Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2013 Bolgheri DOC wine review and food pairings
Bolgheri DOC Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2013 is a powerful red alcoholic wine, which focuses entirely on muscles, structure, tones of jam and wood to impress and not much on finesse and recognition. It is the classic red wine for which Bolgheri is famous, a Bordeaux with an Italian twist with a splash of Mediterranean scrub, even if in this 2013 vintage, still very young, the wood is indelibly strong.
This does not mean that it is a mediocre wine or poorly crafted, indeed quite the opposite, the cellar techniques have been studied down to the smallest detail to personalize this red wine and give it a precise stylistic direction. His only problem is that he is a bit too stylized, static, clumsy and woody due to his young age.
It comes from a blend of the usual French vines used in Bolgheri: Merlot 64%, Cabernet Sauvignon 17%, Cabernet Franc 10%, Petit Verdot 9%. But despite having a not inconsiderable amount of Merlot in the DNA, don’t expect an austere, deep Merlot as much as a sumptuous and muscular wine.
How the Bolgheri DOC Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2013 is produced
Le Serre Nuove Dell’Ornellaia 2013 is born from relatively young vines, which sink their roots a few kilometers from the sea and are therefore affected by the balsamic influence of the sea. Each grape is vinified separately in steel and macerated for 10-15 days, then malolactic fermentation takes place in new and used barriques, where it rests for 15 months and then refines in bottle for 6 months before being ready.
The bouquet of Bolgheri DOC Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2013
When uncorked the woody scents are overbearing, better to let it breathe for two hours in the glass, where it opens a little bit. The fruit is intact, caramelized based on berries in spirit, cooked cherries and notes of cocoa, licorice, freshly smoked puffs and traces of aromatic herbs. Overall it is varied, sumptuous, full of spicy suggestions that quilt the whole aromatic framework.
What does Bolgheri DOC Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2013 taste like?
In the mouth, it is powerful, warm, enveloping and tannic. The flavors are many, they chase each other in a convulsive way, it is not harmonious and the acid development is affected by this bulky and powerful fruit that pushes too hard. The thickness is so great, the extract almost can bite your tongue, despite the tannins are not too rude. Surely it is not a ready wine to drink now, either because of the lack of balance, but even more because of the overflowing influence of the wood, still not integrated with the fruit. The tannins in each case are well defined, sculpted with grace, despite the intensity. What is missing is the amalgam, the phrasing between acidity and a saltiness. Spicy long finish with jam returns.
To try again in 5-6 years, now is too smoky.
If you like jam and oak bombs, with fruit pumped to the limits of aromatic hysteria, incredible concentration and extraction and sumptuousness at all costs, then Le Serre Nuove Dell’Ornellaia 2013 may be the wine for you. Indeed as a wine it is a textbook, summarizing all the stylistic features that have made Bolgheri famous. But if you are looking for a wine defined by cleanliness, elegance and finesse don’t buy it.
Bolgheri DOC Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2013 suggested food pairings
A structured and powerful wine, perfect for taming succulent dishes, lamb, stews, pici with wild boar ragù, black truffle risotto, passatelli with Parmigiano fondue and truffle, bucatini all’amatriciana, roast beef, hamburger.