Ornellaia is about as big a name as you find in Italian wine. Launched by Ludovico Antinori in the early 1980s, just as Bolgheri, the Tuscan coastal region, was (re-)opening to viticulture, it has become a (if not the) benchmark Cabernet-based Super Tuscan.

As Ornellaia itself has grown in stature and price, it has diminished in production, meaning most of us don’t get to drink it very often. But don’t fear! Ornellaia’s second wine, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia, is here to scratch that Ornellaia itch!

Like the best second wines everywhere in the world, the Serre Nuove gives us an earlier-drinking (if slightly less ambitious) foretaste of Ornellaia’s top wine.

From the property’s prime and mature Merlot parcels (50%), with Cabernet Sauvignon (28%), Cabernet Franc (11%), and Petit Verdot (11%), It’s made with the same rigorous attention to detail as Ornellaia and it has a similar ability to marry velvety yet vibrant Bordeaux flavors and textures, with Mediterranean garrigue and sea breezes. It doesn’t need as much time in the cellar as top wine, but it is still deeply savory and herbal, rich with complexity that really emerges after a little time in a decanter (or your glass).

So whether you need a bottle to complement the Bistecca Alla Fiorentina you’re cooking up or the Italian food you got delivered – or if you just want a glass of something polished and straight-up delicious while you unwind, this is your bottle. 

Ornellaia Bolgheri Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2021 - $71.99