Le Volte
Le Volte
Vintage: 2007
Region: Tuscany, Bolgheri, Italy
Varietals: Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $27.99
Italian wine was turned on its head in 1968 with the release of the ‘first’ Super Tuscan from Sassicaia. Fast forward 40 years, and there are several world class examples produced from Tuscany and its subregion, Bolgheri. We’ll take a look at one today from acclaimed house Tenuta Dell’Ornellaia in the form of the 2007 Le Volte. Le Volte is classified as the 3rd wine of Ornellaia and is a blend of primarily Sangiovese with percentages of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon rounding things out. The Sangiovese grapes for Le Volte are sourced from growers in the area while the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are sourced from Ornellaia own vineyards. Le Volte holds distinction as it is aged in the same oak barriques that housed previous vintages of their flagship Ornellaia and Masseto blends.
On to the wine, out of the bottle this wine has a vibrant, purplish black core with a medium to full body. On the nose, there are loads of dark berries with a wonderful cream like aspect from the oak treatment. Its bouquet is surprising soft and delicate for a wine of its stature. In the mouth, it is fresh, clean and juicy. It delivers loads of blackberry, sweet herbs and currant up front. It glides softly and without effort to dark tannins that caress the palate. The finish lingers beautifully and in general, this wine has great balance.
The Verdict: This is a great wine with some serious producer provenance to back it up. It might be a touch on the expensive side but it has the tools to allow it to stand on its own outside the shadow of its more expensive siblings. It is a cellar candidate with the ability to evolve over the next 5 years but is drinking beautifully now. Food wise, there is great versatility here with pairing suggestions from tapas to pasta or even grilled meats. If you are looking to treat yourself or your guests to a remarkable wine from a great Italian producer, then consider the 2007 Le Volte on your next market visit.
90 points
- Le Volte
- by Adrian Bryksa
- Published on February 17th, 2010
- Rating:
- 90 Points
More from Adrian Bryksa:
-
Château Fonbadet
From a vintage perspective, 2003 was a great yet challenging in Bordeaux with intense heat arriving in August. Take 40 + degree Celsius temperatures and combine with a lack of cooling rain and one of the potential outcomes is roasted, thick skinned grapes contributing to flabby wine.
-
Wyndham Estates Show Reserve Cabernet Merlot
Do rewards come to those that wait? I have had this wine in my cellar for a few years and Sunday was going to be its day of reckoning.
-
FAT Wreck Chords tour featuring NOFX
Easily the highlight of the set was the tour de force rendition of "The Decline", which is one of the best punk songs ever recorded in this writers opinion. The rest of the set was sonically outstanding, until one jackass from the crowd fired a full water bottle at the lead singer..
-
Vinya l’Hereu Petit Grealo
Every time I think that I have seen all this wonderful city of Calgary has to offer in terms of wines and spirits, I encounter something more amazing and more jaw dropping than I could possibly imagine.
-
Clos de Los Siete
This wine is exciting with dark, inky deep purple tones to it. With the first sniffy sniff, there is a nice blackberry component poking through with some white pepper and a nice hint of toasted oak. To stand up to this wine, match it up with some hard, old Cheddar and biscuits.
-
Heitz Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
I have heard people decanting Heitz Cellars wines for 6 hours, probably due to the fact that this wine spends 3 years aging between American and French oak.
Other recent features:
-
Sónar 2010 – Barcelona, Spain
The festival attracts a lot of outsiders, but the Mediterranean, Spanish and more specifically Catalan nature of the people makes the festival what it is. Catalan people are passionate and this passion is infectious. The atmosphere is electric in Barcelona as a city and heightened by music and intoxicants at Sónar.
-
Summer Party Naval Styles at Seven RestoLounge
Oysters, like wine are affected by terroir and these Miyagi’s flavor profiles ranged with one showing a cleaner, almost tropical profile and the other being more salty, marine driven. As I was devouring the seemingly endless plates put in front of us, I sipped on a glass of fine sauvignon blanc.
-
R4NT Radio March 2010
R4NT Radio March 2010 um wow it’s been far too long since the last edition edition, featuring: Hector Hernandez, The Infesticons, Blockhead, Gramatik, Emika, Thunderheist, Parov Stelar, Eddy Meets Yannah, Anti-Pop Consortium, The Slew, Lighterthief, Andreya Triana, Parasyte Woman, Mathon, Venetian Snares, and Funki Porcini.
-
O Restaurant & Lounge revisited
Calgary has a diverse set of urban communities, most of which have the ubiquitous strip mall watering hole. In the South West community of Marda Loop, a reinvention of this paradigm has been established.
-
Predictions 2010.. and beyond!
So 2010 eh? Almost but not quite (no year zero they say) another decade? It seems like just yesterday that the world was waiting for Y2K. R4NT started publishing in March 2001, so we’re not quite 10 years old yet, but in internet years we are already a senior citizen.
-
Invictus
No matter what, the reality of Nelson Mandela is something that deserves screen time. Should this film even remotely intrigue the masses to take interest in this figure, the world would likely benefit greatly from it.


