Ornellaia plans rare vintage releases

Italian Super Tuscan Ornellaia has partnered with Sotheby’s to give collectors access to rare vintages.

The ‘Archivio Storico’ project as it is known will see old vintages of Ornellaia dating back to 1994, in a variety of formats, put up for sale through Sotheby’s, beginning with the house’s New York auction on 27 February.

The house has also said it has started to keep back stock for future release in what it calls “a significant event for collectors of Italian wine, and a first for an Italian winery.”

All future releases from Archivio Storico will have a “unique” label and will be packaged in individual wooden cases from six-packs of single bottles to a single Methuselah. Each will also be stamped with a ‘Prooftag’ to guarantee its authenticity and provenance.

Current vintages in the Archivio Storico include: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2006.

“I believe that one of the great pleasures of fine wines is discovering the nuances and character of historic vintages as they develop with time. ‘Ornellaia Archivio Storico’ are wines that have been undisturbed and in perfect cellaring conditions at the Estate ever since their birth,” noted Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, CEO of Ornellaia.

“The number of bottles we can release from our wine library is very limited indeed, and many are the very last bottles that will ever be released. Each bottle of ‘Ornellaia Archivio Storico,’ starting with vintage 1994, provides the collector with an unparalleled insight into the wines and history of Ornellaia.”

Serena Sutcliffe MW, honorary chairman of Sotheby’s Wine, said: “Ornellaia is a wine of our time, a contemporary legend that has been a privilege to follow as it was created, developed and as it soared to success.

“As we tasted all the vintages in this auction, we were amazed at the longevity of Ornellaia, a quality that is always apparent in the long, lingering finish of the wines. Ornellaia is a wine of both joy and gravitas, pleasure and reflection. We can only aspire to age with its grace.”

The first release of Archivio Storico will be available at Sotheby’s New York sale on 27 February and at a Hong Kong auction later this year. There will also be a very limited commercial release in “highly selected retail outlets” around the world from 1 October this year. This release will include just 150 mini-verticals consisting of just one bottle each of the 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 vintages.