Ornellaia

Ornellaia was founded in 1981 by Lodovico Antinori and is one of the estates that made Bolgheri a name on the international wine map. It sits in the Bolgheri area of Castagneto Carducci, in the province of Livorno, where the vineyards meet the Mediterranean scrub and the sea is never far away.

What the estate is known for

The flagship wine, Ornellaia, is a Bordeaux-style blend built mainly on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Around it the house makes Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia, a second wine that is often the best introduction to the style, and Le Volte dell'Ornellaia, a more immediate blend. The estate is today part of the Frescobaldi group.

Ornellaia is also known for the way it talks about vintage: each year the house commissions an artist for a limited series of labels, a project that has become part of its identity.

Visiting

The estate receives visitors by appointment, with tours and seated tastings arranged directly by the winery. We do not publish prices, hours or availability, and Roc Villa Bay is not affiliated with Ornellaia. Book early, especially in spring and autumn, and tell the estate what you would like to taste rather than asking for "the full tour".

As with every visit in the zone, decide on a driver before the first glass. The roads between the estates are pleasant and narrow, and the day is better when nobody is counting glasses.

Staying on the coast

Roc Villa Bay is in Castiglioncello, in the province of Livorno but on the Etruscan Riviera rather than in Bolgheri. The house has four bedrooms, three private units, more than 4,000 m² of garden and two private accesses to the sea, one sandy and one rocky.

It is a useful base if you want the vineyards as a day out and the sea at the end of it. The Bolgheri wineries guide covers the other estates; the villas near Bolgheri page says plainly where Roc Villa Bay is. Write to us for dates.