2018 Ornellaia Le Volte dell'Ornellaia Toscana 750 ml

As soon as we pulled up to the front gate at Ornellaia, we knew we were in for a day to remember: We weren’t sure about our directions (our Italian is, how you say, non bene), and found ourselves weaving through the famed vineyards where some of the top wine in the world is grown… an incredible sight, but definitely not where we were supposed to be.

Luckily, our unplanned, unintentional, and unguided tour of the grounds eventually led us to connect with the Ornellaia team—and one of the most deliciously pleasant surprises of our trip: the 2018 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. 

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 2018 Le Volte shows all the depth and brilliance of the Ornellaia philosophy, for under $30. 

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 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 Ornellaia Winemaker and Estate Director Axel Heinz and Export Manager Tim Banks, as we explored the range of Ornellaia’s wines alongside perfectly paired food. The Poggio alle Gazze white sang with the zucchini flan and ricotta. The 2012 Ornellaia was perfect with veal loin accompanied by French beans and roasted potatoes. And alongside rigatoni with eggplant and burrata, the 2018 Le Volte was absolutely phenomenal. 

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 $30.

In 2018, Le Volte succeeds wildly in delivering stunning complexity and welcome affordability. Heinz fermented each of the grape varieties separately before blending, then aged the wine for close to a year in concrete and used French oak—some of which had been used for Ornellaia itself.

The result is 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 the flagship. 

It may have taken getting lost on an unexpected drive through an iconic vineyard to discover all of the charms of the 2018 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Le Volte Toscana Rosso, but the effort was more than worth it. We’re confident that you’ll agree, too.