2024 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia "Le Volte" Toscana

The 2024 Le Volte dell'Ornellaia, composed primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Petit Verdot, pours a youthful purple/red hue and is bright and expressive, with notes of red berries, plum, violet, fresh herbs, and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, rounded, and approachable, with a light, floating texture, ripe tannins, and refreshing acidity, this is a charming and accessible vintage to enjoy over the near to medium term. Drink 2026-2031. (AF)

I have a soft spot for Le Volte. It was one of the wines I loved when I first started getting into wine, and I am not going to pretend otherwise now that I spend considerably more time thinking about soil, acidity, and the precise character of a tannin. Becoming serious about wine should not require disowning the bottles that helped get you there. That affection is not a free pass, though. Nostalgia is a perfectly good reason to revisit a wine. It is not a reason to overrate it. The 2024 puts fresh red fruit at the center of the conversation. Cherry and wild strawberry lead the aromatics, with a cooling menthol note that gives the nose lift and definition. The emphasis is on brightness here. The fruit is juicy, the overall impression balanced, and the wine maintains that useful distinction between being easy to drink and having nothing to say. There is substance here. The winemaking follows that same logic. The varieties are fermented separately in small stainless-steel tanks, with malolactic fermentation also taking place in steel. Ten months of aging follow, partly in barrels previously used for Ornellaia and partly in tank, with the stated aim of balancing tannic structure and fruit expression. This is not a recipe built entirely around the barrel. At this price this is a must buy, a supe Tuscan for everyone and every occasion, you won’t be disappointed here.