Le Volte dell’Ornellaia, Tenuta dell'Ornellaia

LE VOLTE DELL’ORNELLAIA

Toscana I.G.T.

Winemaker’s tasting notes

Ruby red with purple reflections, Le Volte dell’ Ornellaia 2020 has a vinous bouquet, releasing a complexity of aromas ranging from ripe red fruits, to Mediterranean scrub, up to delicate notes of tobacco and spices. The mouthfeel is soft and silky, but at the same time supported by a lively acidity that gives us a crisp, persistent finish

The 2020 growing season

After a mild and rainy winter, there was a temporary drop in temperatures in March with a few nights below 0°C at the very start of the budding in the last week of the month. Fortunately, the newly opened shoots were still protected by the cottony tissue of the bud and were not damaged by the frost. The rest of spring had generally warm weather with normal rainfall that ensured regular vegetative development until flowering, which took place on average between 20 and 25 May. There was an intense rainy period in the middle of June, followed by a very long dry period with a substantial absence of rain and torrid temperatures until the end of August. The veraison was homogeneous and rapid between 20 and 25 July, with the grapes beginning to ripen under a blazing sun. Welcome rains came at the end of August and brought a considerable drop in temperatures with them, with night lows reaching as far 13°C: ideal conditions for the Merlots to complete their ripening. They were harvested early and quickly – in only two weeks – to preserve their maximum freshness and fruitiness, just in time to avoid a sudden heat wave lasting one week where the temperatures reached as high as 37 degrees, forcing us to begin harvesting the later vines as early as the 17th of September. A bit of rain towards the end of the month finally brought the climatic conditions back to normal, allowing us to end the harvest on the 3rd of October

Vinification and Ageing

The different varietals were fermented separately in small steel tanks to maintain their varietal characteristics. The alcoholic fermentation was followed by malolactic fermentation, again in steel tanks. The wine was then aged for 10 months, partly in barrique used previously for Ornellaia and partly in concrete tanks, to obtain the perfect balance between tannic structure and an expression of fresh fruit