The Buyer | Ornellaia 2023: why Balsimellis debut vintage is La Dolce Vitalità

Ornellaia 2023 had its worldwide launch in Vienna last week, beating Sassicaia’s 2023 launch by one day. Winemaker Marco Balsimelli’s first complete vintage had to tackle the same tricky growing season in Bolgheri, and is as equally accomplished – polished and supple, as well as drinking early with the capacity to age. Rob Bellinger was there for The Buyer to analyse the wine in detail, discover how it got its ‘vitality’ tag, experience a 30-year vertical at two Michelin-starred Restaurant Konstantin Filippou and hear from both Balsimelli and president of Ornellaia, Lumberto Frescobaldi why “to always be traditional is something very risky. When you fall in love with tradition, you stop searching.”

Originally published by www.the-buyer.net at 2026-02-10 12:00:00