Tenuta dell’Ornellaia

Founded in 1981 by Marchesi Ludovico Antnori, the first vintage at Tenuta dell’Ornellaia was 1985. In 2002 the estate was transferred to the ownership of Robert Mondavi and Frescobaldi and then, in 2005, into the sole ownership of Frescobaldi, with Axel Heinz appointed as chief winemaker, a post he remains in. There are 97 hectares of vines, all but 4 hectares of which are red varieties, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot making up the vast majority. Along with the main estate wine, a second wine Le Serre Nuove and a third wine Le Volte are produced, along with a wildly expensive single vineyard Merlot, Masseto, from a 7 hectare plot of the same name. Although famous for its red wines, the 2008 vintage saw the first release of Poggio alle Gazze, a Sauvignon Blanc-based wine.