“Super Tuscans”: A Wine That’s One of A Kind
Ornellaia x SHARP
Roughly 50 years ago, a few forward-thinking winemakers broke tradition and started playing with French grapes in Tuscany — a region that previously only allowed indigenous Italian varieties. Their experimental blends of foreign and native grapes quickly became such a hit with critics and collectors alike that local wine authorities had to grant this new style of wine its own niche designation, “IGT Toscana,” or, as most people refer to them, “Super Tuscans.”
Ornellaia, a winery in the coastal Bolgheri sub-region, was one of the pioneers in this style of wine. Its defined elegance and structure have made it a benchmark for Super Tuscan wines. We asked Marco Balsimelli, director of wine production and head of winemaking, what exactly makes Ornellaia’s wines so “super.”
What motivated the bold choice to challenge conventional Italian winemaking at Ornellaia in 1981?
This winery was born from a concept fundamentally different from traditional Tuscan winemaking. The wines produced at Ornellaia have always been inspired by the best and modern practices in global viticulture and oenology. The project wasn’t born out of tradition but was inspired by a spirit of freedom and a forward-looking vision.
How important is the terroir of Tuscany’s Bolgheri region to this famous wine’s story?
The quality of our terroir is fundamental for the identity of our wines. Ornellaia was born precisely because the founders of the estate observed and sensed that this specific area of Bolgheri had an incredibly high potential for producing unique wines from these grape varieties. This insight quickly paid off. Even the early wines from relatively young vines showcased remarkable quality. As the vineyards matured, the wines gained in complexity and depth.
The 2022 vintage has all of the elegance and complexity the world expects from Ornellaia, despite the challenging hot, dry summer. How did you pull that off?
Under such challenging conditions in the vineyard, we avoided leaf-thinning and left more lateral shoots to protect the grape clusters from sunburn. We also started the harvest early to ensure a good level of freshness and prevent overly ripe aromas. In the cellar, extractions were gentler than usual, and maceration times were shortened, except for the Merlot, which required longer macerations to achieve a long tannic profile and good colour extraction.
How important is sustainability at Ornellaia?
Sustainability is always at the core of our decisions, in the vineyard, in the cellar, or in the everyday office operations. When nature offers a place with such richness, our first mission is to respect it, take care of it, and produce wine in a sustainable way. Bolgheri is a beautiful, complex, and delicate ecosystem that must be preserved for the future. […] After years of dedication and hard work, we’ve also achieved an important European certification, Equalitas, which is based on the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, ethical, and economic.
How would you describe the incredible wines Ornellaia makes year after year?
The aromatic profile of our wines has a very distinctive character. When young, Ornellaia wines are an explosion of ripe black fruit, sometimes with touches of violet, spices, and Mediterranean herbs. On the palate, the attack is always dense and juicy, followed by a structure that is tense, fresh, very long, and with a silky tannin profile. The finish consistently shows plenty of acidity and freshness. […] As the wines age, they begin to develop a balsamic character on the nose, with hints of Mediterranean herbs and eucalyptus. On the palate, they generally become more delicate and harmonious, while still retaining a fleshy texture along with a fresh, savoury character.”
