Ornellaia | Bolgheri

Lodovico Antinori established Tenuta dell'Ornellaia in the early 1980s with vineyards he had inherited and recognised the potential of the Maremma region. He set about creating a great estate to make wines in the emerging Super-Tuscan mould to rival the best wines in the world. Instead of planting Sangiovese, he planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, as well as Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.

A massive investment was made and an impressive winery was built in the Californian style. Work continues today extending the winery and the initial desire to fully integrate the structures into the landscape has resulted in a beautiful and harmonious building.

Lodovico Antinori developed and nurtured the estate for over a decade before passing the baton to the very successful joint ownership of Marchese de’ Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi which has today metamorphosed into ownership by Tenuta di Toscana, a company controlled by Marchesi de’Frescobaldi.

This history matters since the different owners have given exceptional impetus, as well as financial support, to the fledgling estate, enabling serious development and investment. The dedicated team at Ornellaia, along with the very hands-on support of the Frescobaldi CEO Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, have made the most of the natural as well as human opportunities afforded them, and the wines today undeniably rank amongst the world’s finest.

ORNELLAIA