LE SERRE NUOVE DELL’ORNELLAIA 2017
- BOLGHERI DOC ROSSO
Made with the same passion and attention to detail as Ornellaia, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia is a true “second
vin”. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot, it combines approachability and a
depth of flavour with proven ageing potential.

WINEMAKER’STASTINGNOTES
54% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot
“Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia 2017 expresses itself with outstanding elegance, combining great ageing potential with
immediate enjoyability. A deep ruby red colour with purple highlights, a beautifully complex nose characterised by scents
of small red berries and balsamic notes reminiscent of Mediterranean scrub vegetation. The quality of the tannins on the
palate is particularly striking, smooth and silky. The mouthfeel ends with a lingering finish and unexpected freshness.”
Olga Fusari - Winemaker - May 2019

THE 2017 GROWING SEASON
2017 will go down in history as being one of the hottest, driest years ever. Things were clear from the outset due to
a particularly mild winter, with temperatures over three degrees higher than the seasonal average and rains within
the norm. Consequently, the vines budded much sooner than usual, almost two weeks in advance.
The vegetative cycle was accompanied by hot weather with very little rain from the month of March, and this was
interrupted by a sudden drop in temperatures at the end of April, which caused frost in various parts of Tuscany.
Thanks to the mitigating effects of the sea, temperatures remained above zero along the coast, preventing damage
to the young buds. The hot, dry weather returned in May, limiting vegetative development and the size of the
bunches, while flowering occurred under excellent conditions. There was virtually no rain in July and August but
fortunately the hot weather was offset by cooler temperatures at night.
The harvest began early, with the first Merlot on the 24th of August, continuing through until the last week of
September in hot weather and under sunny skies. Rain finally put in an appearance around the middle of month,
cooling things down and creating the perfect conditions for the later-ripening varieties.

VINIFICATION AND AGEING
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. Since 2016, optical sorting has been introduced in addition to manual
selection, in order to further increase the quality of selection. Each variety and each parcel was vinified separately.
Alcoholic fermentation took place in stainless steel, at temperatures of 25°C for two weeks followed by one week
of maceration, thus not exceeding a total of three weeks in tank. 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.