
breadth and generosity.
TASTING NOTES FROM THE WINEMAKER
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot Alc. : 14.5% vol.
“With its usual intense ruby red color, Ornellaia 2020 is characterized on the nose by aromas of ripe red fruits
and delicate notes of vanilla and sweet tobacco. When tasted, the wine is soft and velvety, with a first impression in the mouth
pleasant and enveloping, which invites you to take a second sip. The tannic texture is dense and elegant at the same time and the finish reveals itself
savory and with a nice persistence.”
Olga Fusari - Winemaker - July 2022
THE CLIMATE OF 2020
After a mild and rainy winter, March saw a temporary drop in temperatures with some
night below 0°C right at the beginning of budding in the last week of the month. The newly bloomed shoots
however, they were still protected by the cottony tissue of the gem, which prevented damage from frost.
The rest of the spring saw generally warm weather with normal rainfall, ensuring a
regular vegetative development until flowering which occurred between May 20th and 25th. In June a rainy passage
of great intensity towards the middle of the month, followed by a very long period of drought with substantial
no rain and scorching temperatures until the end of August. The veraison took place evenly and quickly
between 20 and 25 July, starting the ripening of the grapes under a blazing sun. They arrived at the end of August
of the rains which led to a notable drop in temperatures, with night-time lows even down to
13°C, ideal conditions to complete the maturation of the Merlots. Their harvest occurred early and quickly,
in just two weeks, to preserve maximum freshness and fruitiness, just in time to avoid an unexpected event
a week-long heat wave where the thermometer reached 37°C, causing temperatures to soar
sugars for all the varieties still to be harvested, leading us to start harvesting Cabernet Franc e
Cabernet Sauvignon from the young vineyards as early as September 17th.
Towards the end of September a rainy passage finally brought the weather conditions back to normal, the water
absorbed by the bunches, it lowered the alcohol content, bringing it back to normal values, allowing us to
conclude the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot harvest on October 3rd.
VINIFICATION AND REFINING
The harvest took place by hand in 15 kg boxes and the bunches were selected on a double sorting table
before and after destemming and subjected to a soft pressing at the end. In 2016, in addition to manual selection is
the optical one was introduced to further increase the quality of the selection. Every variety and every plot is
was vinified separately. The alcoholic fermentation took place partly in stainless steel vats, partly in
cement vats at temperatures between 26 and 30°C for a week, followed by a maceration of
approximately 15 days, for a total stay in the tank of approximately three weeks. Malolactic fermentation has taken place
mainly in oak barriques (70% new and 30% second passage). The wine remained in barriques in the
Ornellaia cellar at controlled temperatures for a period of approximately 18 months. After the first 12 months it was
the assembly was carried out, then reintroduced into the barriques, where it spent another 6 months. The wine stays in
bottle for 12 months before being introduced on the market.