A look inside Ornellaia

My day begins at 7:00 a.m. This time, I'm not awakened by the church bells, which I'm practically lying next to and have heard "De Hele Nacht," but by a heavy thunderstorm. Oh well , nothing can ruin this day. I wake up in Montalcino – home of the Brunello – and will soon be visiting Ornellaia. I jump out of bed and get ready for my last day in Tuscany.

Luckily, the coffee shop next to my hotel is already open, and I have an espresso and a croissant for breakfast. Meanwhile, I quickly check the route on Google Maps: Bolgheri is a two-hour drive away. The moment I get in the car, the sun breaks through. Taking photos along the way isn't exactly my forte, but I'll show you what it looked like anyway. You can just see the morning mist. Isn't it beautiful?

A break into the clouds

Visiting Ornellaia

Two hours later, I arrive at the large gate of Ornellaia in Bolgheri. Thanks to the importer Vinites, I'm allowed in. I've seen quite a few wineries by now, but this is another level . Attention to detail is an understatement…

Ornellaia is known for its Super Tuscans. The Ornellaia L'Essenza, the flagship wine, is typically a blend of 50 to 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 to 25 percent Merlot, supplemented with 15 percent Cabernet Franc and a drop of Petit Verdot. Axel Heinz , Ornellaia's winemaker, treats petit verdot the same way he treats salt and pepper. It can enhance a dish, or ruin it entirely if you use too much.

Want to know more about Super Tuscans? Check this article about Bolgheri .

Here we are.

It's beautiful here.

Perfection begins in the vineyard. At Ornellaia, they take this very seriously. They employ 85 people; that's approximately one person per hectare. This group of people is divided into teams. Each team has its own plot of vineyard. This way, they know exactly when things are going well, and when the vines need extra care.

Perfection begins in the vineyard.

Fermentation takes place in stainless steel and is then aged for 18 months in French oak, two-thirds of which are new. The precise process typifies Ornellaia's perfectionism. Not only are the different grapes fermented separately, but so are the different plots. At the end of the process, Axel Heinz has 85 barriques containing various wines.

The impressive cellar of Ornellaia

This allows him to release a style as consistent as possible every year. Was it a warm year? Then perhaps you need more wine from vineyards that receive more shade? Does the wine need more body? Then perhaps an extra drop of Petit Verdot would be a good idea. Axel Heinz is assisted in this by the renowned flying winemaker. Michel Roland. The two descend into the cellars and spend half a day blending. The blended wines are then aged for another six months in oak before bottling.

Essenza

My heart leaps as I taste the Ornellaia L'Essenza 2014. It was a challenging year due to a cold and wet August. It takes a great deal of knowledge and skill in the vineyards to keep the mold at bay in September and October. Fortunately, the sun broke through again, and the grapes were finally able to ripen properly. The 2014 harvest ended on October 22nd, the last ever. It becomes clear to me that in such a year, a great deal has to be done in the vineyard to ensure the vines remain healthy. Even during the harvest, vigilance is paramount. Are the grapes ripe enough? Each bunch is inspected and it is determined whether it can continue or needs to remain on the vineyard for a while. Perfection takes time. You can taste that attention.

Wow, what a wine! With a whopping 20% ​​Petit Verdot, it's a tough one. Lots of tannins, but they're perfectly balanced with the powerful aromas. It's all interwoven. Try this in five years. Wow.

Moment of happiness.

Second, third and fourth wine

Besides L'Essenza, Heinz produces three other wines. The second, Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia , is worth 190,000 bottles. It's made from slightly younger vines and generally contains more Merlot. I was able to taste the 2014. Bordeaux goes hand in hand with Italian warmth.

Want to try Ornellaia but don't have a hundred and fifty euros to spare? Then the third wine offers a solution. Le Volte dell'Ornellaia is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sangiovese—with the Sangiovese portion decreasing each year. It's more accessible than the larger Ornellaia, both in terms of taste and texture. in the wallet .

The line concludes with Variazioni in Rosso dell'Ornellaia. Hatsiekiedee, not for sale in the Netherlands, but a lovely find in my cooler. In the Variazioni, Heinz emphasizes the distinctive character of the vintage. It's described as "the winemaker's toy." Here, he disregards all the rules and makes a wine just the way he wants. The wine is only available for purchase directly from the winery.

'Sometimes we make wine too complicated. Just accept the wine as it is.'

The pearls of Ornellaia.

Mini road trip in Tuscany

Want to read more about my mini-adventure in Tuscany? You can read the full report here: five-day road trip through Tuscany . Also check out the other 'Inside look at' – that was at Castello di Brolio , the oldest winery in Tuscany. And for lunch in Bolgheri, visit Enoteca Tognoni .