Background

The 2009 growing season saw a Winter and early Spring that were cool and rainy, and budbreak occurred in line with past years. May was dry, but the rains returned in June, without however negatively impacting vine growth or flowering. Summer was practically rainless, and hot, with temperatures often rising above 35°C and very narrow day-night temperature differences. Strong scirocco winds from Africa between late August and early September hastened the ripening process, particularly in early-ripening varieties such as Merlot. The harvest, which began on 28 August and finished on 14 September, was in fact one of the earliest and quickest in the history of Ornellaia. In mid-September came rains, which gave a breathing spell to the later ripening varietals which matured perfectly with outstanding complexity. The picking stopped for a full nine days, to resume on 23 September with the aroma-laden Cabernet Franc, followed by the astonishing Petit Verdot. The grand finale came on 6 October, with the last clusters of Cabernet Sauvignon which displayed superb structure.

Tasting notes

Sweet red berries, mocha, flowers, leathery and spicy notes on the finish. Good tannin structure which has mellowed during the extended bottle ageing.

Winemaking

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 20-25 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 6 months. After bottling, the wine aged a further 12 months prior to release.

Food pairings

Wild Boar Stew, Venison, Steak, Pasta with Meat Sauce and Truffles, Roasted Lamb and Roast Beef.

Awards