ORNELLAIA 2007 “L’ARMONIA”
- BOLGHERI DOC SUPERIORE
The desire to nurture the Estate’s exceptional qualities has shaped Ornellaia’s philosophy since the beginning.
Ornellaia is a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot and the faithful expression
of unique terroir developed in harmony with nature.

WINEMAKER’S TASTING NOTES
55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot
“The vintage weather conditions encouraged the development of an Ornellaia which shows elegance and development of
richly-faceted aromatics, with its classic dark, intense ruby colour. Fully-ripened fruit pervades the nose, with crisplydelineated dark wild berry fruit and spice, with balsamic notes. On the palate, exceptionally glossy, velvet-smooth tannins
immediately impress, along with intense notes of fruit and spice. Good volume and depth contribute to an overall harmony
of all its components, suitably crowned by a long-lingering finish infused with aromatic fruit and balsamic impressions and
marked by a healthy vein of tannins that promise a long and salutary development.”
Axel Heinz - May 2010

THE 2007 GROWING SEASON
2007 began with a very mild Winter, with less rainfall than usual. As a result bud break occurred about 10 days
early. Spring was mild too, with rains coming just when they were required, which allowed excellent vegetative
growth and led the vines to flower early. June rains, which occurred throughout Tuscany, accompanied the
development of the grapes. Summer finally started with a July, which was hot and dry, followed by an August
which was cooler, with classic mid-month thunderstorms that slowed the ripening of the grapes, bringing the
projected harvest date in line with the average. A perfect September with brilliant sun, mild temperatures, and
little rain permitted a perfectly slow, steady ripening of the grapes, concentrating polyphenols and aromatic
compounds, without leading to any over-ripeness.

VINIFICATION AND AGEING
Harvest began on 28 August with Merlot in the youngest vineyards and concluded in the first week of October
with the final Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards. The clusters were hand-picked into 15-kg boxes and then graded
and selected by hand on a double sorting table, before and after destemming, and finally soft-pressed. Each
grape variety and single vineyard block was vinified separately. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks
at temperatures between 26-30°C for one week, followed by 10-15 days of maceration on the skins. The
malolactic fermentation took place primarily in oak barriques, 70% new and 30% once-used. The wine then
remained in barriques, in Tenuta dell’Ornellaia’s temperature-controlled cellars for about 18 months. After the
first 12 months of maturation, the wine was assembled and then returned to the barriques for an additional six
months. After bottling, the wine aged a further twelve months prior to release.