Ornellaia 1993

The desire to nurture the Estate’s exceptional qualities has shaped Ornellaia’s philosophy since the beginning. Ornellaia is a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot and the faithful expression of unique terroir developed in harmony with nature.

Vintage 1993

The 1993 growing season:

The climate for the 1993 vintage was characterised by an abnormally hot Spring with moderate rainfall which resulted in the early flowering of the Merlot on 15th May.  During the Summer months, the temperatures were high, and the weather was stable. The harvest was carried out entirely by hand, and the grapes were collected in baskets holding no more than 15 Kg.  The Merlot was harvested from the 5th to the 11th of September.  The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from the soils with more clay were harvested from the 20th of September to the 6th of October, while the Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc from the other soils were harvested between the 13th and the 25th of September.  Attention was given to careful grape selection and the grapes brought to the cellars were in excellent condition with 22.5-25 degrees Brix.

Vinification and Ageing

The grapes were destemmed and gently crushed and introduced partly into wooden fermentors and partly into stainless steel tanks.  The period of fermentation and maceration lasted from 22-30 days. The wine was then racked and transferred into French oak barriques where it finished its malolactic fermentation. The wine  remained for a period of 16 months in the barriques, followed by a further 14 months in the bottle before release. 33% of the barriques were of new French oak (mostly from Allier and Nevers) and 67% were once-used.

Ratings:

Wine Advocate 88

Wine Spectator 88

Antonio Galloni 92

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