Ornellaia, Le Serre Nuove

The 2013 Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia is polished and refined to the core. Mocha, smoke, black cherries, licorice, torrefaction and dark spices meld together in the glass. This is a relatively open, mid-weight vintage for the Serre Nuove, with expressive aromatics and open-knit fruit. The new oak is especially apparent here. In some recent vintages, Le Serre Nuove has come across as almost too serious of a second wine. That is not the case in 2013, where Le Serre Nuove is quite distinct from Ornellaia, and also much more approachable right out of the gate. The 2013 also has a relatively high amount of Cabernet Franc because less was used in the Ornellaia than normal.