▴ Ornellaia 2020
Ornellaia Bolgheri Rosso Superiore DOC 2020
For the last 15 years, the character of each new vintage of Ornellaia has been celebrated through an artist’s interpretation of the word given by the estate to describe the vintage. The word chosen for 2020 is “La Proporzione,” which speaks of balance and complexity. During a virtual press conference, estate director Axel Heinz explained that the vintage was made from contrasts: a warm year with early ripening interrupted by cooler weather followed by a heat spike. The artist who has been chosen to interpret “La Proporzione” is Joseph Kosuth, an American who is one of conceptual art’s great practitioners today. Kosuth has designed the labels both for the 750ml bottle and the large-format bottle, the former with a quotation from Vitruvius (De architectura 3.1.3), while the labels of the 100 Double Magnums show an etymological tree of the word wine. Some of the bottles will be auctioned by Sotheby’s online between the 7th and 21st of September. The wine reflects its name, a beautifully crafted blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This is a sumptuous Ornellaia, with the texture of crushed velvet and an intense core of bright and juicy red fruit, wild herbs with hints of dark chocolate – very pure and all held together in a girdle of fine tannins. All the elements are in place, and this is a beautifully structured vintage with years ahead of it.
Review March 2023, SK