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Ornellaia 2017 “Solare” Makes Its Debut on the Market

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The beginning of a journey for this characterful vintage which challenges the idea of harmony

New York, NY, April 9, 2020 – Ornellaia, one of the world’s iconic wine estates, is pleased to announce the release of Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC Superiore 2017 on the market. The estate’s “Grand Vin” has finally emerged from the hills surrounding Bolgheri and from the cellar where it rested at length during aging and refinement. “Solare” (radiant in English) is the epithet which defines this vintage, whose quest is now the elegant enlightenment of the world’s finest establishments.

“It’s difficult not to describe 2017 as an extreme vintage in which frost, sun and drought played a decisive role. Although the year challenged the team, winemakers included, I’m very pleased about the quality and personality of our wines,” explains Axel Heinz, Estate Director of the Bolgheri winery. “It was fundamental to protect this vintage’s bold personality throughout the entire winemaking process. The gentle handling of the grapes and the slightly earlier harvest yielded surprisingly harmonious wines.”

Scents of licorice and blackberries prevail in Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC Superiore alongside velvety tannins, typical of the hottest vintages, while sublime acidity and roundness imbue the wine with Mediterranean sumptuousness.

The vintage is an excellent product of a complex year punctuated by the effects of climate change. Ornellaia has been reacting to this change for years, concentrating on sustainable grape growing as a means of preserving and enriching the terrain and the landscape in general. Interventions are reduced to a minimum in order to allow the vines’ spontaneous tendency to buffer natural mechanisms. Preference is given to precision viticulture and the implementation of low-impact defenses which boost the natural response of the plants. An ecosystem capable of self-regulation accentuates the freedom of expression of each vineyard, which is essential in crafting characterful wines.

Sustainability is the theme of this year’s Vendemmia d’Artista project. Artist Tomás Saraceno sought inspiration in the alliance between the sun and the earth, inviting greater care and attention to the most important source of our planet’s energy. In addition to the estate’s site-specific installation and a set of 111 large-format bottles for collectors around the world, Saraceno has created a uniquely distinctive thermochromic label for the 750ml bottles of Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista 2017 “Solare”. As it changes color with the heat of one’s hand, the artistic packaging invites reflection about the impact of humanity on the planet. One of Tomás Saraceno’s “Solare” labels will feature in every box containing six bottles of Ornellaia 2017.

The ten Imperial and the lone Salmanazar will be auctioned to collectors on the Sotheby’s website in September. Profits from the event will be donated to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s “Mind’s Eye” program.

Ornellaia is currently available in more than 90 countries, distributed through traditional channels in Europe, Russia and North America; in Central and South America, Africa and Asia, the distribution is entirely managed by Négociants de La Place de Bordeaux.

About Ornellaia – http://www.ornellaia.com

The name Ornellaia is synonymous of fine winemaking and an authentic expression of the beauty of Tuscany. The estate is situated along the Tuscan coastline, a short distance from the medieval town of Bolgheri and the iconic cypress-lined approach. Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC Superiore and Ornellaia Bianco are the estate’s top wines, ensued by the second vin Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia, Le Volte dell’Ornellaia and the white Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia. In little over thirty years (the first vintage of Ornellaia was in 1985), the team’s dedication accompanied by optimal soil and microclimate have resulted in critical acclaim and public success within Italy and internationally. 

About Vendemmia d’Artista

Vendemmia d’Artista celebrates the exclusive character of each vintage of Ornellaia. Since the initial release of Ornellaia 2006, Ornellaia has commissioned an internationally-famous contemporary artist to create a work of art for the estate and a series of limited-edition labels, inspired by the character identified by the Winemaker and Estate Director, Axel Heinz, to describe the particular characteristics of the new vintage. 111 large formats, of which 100 3-liter Double Magnums, 10 six-liter Imperials and a nine-liter Salmanazar, are sold or auctioned off by Sotheby’s Wine for charity.

For the 12th edition of Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista Tomás Saraceno invites us to reflect on the impact of our actions on the planet as he interprets the character “Solare” (radiant) of Ornellaia 2017. The artist has created a site-specific masterpiece for the Estate, customized a limited series of 111 large format bottles, and designed a special label that, a single example of which, will be found in each Ornellaia case containing 6 bottles of 750 ml.

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