foreshadow the path of the youthful 2022, although the 2017 season started and finished earlier than 2022. Looking back at my notes, the 2017 season seems more extreme and drier, as well as earlier. The pH of the vintages is the same, 3.58, but the alcohol is 0.5% higher in 2017. The blend is almost exactly the same, with 1% more Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% less Petit Verdot in 2017 than 2022, so both vintages deviate slightly from the Ornellaia norm. It seems that both these vintages had a shorter than usual fermentation period of one week, followed by 10–15 days post- ferment, although in 2017 (referring to my notes taken in 2020), the temperature was maintained below 25º


C (77º F), cooler


than usual at Ornellaia, with softer extraction to manage the tannins. Comparing my notes after tasting


the 2022 and 2017 at the same moment in their evolution, I found that the 2017 had more obvious fruit, opulence, and a thicker texture. Both showed a slightly smoky, charcoal note—probably the wine’s interaction with oak, 70% of which is new. The medium toast and proportion of new oak is rather dominant for my palate on younger vintages, and while it mellows down over time, it seems better suited to vintages that are not as hot and dry as 2022 and 2017, including the gliding 2005, which was my favorite among the older vintages we tasted. Overall, the 2022 is more restrained and compact, tighter and fresher, than my notes, taken at the same time in their development, suggest for the rather more extravagant 2017. “The tannins of 2022 are very pleasant, I believe,” remarked Lamberto Frescobaldi. “We are looking for freshness. It is not heavy, rounded, or condescending. I think of it as a very contemporary wine.” Much was said during the tasting, not least by the cohort of Italian wine critics present, about a shift at Ornellaia to a more contemporary style. Quizzing Balsimelli about changes in the winery, he responded, “We can say that there has been a trend in recent years to reduce the length of macerations.” Assistant winemaker Denise Cosentino, who also joined the estate in 2024, says they are now “working more” on the press wine.


Above right: The art label for the 2022 Ornellaia “La Determinazione” by Pascale Marthine Tayou.


Later over dinner, Frescobaldi, who studied at the university of Davis from 1985, candidly admits that during the time of Ornellaia’s joint ownership with Mondavi, he was “more Yankee than Tim. Now we have less ripe fruit and shorter maceration. There was a moment when we really pushed it, but your palate changes, and time is a good mentor.” My notes are unclear. Maybe it was Tim who was a good mentor? My pre-dawn start from London was catching up on me. Right now, I’d say the tannins of the


2022 are pretty firm, although paired with food—in this case a fillet of roe deer—the tannins showed softer and smoother. The tannin profile suggests the team at the time extracted a little more from the 2022 than the 2017: more but better tannins. The phenolic ripeness was probably better in 2022. The tannins add vibrancy and a sense of freshness to 2022. Many producers in Bolgheri are


looking for ways to combat hotter and often, but not predictably, drier summers. (It’s worth remarking that irrigation is permitted in Bolgheri, and Ornellaia irrigated the sandier parcels within their 134ha [331 acres] in 2022 and 2017. “Irrigation is only used as an emergency measure to protect the health of the plants,” remarked Balsimelli.) It’s possible to oomph the freshness in a warm vintage by increasing the proportion of fruit from higher vineyards in the hills and foothills for those who have them, and/or by using more Cabernet Franc, which gives an attractive, minty lift and a kick of acidity. Ornellaia is certainly using Cabernet Franc, but seems equally enamored of


Petit Verdot. And while many producers are pulling back to some extent on Merlot, not so Ornellaia.


Cabernet Sauvignon is its lead grape


variety, but they have replanted more Merlot in the lower of the two principal vineyards from which the fruit for Ornellaia is grown (at around 67m 220ft]). This historic block includes 5ha (12 acres) of Cabernet Sauvignon and 2ha (5 acres) of Merlot on a silty soil with 35–40% clay. It was planted from 1985 onward, with a significant planting in 2008, and the most recent replanting of Merlot just two years ago.


Advances in vineyard and winery Standing in this vineyard, Balsmielli described the soil: “After a depth of 80cm [32 inches], there is compact clay, where no water can penetrate, so the roots are not deep here.” The vines suffer from hydric stress on the shallow soil and tend to produce a small crop of 1–1.2kg (2.2–2.6lb) per vine. Stress can be addressed in part by decreasing the density and competition. When Ornellaia has replanted sections of the vineyard, the density has been lowered from 12,000 vines/ha, to 6,000. Moreover, some new vines were grafted onto SO4—an old rootstock dismissed a generation ago for over-yielding—but in these conditions, it is proving useful for its vigor. “This vineyard gives the structure, power, and concentration,” said Balsimelli. Petit Verdot seems equally


distributed between the two vineyards, while the Cabernet Franc used for Ornellaia (as distinct from the second wine, Le Serre Nuove) is planted in the fractionally higher Bellaria vineyard. “As for the global trend, I don’t think we will plant more Petit Verdot, but in the future, we will certainly plant more Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, because we have many soils that are particularly well-suited to these two grape varieties.” At 100–120m (330–400ft), Bellaria has a much deeper and more calcareous soil, with a lower proportion of clay. “As it was planted from the ’80s, we have all the varieties here. The wines are fresh and elegant, and the shape of the tannins is completely different.” Balsimelli went on to speak of the “length of the tannic structure and verticality.” “We did a soil study ten years ago, which showed that we have 42 different soil types. We have to change and adapt


THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 87 | 2025 | 63


All photography courtesy of Ornellaia


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199  |  Page 200  |  Page 201  |  Page 202  |  Page 203  |  Page 204  |  Page 205  |  Page 206  |  Page 207  |  Page 208  |  Page 209  |  Page 210  |  Page 211  |  Page 212  |  Page 213  |  Page 214  |  Page 215  |  Page 216  |  Page 217  |  Page 218  |  Page 219  |  Page 220