2023 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia "Ornellaia" Bianco Sauvignon Blanc

Ornellaia owns 13 hectares of white varieties, and this 100% Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from the prime Bellaria vineyard at around 100 metres above sea level on limestone soils. ‘An original expression of this grape variety’, is how Marco Balsimelli describes it. Well balanced and very fresh, it has good body and plenty of energy, with ripe notes of guava, apricot and mango. The oak vinification with batonnage lends a creamy tone and texture but it remains poised throughout, with a sapid, mineral finish. (JB)

In a vintage like 2023, this wine is absolutely electric. It completely bypasses the heavy, tropical, and over-oaked traps that plague warm-climate Sauvignon Blanc. The nose doesn't hit you with cheap passionfruit or sweet melon; instead, it delivers a profound, high-toned wave of crushed white stone, wild sage, green almond, and a distinct, cooling blast of saline marine air. On the palate, it is a masterclass in texture and tension. It possesses an enveloping, waxy weight from its time in barrel, but it absolutely refuses to be fat. It is propelled by a laser-focused, vertical spine of acidity and a "crunchy" nervous energy that cuts straight through the richness. The finish is bone-dry, driven by a fierce, mouthwatering saline snap that lingers for minutes.