Country: Italy Region: Tuscany Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon 51% Merlot 27% Cabernet Franc Petit Verdot 4%  Vintage: 2018 Colour:Red Style: Dry Description: Only one of Italy's most iconic wines. The desire yo nurture the estates exceptional qualities has shaped Ornellaia's philosophy since the beginning. Ornellaiais a cuvee of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot and the faithful expression of unique terroir developed in harmony with nature. The wine is then aged in oak barrels, 70% new and 30% once used. Each wine remained in barriques, in Ornellaia's temperature controlled cellars for about 20 months. After the first 12 months of Maturation, the wine was assembled and the returned to the barriques for an additional 8 months. After bottling, the wine aged a further 12 months prior to release.   Tasting Notes:After several years in which winter seemed to be little more than a memory, 2018 brought a return to normal climatic conditions, with temperatures spending enough time below zero for the vines to begin their well-deserved winter rest. The spring will be remembered as one of the wettest in history, with three times the seasonal average rainfall and high temperatures in April. Despite late budbreak, the weather conditions and rapid growth of the shoots enabled the vines to catch up and bloom a week earlier than anticipated. For the entire month of May and – to a lesser extent – June, rainfall remained above average and it was only in July that the vines received some respite, with a warm and dry month. Veraison took place between the 22nd and 25th of July, and August was as hot as it had been the previous year, but slightly wetter. The sugars and acidity developed slowly, while the berries grew to larger dimensions thanks to the high level of water present in the soil. September was warm and dry. Temperatures were higher than the seasonal average, but cooler nights enabled the vines to recover and preserve the aromas and acidity. The red grape harvest began on the 31st of August with the Merlot and ended on the 8th of October with the later-ripening varieties. Food Matches:Pasta / Game / Risottos / Venison