2017 Ornellaia Le Volte dell Ornellaia 750 ml

As soon as we pulled up to the front gate at Ornellaia, we knew we were in for a day to remember. Located just south of the famed cypress-tree-lined avenue of Bolgheri, the Ornellaia estate drips with pedigree. 

Once through the gate, we found ourselves weaving through the famed vineyards where some of the top wine in the world is grown—an incredible sight. Luckily, our self-guided tour of the grounds eventually led us to where the Ornellaia team was waiting—and to one of the most delicious surprises of our trip: the 2017 Le Volte Toscana Rosso, which perfectly embodies the complexity and exuberance of the best of the Tuscan Coast, at a fraction of the cost of Ornellaia’s flagship red. 

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate called Le Volte “a highly extracted and succulent expression that delivers abundant fruit sweetness,” and they’re spot-on: With its waves of raspberries, cherries, and plums, all complicated by violets, allspice, and toast, the 2017 Le Volte shows all the depth and brilliance of the Ornellaia philosophy for under $40. 

The original Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc vines here were planted by the legendary Russian-born enologist André Tchelistcheff, who told then-owner Lodovico Antinori that the property was a viticultural “El Dorado.” Today, the vines are tended by Axel Heinz, “one of the world’s most in-demand winemakers” according to Vinous founder Antonio Galloni. 

The team at Ornellaia, best known for its expensive and luxurious Super Tuscans, has always wanted to share the unique beauty of their land and the wine that comes from it with a wider audience. The result is Le Volte, a wine that’s delicious right now, has the stuffing to age for another five or six years with ease, and offers the experience of what makes Ornellaia a worldwide icon without the same triple-digit price tag of their flagship bottling. 

Axel takes particular pride in this expression of the iconic property, a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot that allows collectors to enjoy his world-class wines while their bottles of Ornellaia mature in the cellar. It also offers an accessible taste of Ornellaia to a far wider swath of the wine-loving public by delivering massive pleasure for under $35.

Ornellaia has remained at the top of the Italian wine world through a unique combination of savvy farming—they work the land in highly defined parcels in order to coax out all of the magic inherent in the earth itself—and cutting edge technology. This is how they, without fail, craft wines that are beloved by collectors and sommeliers all over the world.

This top-down obsession with quality was on full display during our lunch with Heinz and Export Manager Tim Banks, as we explored the range of Ornellaia’s wines alongside perfectly paired food. Alongside rigatoni with eggplant and burrata, the 2017 Le Volte was absolutely phenomenal. 

In the 2017, Le Volte succeeds wildly in delivering stunning complexity and welcome affordability. It may have taken an unexpected drive through an iconic vineyard to discover all of the charms of the 2017 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Le Volte Toscana Rosso, but the effort was more than worth it. We’re confident that you’ll agree, too.