Winemaker Notes
The 2017 Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia has a bright straw yellow color, the nose carries outstanding citrus notes accompanied by hints of white flowers and boxwood. On the palate, it shows an excellent balance between freshness and persistence, closing in a long, lively and mineral finish.
Blend: 81% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Vermentino, 6% Viogner, 3% Verdicch
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
I love the nose here of honeysuckle, dried jasmine, daffodils, apricot pie and peach flan with some butterscotch undertones. Full-bodied and intense, but very precise in its delivery of sleek stone fruit and steely acidity.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% each of Viognier and Vermentino, the 2017 Poggio alle Gazze dell'Ornellaia comes from a scorcher of a vintage and was aged in 25% new French oak, 25% in used barrels, and the balance in concrete. It offers a subtle tropical slant as well as classic Bordeaux Blanc-like citrus and pineapple notes. Medium to full-bodied, rich yet also elegant, it's a powerful white that has good concentration, plenty of acidity, and should age nicely for 4-5 years.
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Wine Spectator
This expressive white exudes peach, gooseberry, sage and white pepper flavors, backed by lively acidity and finishing with a saline accent. Sauvignon Blanc, Vermentino, Viognier and Verdicchio. Drink now through 2024. 300 cases imported.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
One of the most iconic Italian regions for wine, scenery and history, Tuscany is the world’s most important outpost for the Sangiovese grape. Tuscan wine ranges in style from fruity and simple to complex and age-worthy, Sangiovese makes up a significant percentage of plantings here, with the white Trebbiano Toscano coming in second.
Within Tuscany, many esteemed wines have their own respective sub-zones, including Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The climate is Mediterranean and the topography consists mostly of picturesque rolling hills, scattered with vineyards.
Sangiovese at its simplest produces straightforward pizza-friendly Tuscan wines with bright and juicy red fruit, but at its best it shows remarkable complexity and ageability. Top-quality Sangiovese-based wines can be expressive of a range of characteristics such as sour cherry, balsamic, dried herbs, leather, fresh earth, dried flowers, anise and tobacco. Brunello, an exceptionally bold Tuscan wine, expresses well the particularities of vintage variations and is thus popular among collectors. Chianti is associated with tangy and food-friendly dry wines at various price points. A more recent phenomenon as of the 1970s is the “Super Tuscan”—a red wine made from international grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, with or without Sangiovese. These are common in Tuscany’s coastal regions like Bolgheri, Val di Cornia, Carmignano and the island of Elba.