Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2023

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia sits in DOC Bolgheri Superiore on the Tuscan coast and is run by the Frescobaldi family, who have made wine in the region for centuries. The wine is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Bolgheri's coastal position brings sea breezes and a long, even growing season, while the varied clay, sand and stony soils suit the Bordeaux varieties and give the wine both ripeness and grip. Each grape is usually vinified separately before blending, and the wine ages 24 months in French oak barrels of 225 litres, where new wood and slow oxygen exchange firm the tannins and add cedar, cocoa and sweet spice. The colour is deep ruby with a purple rim. The nose offers black cherry, plum and blackcurrant over tobacco, cocoa and cinnamon. The palate is full and structured, with fine, firm tannin framing concentrated dark fruit and a long, savoury, oak-spiced finish that will reward cellaring. Serve at 16 to 18C, decanting an hour or two ahead. It suits roast beef, rack of lamb and game.