The grapes were handpicked into 15 kg baskets; the bunches were checked on a double selection table, before and after destemming, and finally soft-pressed. Each varietal and parcel was vinified separately. The primary fermentation, which took a week, was in stainless steel tanks at temperatures between 26 and 30 degrees C; the new wine than macerated on the skins, and the entire process took 18 days. The malolactic fermentation began in the steel tanks, and was completed after the wine was racked into barriques (25% new and 75% a year old). The wine matured in barriques in Ornellaia's temperature-controlled cellars for 17 months.
After the first 12 months the wine was assembled and returned to the barriques, where it spent another 5 months. After bottling, the wine aged for another 6 months before being released.
Le Serre Nuove is the ‘second vin’ of Ornellaia . Its composition is decided upon at the moment of the final blending of Ornellaia by choosing the barriques which combine characteristics of youthfulness and suppleness with the structure, balance and intensity typical of the Estate’s great terroir. The grapes from the younger vineyards generally predominate in the Serre Nuove blend.
The amount produced depends upon both the vintage and the final assembly, and therefore varies from year to year.