Ornellaia’s Legendary Founder Conjures the Final Wine of His Storied Career

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With a family winemaking history of more than 600 years, Ornellaia founder Marchese Lodovico Antinori recently introduced what he is calling the final wine project of his life, Tenuta del Nicchio. Launched in conjunction with his daughter, Sophia, this Cabernet Franc–based bottling is inspired by famed Bordeaux wine Cheval Blanc and is made under the direction of consulting winemaker Michel Rolland. Only 3,000 bottles were produced in the second vintage of this limited-distribution wine that sells for $375, and as additional vineyards mature, production will increase but still remain within the scale of a small, family-owned winery.

Although Antinori has said the greatest regret of his life was selling Tenuta dell’Ornellaia to Robert Mondavi Winery in 2002, he no longer rues the deal, just the fact that over time he most likely would have made more money had he held on to the esteemed Bolgheri estate. Forty years on from the first vintage of that renowned Merlot-heavy Super Tuscan, Tenuta del Nicchio 2021 Il Nicchio, made with 95 percent Cabernet Franc and 5 percent Merlot, has reached our shores, and Antinori’s shift from Merlot to Cabernet Franc has been worth every bit of the wait. After discovering available land abandoned by farmers above Castagneto Carducci in the northeastern boundary of the Bolgheri DOC and in Bibbona, which borders the Bolgheri DOC, Antinori planted 25 acres in terroir that he believes is extremely well suited for Cabernet Franc.

Antinori is staying on as honorary president at Tenuta di Biserno, the Tuscan winery he founded with his brother, Piero, and their nephew Niccolò Marzichi Lenzi that produces a wine called Lodovico. Having left that winery in the hands of his nephew and with plans to market and sell Lodovico alongside Il Nicchio, Antinori is starting small with his new project, where he will serve as general manager, but plans to ramp production up to 30,000 bottles a year as his small, high-altitude “satellite” vineyards begin producing grapes and as a small winery dedicated to Il Nicchio is built. “Because of its size, I’ve returned to my original passion: personally taking care of all the details,” he tells Robb Report. “I feel closely connected to every part of the process. We are currently completing the winery, which we are very excited about. We’re taking a more contemporary approach to fermentation and to caring for the wine throughout its development.”

For this venture, the marchese has brought on Sophia as his business partner, who previously worked at Harlan Estate in Napa Valley and at Wine Lister, a London-based, fine-wine consultancy. She credits Harlan with shaping her understanding of how to approach quality at the highest level and says her time in England’s capital offered her the opportunity to taste some of the world’s best wines, especially from Bordeaux. Her primary role will be to introduce Il Nicchio to wine collectors and enthusiasts worldwide. “I also want to build recognition among a younger generation of wine lovers, especially in the U.S. market,” she says. She grew up immersed in wine, and counts her half-brother Giovanni Mazzei, who also comes from a prominent wine family, as a key mentor.

Winemaking for the first two vintages of Il Nicchio was under the direction of Swedish-born winemaker Helena Lindberg, who has worked at Tenuta di Biserno since 2004; she is currently turning the reins at Tenuta del Nicchio over to new winemaker Andreas Fuchsberger. Michel Rolland, who continues to work with Ornellaia, Massetto, and Tenuta di Biserno, is also onboard as consulting winemaker, offering a through-line for a lifetime of Antinori’s winemaking projects. Although Ornellaia was conceived as a Bordeaux-style blend and Massetto is considered a reference for top-tier Merlot, Antinori says planting additional Cabernet Franc vineyards and making a wine based on the variety has been an ongoing idea for him for many years. “I always thought my ultimate challenge would be working with Cabernet Franc,” he says. “After a few attempts, I believe I now understand this variety very well and feel I can handle its complexity.”

Having chosen to work with Cabernet Franc because of its “vibrant character,” Antinori is aware of the struggles involved in its cultivation. “Managing this variety is a great challenge, much more demanding than working with Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon,” he points out. And although he says he is anxious about the 2025 vintage because of soaring summer temperatures, he uses the word “godsend” to describe the 2021 growing season in the Maremma, the area in coastal Tuscany that is home to Bolgheri, Bibbona, and Castagneto Carducci. “Everything went very well, from vineyard management to the final result,” he says. After primary fermentation, 80 percent of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in oak barrels, and the wine is then aged in 80 percent new oak and the remainder in one year old oak for 16 months.

Deep garnet in the glass, Tenuta del Nicchio 2021 Il Nicchio has a nose of blackberry, ground mace, and fresh Mediterranean herbs. Opulent tannins and vivid acidity ply the palate alongside purple plum, black cherry, cocoa powder, and sage. A soft hint of graphite lingers into the satisfying finish. While the 2020 was made in even more limited quantities, the 2021 vintage offers wine lovers the opportunity to get in on the ground floor and start a vertical of what will surely one day be considered one of Tuscany’s finest wines.

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