Ornellaia le Serre Nuove 2018

Sale $49.99

95-96 pts James Suckling

Ok… I got a bit verbose. So, let me put my conclusion up front: this is the best le Serre Nuove I have ever tasted, and offers a true taste of its big sibling, Ornellaia. For $49.99, it is an incredible buy.

Time to sit up and take notice of the famed Ornellaia’s second wine, le Serre Nuove. The flagship Ornellaia bottling is legendary as one of the first “Super Tuscans”, with outstanding ratings, and a price to match, with the latest vintage selling for $199. (I have some, if you are interested…) Le Serre Nuove is a true “second wine”: the grapes come from the same vineyards, and the winemaking is identical. Historically, it was made from younger vines that didn’t offer the depth and complexity essential for inclusion in the flagship bottling.

Initially, le Serre Nuove, while tasty, didn’t come close the level of 1st “growth.” Makes sense, considering the young vines. But the oldest vines are approaching 40 years now… and the “young vines” really aren’t so young anymore.

So just make more Ornellaia, right? Why sell the juice for $50 when you can sell for $200? Yeah… long story short, but supply and demand don’t quite work that way. In order to protect the brand, and its price point, there is a limit to how much Ornellaia can be produced.

Which means the quality “gap” between the 1st and 2nd wine has been narrowing dramatically. Look at the previous three vintages, 2015-2017, where the Wine Advocate and James Suckling have rated le Serre Nuove 93-94 pts. In that same stretch, the flagship Ornellaia has been rated 93, 98 and 96 pts by Wine Advocate, and 97-98 pts by James Suckling.

Which brings me to this vintage. While 2015-2017 were very good vintages for Bolgheri, they were exceptionally warm. With the heat, there are more variances in the grapes, with some showing overly ripe, slightly raisined flavors after fermentation. Trickle Down Theory Part 1… those lots ended up in le Serre Nuove. So while very good, and the ratings show that, the picture wasn’t complete.

But in 2018, the winter was cold enough to let the vines go dormant, followed by a wet spring to rejuvenate the vineyards. The remaining growing season was uneventful, leading to a fairly uniform harvest. Trickle Down Theory Part 2 – we already discussed how only so much Ornellaia can be produced. So where did all of that great juice end up? Le Serre Nuove, of course!

James Suckling has rated the 2018 higher than any vintage of le Serre Nuove, just 2 points lower than Ornellaia!

Whew… that’s a long walk to get to the end of our journey. Simply, this is an incredible wine, offering a real taste of the legendary Ornellaia at ¼ the price.

33% CABERNET SAUVIGNON / 32% MERLOT / 18% CABERNET FRANC / 17% PETIT VERDOT “Characterized by a lively ruby red colour, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2018 is a wine of great aromatic complexity, a distinctive feature of this vintage. In the glass, aromas of berries, blackberry, raspberry and red cherry are accompanied by floral hints of wild rose and spicy notes of pink pepper and liquorice. On tasting, the wine has a good tannic structure, enveloping and balanced, with a crisp and savoury finish.” Winery note


Or reply. The wine is available now in Chapel Hill. Saturday, as ordered, in Hillsborough.