2021 Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia, Bolgheri

The bold yet refined “second wine” from Ornellaia’s Bolgheri estate,Le Serre Nuove is crafted under the same skies and philosophy as Ornellaia’s flagship wine—it’s the approachable yet insightful sibling, designed to reflect the estate’s character but with a touch more youthful vibrancy.

Hand-harvested and subjected to both manual and optical sorting, the grapes are fermented parcel-by-parcel in stainless steel and concrete (22–28 °C), followed by a 10–15-day maceration. After malolactic in stainless steel, the wine ages for 15 months in barrels (25% new, 75% once-used), is blended, receives three more months in oak, and rests another six months in bottle before release.

Fresh and fragrant—pink pepper, cypress berries, Mediterranean scrub notes like herbs and bramble. Elegant acidity, fine-grained tannins, and a savory, enduring finish that keeps the sip going

Critic highlights include:

• Antonio Galloni (Vinous): 94 pts – “Masses of dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, leather, licorice, and cloves…” balanced yet powerful.

• James Suckling: 94 pts – “Firm and linear red… currant, berry, chocolate and cedar character… energetic and bright.”

• Wine Advocate (Monica Larner): 93 pts – “Generous and opulent with exotic spice, baking chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon.”

• Wine Spectator: 93 pts – “Polished, complex, perfumed with black currant, plum, violet; poised with dense tannins.”

Age-worthy with structure and finesse—the consensus suggests peak drinking between 2025–2040, although it's approachable now with some air.