Ornellaia Le Volte dell’Ornellaia 2018 has a first-class Toscana pedigree.
Tenuta Ornellaia is among the original Super-Tuscan producers who challenged the status quo of the Italian wine industry in the 1980s and never looked back.
Since its first release in 1985, Ornellaia became one of the world’s most sought-after wines. With fame comes the price, and nowadays, be ready to pay over a few hundred bucks for the best vintages.
Ornellaia wines were hardly affordable for an average wine lover until they released the entry-level wine Le Volte dell’Ornellaia 1991. Le Volte is produced by the same team and with the same care as their flagship wine.
Le Volte dell’Ornellaia 2018
In The Bottle
2018 had a challenging start with record rainfall in the spring and late budding. Thanks to the warmer weather later in the season and dry September, grapes could catch up and achieve phenolic ripeness.
The harvest started in late August and was completed the first week of October.
Le Volte is a red blend of 67% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Sangiovese. Each varietal was fermented separately in small, stainless-steel tanks. After blending, the new wine was aged in cement tanks and Ornellaia barrels. This approach allowed the winemaker Olga Fusari to create fruit-forward wine that you can drink young while you wait for Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore to mature.
In the Glass
Le Volte is a fragrant wine with a bright aroma of morello and black cherry, black currant and blackberry, vanilla, and baking spice.
On the palate, it’s full-bodied and jammy wine with flavors of prune and dark cherry, coffee, and dark chocolate. Tannin is well-incorporated and adds a structure to the fruity nature of this wine.
The aftertaste is long and filled with dried cherry and, interestingly, dried apricot.
Finish
Le Volte dell’Ornellaia 2018 is “Bordeaux meets Toscana” wine in more ways than a blend of native varietals of both regions. Stylistically, it’s juicy and plush, revealing its warm climate terroir. Yet, refreshing acidity and sensible tannin add balance that places it in its unique Ornellaia category.
With the price under $30, Le Volte dell’Ornellaia 2018 is the closest you can get to Super-Tuscan wine without the Super-Tuscan price tag.
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