Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove 2023

Le Serre Nuove is the second wine of Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, drawn from the estate's vineyards in Bolgheri, a stretch of Tuscan coast a few kilometres from the Mediterranean that has built its reputation on Bordeaux varieties. The maritime setting brings warm, sunny days tempered by sea breezes and a marked day-to-night temperature shift, which holds acidity and freshness in the ripe fruit. The blend leads with Merlot alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the classic Bolgheri Superiore make-up. It is aged twenty-one months in oak barrels, an extended élevage where slow oxygen exchange through the wood softens the tannins, fixes the deep colour and layers cocoa, cedar and tobacco over the fruit. The wine is intense red in the glass. The nose shows ripe plum and blackcurrant with cherry, tobacco and a cocoa edge from the wood. The palate is full and structured, the dark fruit framed by firm, polished tannins and fresh acidity that balances the riper, warmer-vintage alcohol, closing long. Decant an hour ahead and serve at 17 degrees. It suits roast beef, lamb and game.