Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC "La Proportione" (Artist Label) 2020

Since 1981, when Marchese Lodovico Antinori planted Cabernet Sauvignon on the Tuscan coast in deliberate rivalry with his own family's Sassicaia and Solaia, Ornellaia has operated as both winery and cultural institution — the Vendemmia d'Artista project commissions a major international artist each vintage to interpret a single word chosen by the winemaker, with proceeds benefiting the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The 2020 word is La Proportione.

The estate's 99 ha span two adjacent blocks: the original 41 ha surrounding the winery on denser clay soils, and the 58 ha Bellaria property to the north on stonier, more alluvial ground. Elevations of 50–120 m asl and Tyrrhenian Sea breezes moderate summer heat, preserving the saline coastal freshness that distinguishes Ornellaia from inland Bordeaux analogues.

Each variety and block is vinified separately: fermentation in stainless steel and concrete below 25°C, followed by 10–15 days maceration (total vat time ~3 weeks). Malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel, and the wine ages 18 months in French oak barriques (70% new, 30% once-used) — 12 months as individual base wines, then assembled and returned to barrel for a further 6 months, followed by a minimum 12 months bottle age before release.

The 2020 vintage was warm, producing a darkly toned, generously ripe expression with pronounced black fruit character; approachable with aeration but structured for aging through approximately 2046.