2021 Ornellaia Le Volte dell'Ornellaia Tuscany 750 ml

Ornellaia: The very name sends critics and collectors into rhapsodies about the estate’s unassailable quality. It’s often referred to as “Italy’s First Growth,” and critic Antonio Galloni has said their wines “have never failed to literally send shivers down my spine.” 

With Le Volte, the Bolgheri icon has delivered food-friendly verve and nuance with the same pedigree and attention to detail as their collector-coveted bottles. With a seemingly endless pageant of aromas and fresh acidity, the 2021 shows why classic Super Tuscans are wine-list mainstays—and why Le Volte is a perennial favorite of in-the-know Italian-wine fanatics.

The nose of cassis, black cherry, and Damson plum pop, complemented by notes of cedar, violets, rose petal, sage, and five-spice is is what kept us coming back to the glass, while a palate of vibrant black fruit—with depths of spice, tobacco, and earth—and supple tannins underscored the wine’s energy and versatility. 

Just four miles from the Mediterranean, Ornellaia’s original Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted by the legendary enologist André Tchelistcheff, who called the property “El Dorado.” Today, they’re tended by Olga Fusari, the protégé of Axel Heinz, who Galloni called “one of the world’s most in-demand winemakers.” 

Fusari blended the Merlot and Cabernet with Sangiovese from carefully selected sites, fermenting each variety separately. She and her team age the wine for ten months in barriques and cement tanks, maintaining a balance of tannic structure and bold fruit. The resulting wine is delicious right now yet can easily age for another seven years.