Ornellaia

Lodovico Antinori founded Ornellaia on the Bolgheri coast in 1981, and the first Ornellaia came out in 1985. The Frescobaldi family owns it now. Marco Balsimelli runs both the vineyards and the cellar as technical director. He trained in Florence and Bordeaux and spent 15 years on Eric Boissenot's consulting team before he came here.

Parts of the estate once lay under the sea, and the vineyards face mostly southwest toward it. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot lead, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in support. Le Serre Nuove was Italy's first second wine. The whites deserve their own visit, especially the Ornellaia Bianco, a Sauvignon Blanc from a few cool limestone plots near the woods.

Since the 2006 vintage, Ornellaia has asked an artist each year to make a work for the estate and to label a small run of large bottles, which are sold at auction for charity. Since 2019 that program has supported the Guggenheim Foundation.