Ornellaia

Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2015

Bolgheri DOC Rosso

Download

Coming primarily from the Ornellaia’s younger vineyard sites and made with the same passion and attention to detail as the estate’s flagship wine, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia combines generosity and depth of flavor with an engaging and vibrant personality. Made to be more approachable, yet delivering the quality experience of Ornellaia, Merlot has a dominant role in this wine in contrast to the Cabernet Sauvignon in Ornellaia. 

 

Vineyard

The Ornellaia vineyard totals 280 acres that are divided into more than 70 vineyard plots according to soil type, exposition and varietal. There are three major soil types: marine (sedimentary deposit from the sea), alluvial (marly, sandy clays with mineral veins), and volcanic (schist, gravel and porous soils). All the vineyards are about 3 miles from the Mediterranean shore. The mild maritime climate features sea breezes that keep the sky clear, low rainfall, and long summers that favor the development of aromatic compounds.
Vineyards are planted at high density, from 5,000-8,700 hl/ha, and feature several training systems – spur-pruned cordon, single Guyot, and head-pruned vines.

Winemaking

The clusters were hand-picked into 15-kg boxes and then selected by hand on a double sorting table, before and after de-stemming, and finally gently crushed. Each variety and each parcel was vinified separately. Alcoholic fermentation took place in stainless steel, at temperatures of between 26° and 30°C for two weeks followed by maceration of around 10-15 days. Malolactic fermentation was started in stainless steel, and completed after transfer to barrels (25% new and 75% a year old). The wine remained in Ornellaia’s temperature-controlled cellar for a further 15 months. It was assembled after the first 12 months and then reintroduced in the barrels for a further 3 months. After bottling, it was aged for an additional six months prior to release.

Vintage

64% MERLOT
17% CABERNET SAUVIGNON
10% CABERNET FRANC
9% PETIT VERDOT

After an unusual year in 2014, 2015 proved to be a very normal wine-making year, almost textbook. After a normal winter, wet and mild but with some days below 0°, germination arrived on time during the first few days
of April. Spring was characterized, by dry and sunny weather, ideal conditions for normal vegetative growth that led to quick and full flowering at the end of May. From June water stress steadily arrived. July will be remembered as particularly scorching hot and dry, with temperature highs consistently above 85°F on every single day of the month. The heat wave, together with the lack of rain gave rise to fearing that ripening would be blocked and that early harvest would be necessary. Fortunately the rain arrived around 10th August with heavy rainfall that unblocked the ripening process, bringing with it some much fresher weather during the final phase of ripening. This cooler but sunny weather lasted for the entire harvesting period, allowing us to harvest very slowly, waiting to make sure that every vineyard had arrived at the perfect point in the maturing phase, uniting a fresh and lively aromatic quality with a perfect phenolic maturity with plenty of tannins yet still silky and soft. Beginning on the 29th August with the Merlot, the harvest came to an end on 12th October with the last Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

Tasting Note

Le Serre Nuove dell’ Ornellaia 2015 perfectly represents its exceptional vintage, combining an ideal balance of elements in a way that rarely happens; a balance of ripeness, substance and a particular pleasantness. With an intense colour and youthful appearance, its intense and ripe fruity aroma with subtle spicey and toasted highlights are detected on the nose. Well-rounded and satin-smooth on the palate, great texture and harmoniously balanced, with a succulent fruitiness which ends with a zesty finish with no sharp edges, freshened by balsamic notes.
– WINEMAKER AXEL HEINZ

Color

Red

Grape Varieties

Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot

Appellation

Bolgheri DOC Rosso

Alcohol

14.5%

Suggested Retail Price

$82.00

Reviews

"A big and flavorful red"

James Suckling - August 14, 2018 "Plenty of blackberry and rust with tile and stone undertones. Full body, tannic and structured. A big and flavorful red."

"This is a stunning and exuberant wine"

The Wine Advocate - August 14, 2018 "This is a stunning and exuberant wine that drinks with beautiful intensity and personality. The 2015 Bolgheri Rosso Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia is made with fruit from the estate's young vines. Fruit from the older vines is instead directed to the top-shelf expressions. If this wine is any indication of what we can expect from the next vintage of Ornellaia to hit the market, we are in for a very special treat. This is a complete and richly concentrated expression that drinks with seamless intensity. It pits power against elegance with confidence and grace."

More on Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2015

Is Le Serre Nuove Italy’s Best Second Wine?

January 16, 2020 - Decanter Magazine's Aldo Fiordelli makes the case that Ornellaia's 'little brother' Le Serre Nuove dell Ornellaia might just be Italy's best second wine. At the end of November, Fiordelli had…

Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia Named as a Best Wine for the Holiday Season

October 7, 2019 - In preparing for the upcoming holiday season, the lifestyle magazine Town and Country has named the 2015 Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia as one of the best wines to pour. Whether…

Trade Materials

Other Wines by this Producer

Ornus dell'Ornellaia

Toscana Bianco IGT

Ornus dell’Ornellaia is a late harvest Petit Manseng produced in extremely limited quantities and gives yet another dimension to the Estate. In certain vintages conditions are perfect in the tiny “Palmetta” vineyard for the production of this exclusive dessert wine. The name Ornus dell’Ornellaia takes its inspiration from ‘Fraxinus Ornus’, the Latin name for the Manna or Flowering Ash (in Italian, Orniello), the tree which has given its name to the Ornellaia. The “Manna Ash” Orniello or ‘Fraxinus Ornus’ is a tree which is typical to the Mediterranean coastal area. Its precious sap has been used since Biblical times as a sweetener and acts as a perfect link to the sweetness of Ornus dell’Ornellaia.

Le Volte dell’Ornellaia

Toscana IGT

Le Volte dell’Ornellaia combines a Mediterranean expression of generosity with structure and complexity, reflecting the philosophy of Ornellaia. It represents the first step into the Ornellaia family, and is an ideal wine for everyday enjoyment.

Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia

Toscana IGT Bianco

Poggio alle Gazze dell'Ornellaia is one of Italy's most innovative and progressive white wines, providing an altogether different experience of the Ornellaia estate and its Mediterranean influences.

Ornellaia Bianco

IGT Toscana

Ornellaia Bianco is Italy's most ambitious white wine. It is a result of the Estate’s desire to translate the exceptional properties of its terroir not only into red wines, but also into this magnificent white.

Ornellaia

Bolgheri DOC Superiore

Ornellaia is the estate's "Grand Vin", with exceptional balance, power, elegance, and great aging potential. It faithfully reflects, in every vintage, its nature, site, and distinctive Mediterranean personality.