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The great Supertuscans from the Ornellaia winery: Ornellaia and Masseto
Super Tuscan wines from the Bolgheri region Masseto and Ornellaia, originating from the estates of the same name (Ornellaia and the recently separated from him Masseto), are in the golden fund of the great wines of the whole world. Only the great Sassicaia has more fame in Bolgheri, which basically started the history of “supertuscany”, the wines of sixty producers from Bolgheri stand at a respectful distance behind. The Tenuta dell’Ornellaia winery was founded in 1981 by the Marquis Lodovico Antinori on land he inherited from his mother Carlotta della Gerardesca, which was previously used mainly for hunting.
Taking up his new venture, Lodovico Antinori was obviously eager to surpass his brother Piero, who had inherited by right of majorate, still unofficially practiced by the Tuscan aristocracy, most of the lands and the position of “head” of the Antinori clan, the main wine dynasty in Italy. Lodovico achieved his goal in many ways, because the wines from Ornellaia are more famous than those from the “main” Antinori family estate in Bolgheri, Guado al Tasso, owned by Piero Antinori. The model for Lodovico Antinori was originally the legendary Sassicaia, created in Tenuta di San Guido in Bolgheri by the husband of his aunt Marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta and “father” of super Tuscan wines enologist Giacomo Tachis in 1940-1960s. The direct creator of Ornellaia wine was an American oenologist of Russian origin André Tchelistcheff, one of the founders of the “great” winemaking in the USA. Already very elderly Tchelistcheff, after getting acquainted with the terroir of Ornellaia, declared it “a real El Dorado for wine” and immediately started planting vineyards. At first, Tchelistcheff staked on the familiar California Cabernet Sauvignon, which had already “made a splash” in Bolgheri, but then he discovered that many areas of the farm were better suited to Merlot. Soon Masseto (literally “little hill”) was discovered, an area of unique blue clay, making it possible to produce Merlot of exceptional quality.
Since then, from this 7-hectare vineyard, the Ornellaia estate has produced Masseto from 100% Merlot, a juicy and delicate wine with bright berry flavors dominated by plum and black currant. Masseto has been released annually since 1987, the wine has been aged for 20 months in new French oak barriques (Allier district) and for 12 months in bottles. Masseto, along with Bordeaux’s Petrus and Redigaffi from neighboring Suvereto, is considered one of the most perfect embodiments of the Merlot style on the planet and remains the most expensive wine in Bolgheri, with a retail price of nearly a thousand euros for a bottle on sale. In 2016 there was an important change in the fortunes of the estate – it was decided to spin off the Masseto vineyard into a separate estate with its own winery.
The estate’s flagship wine, which bears its name, Ornellaia, is made from four red Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot form the basis, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot also used. In order to create a powerful and long-lived wine with complex and rich aromas, the varietal proportions change with each vintage, depending on which grapes proved most accomplished in that harvest. To further emphasize the individuality of each vintage, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia launched a special project in 2006 called Vendemmia d’Artista – The Artist’s Harvest: each year an internationally renowned master is granted the right to create an artistic interpretation of the vintage. The result is a work of art that embodies the “essence” of a particular year’s vintage and an exclusive label adorning a limited batch of bottles.
Today, Ornellaia is no longer owned by Lodovico Antinori, who has devoted all his energies to the Tenuta di Biserno, north of Bolgheri. The new owners of Ornellaia are the eternal rivals of the Antinori clan in Tuscany – the Marquises of Frescobaldi. Currently, the Tenuta del Ornellaia winery produces the following wines: white Poggio alle Gazze and Ornellaia Bianco, dessert Ornus dell’Ornellaia, reds Le Volte, Variazioni in Rosso, Serre Nuove, Ornellaia.
From Bolgheri to Bibbona – Tenuta di Biserno: Biserno and Lodovico
After the sale of the Ornellaia estate in 1999, Marquis Lodovico Antinori gave his best to his new project, the Tenuta di Biserno, four kilometers north of Bolgheri near the town of Bibbona, outside the Bolgheri DOC wine area. It was built on Campo di Sasso, an estate acquired by Lodovico Antinori in 1995, and the most famous Bordeaux oenologist Michel Rolland was asked by Antinori to develop it. The terrain here is hillier and the soil is rockier than in Bolgheri, so Lodovico Antinori’s new project differs significantly from Ornellaia in terms of the character and composition of the wines. The Tenuta di Biserno vineyards were planted in the early 2000s in the Bellaria and Campo di Sasso plots, but the main pride of the estate is the Lodovico vineyard of about 5 hectares, considered one of the best terroirs in the entire Upper Maremma. Tenuta Biserno produces five wines: pink Sof, reds Insoglio del Cinghiale, Il Pino di Biserno, Biserno and Lodovico.
Biserno, the flagship wine of the Tenuta di Biserno winery, is a Bordeaux blend of selected Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot grapes. The wine is aged for 16 months in new French oak barriques and then bottled for another year. The wine, which perfectly embodies the terroir of the Upper Marremian seaside, is characterized by depth, excellent structure, intensity, complexity and great finesse, with aromas dominated by tones of dark fruit, licorice, black currant, violets, spices and smoked meats. The wine has an excellent storage potential of at least 20 years.
Lodovico is the most expensive and rare wine of Tenuta di Biserno, it is produced in about 6000 bottles only in good years. The base of the wine is Cabernet Franc, supplemented by Merlot (sometimes) and a small amount of Petit Verdot. The Lodovico vineyard was planted in 2002 on a unique terroir with complex, mineral-rich soil consisting of clay and muddy alluvial sands. The wine is aged for 18 months in French oak barriques and 12 months in bottles. The majestic and energetic Lodovico is characterized by intense and aromas of dark fruit, blueberries, blackberries and black currants, fresh and dried aromatic herbs.
At the top of a beautiful panoramic hill, amid vines, lemon trees and olive groves, stands Villa Biserno, built in 1850, with a panoramic pool. It has eight bedrooms, each decorated with fresco paintings and antique furniture. A stay at Villa Biserno is the most luxurious accommodation option in the entire Bolgeri district.