Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
75cl * 14.5% ABV * Tuscany, Italy
Founded in 1981, Ornellaia has helped establishing this relatively young viticultural area and it is now regarded as one of the world’s most iconic estates. "La Proporzione" is the word chosen by the estate to describe the character of the 2020 vintage. As Axel Heinz, Ornellaia Estate Director, says “This year, nature and man have combined to form a perfect relationship between vine and thought in the just proportions of elegance, power and complexity.” A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the percentages of each variety vary from year to year and one variety can sometimes take the lead.
The harvest continued this theme of proportionality, for the first time in the estate's history, all four grape varieties were being picked on the same day. Axel surmised that "there is nothing over the top, La Proporzione is decidedly warm and sunny and ripe, but there is a purity in the expression of the fruit; there is richness and focus, with a firm tannin structure and a freshness. A classic Ornellaia."
"This is a beauty, so generous and opulent with fully seamless transitions. The wine’s traditional blend is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with tiny percentages of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, although this warm vintage makes due with a pinch less of the Cabernet Sauvignon. [...] This broad and generous expression has a beautiful quality of fruit and oak that speaks to the very best of Italian winemaking." 95-97 points Monica Larner
"Fine-grained and beautifully textured, its finely integrated tannins support a concentration of black fruits lightened by red berries. Aromas of black cherry, liquorice, dark chocolate, cedar and damp earth make for a fragrant wine, accompanied by menthol and balsamic streaks which run through the wine and impart plenty of freshness. It finishes with a stony and salty element along with some chocolatey and woody hints. Tight and moreish, its ripeness of fruit combined with freshness and structure adeptly tells the story of this earlier-ripening vintage. It lacks complexity in the mouth – this will come with time – but the array of aromas gives a hint of what is to come.” 96 Points, James Button – Decanter
Drinking window: 2026 - 2048