The 2019 Ornellaia Bianco is a very reserved wine. It does not appear to have the depth of some of its predecessors, but that is mostly attributable to a shift in picking earlier and using more large format oak. Lemon peel, white flowers, mint, sage and green pear lend energy to this taut, Bordeaux-inspired blend. Readers should plan on cellaring this for at least a year.

Lots of sweat pear and ripe green apple on the nose with some lemon grass and green melon. Medium-to full-bodied with a solid core of fruit that is tight and focused. Stone and dried-flower undertones to it. Vivid, lemony finish. Serious phenolic tension and framing to the wine. Drinkable now, but will age beautifully in time. Drink or hold.

The Poggio alle Gazze 2nd wine of Ornellaia was released in March, but this is the first time I am tasting the 2020 of the main estate white Ornellaia Bianco. It was worth the wait - so expertly handled, deft strokes of Granny Smith apples, lemongrass, apricot pit, sage, white peach and citrus. Taut in its construction, stretches out through the palate, mouthwatering finish, hard not to see that you are in the presence of a very special glass of wine. Harvesting for Sauvignon Blanc grapes from August 19 to early September, Viognier end of August. After ageing, it spends six months in bottle before release. Winemaker Olga Fusari, director Axel Heinz.

The 2019 Ornellaia Bianco (81% Sauvignon and 19% Viognier) is a more racy, steely wine that doesn't have the generosity of the 2018, yet it stays tight, compact, and vibrant, with lemon zest, chalky mineral, honeysuckle, and hints of grapefruit. Medium-bodied on the palate, it's another concentrated, beautifully balanced white from this team that has great acidity, a balanced, classy mouthfeel, and one heck of a great finish. While the 2018 shows its Viognier component, it's almost impossible to see here, even though it's a larger component. Give bottles a year or so and it should keep for over a decade.

Made with 81% Sauvignon Blanc and 19% Viognier, the Ornellaia 2019 Ornellaia Bianco is fragrant and fresh, but the wine also shows a rather robust side with extra concentration. This is a hallmark of the vintage, and you even notice it in the distinctive light golden hue that shines prettily from the glass. To the nose, the wine displays a summery set of aromas with stone fruit, ripe peach, midnight jasmine and a touch of fragrant beeswax. There is some density to the otherwise streamlined mouthfeel, with white almond flavors on the close and an elegant touch of crushed stone or chalk. This 2019 vintage is poised for more years of bottle age.

2019 experienced a cold and wet spring followed by a very hot and dry summer with just two days of rain at the end of June, which helped to drop the temperature to normal levels, giving ideal conditions for ripening. In this vintage, Axel and his team aimed to bring back aromatic finesse following 2018's subdued aromatic character; a consequence of leaving picking too late for some plots. Harvest this time around was completed sooner, and the team introduced a selection of larger barrel sizes alongside the barriques. The Viognier in 2019 was also increased to a proportion second only to the 2013: 81% Sauvignon Blanc and 19% Viognier. An austere, stony nose slowly reveals Sauvignon scents of cut grass, green fruits and flecks of passion fruit are followed in the mouth by intense and fleshy yellow plum, papaya, passion fruit and grilled pineapple. Despite the Viognier influence, this is still clearly Sauvignon-driven thanks to a fresh, flinty character with herbal overtones. The individual base wines were fermented in barriques and larger formats, with no malolactic fermentation, then aged on the lees for 10 months with occasional batonnage. A final three months on steel was completed before blending and bottling.