ORNELLAIA 2014 “L’ESSENZA”
- 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
34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot, 14% Cabernet Franc
‘2014 was one of the most demanding years in memory of, and has allowed us to produce high quality wines that
are offering great delight. The late ripening of the grapes allowed the fruit to fully express its liveliness and freshness.
What is particularly striking is the high quality of the tannins on the palate: silky, refined, without rough edges. This
year represents the heart of the estate, Ornellaia’s ‘Essence’: its natural style, the exceptional quality of its terroir, and
the competence of those who work in the vineyards and the cellar.’
Axel Heinz – Estate Director and Oenologist
Axel Heinz - May 2016

THE CLIMATE OF 2014
A warm and wet winter was followed by a mild and dry spring which allowed a normal vegetative growth with a
punctual and regular flowering. The weather in July was perfect, August however was rainy and cold, creating
very difficult conditions for ripening, and greatly increasing the risk of diseases. The meticulous work in the
vineyard, with leaf stripping and treatments during the entire month of August enabled us to maintain the
good health of our vines, allowing them to develop free of disease during September and October. These two
months of perfect conditions, with mostly sunny and dry weather, gave us excellent conditions for ripening.
During the harvest, it was crucial to carefully select the grape bunches, both in the vineyard - where in some
plots we had done up to three harvest passages - and on the selection table, so to fill the tanks only with
perfectly healthy and fully ripe grape.
2014 was one of the longest and most delayed harvest at Ornellaia, with the first Merlot harvested the 6th of
September, and a large part of the historical vineyards - including some Merlot - harvested in October. The
2014 harvest, that ended on the 22nd of October, was the latest ever.

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 destemming, and finally softly crushed. Each grape variety and single vineyard block was vinified separately.
Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks at temperatures between 26-30°C for two week, followed by
10-15 days of maceration on the skins. The malolactic fermentation took place mainly in oak barrels, 70% new
and 30% once-used. The wine then remained in barriques, in 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 6 months. After bottling, the wine aged a further 12 months prior to release.