The Evolution of Ornellaia
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The Evolution of Ornellaia An Interview with Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja (left); Casa Ornellaia Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, Chief Executive Offi cer, Ornellaia in Bolgheri, Italy (above); a bottle of 2011 Ornellaia (below) EDITORS’ NOTE Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja over fully. This was completed by the end of decide on the character. Then we search for the studied Economics at the University of Florence 2001 and we had a 50/50 joint venture between artist who can best project that character. We and entered the wine business in Italy in the Mondavi and Frescobaldi. prepare a presentation and bring the artists to early 1970s, eventually becoming CEO of Rémy I stayed on as CEO with a share of 5 per- our estate to get a feeling about them – then Cointreau’s Italian company. After 12 years as cent, and Mondavi was sold in 2004 to we choose one. The artist has to do one site- CEO of Antinori, he took on the challenge of re- Constellation. Since the beginning of 1997, specifi c work of art, which stays at the es- organizing the worldwide distribution for the I had been CEO of Frescobaldi and we had tate – we now have seven. We then usually Remy Cointreau Group. At the same time, he the option to buy it back from Constellation, produce 111 large format bottles, 100 Double started consulting for Frescobaldi on their joint so we bought back Luce and Ornellaia at Magnums, 10 six-liter bottles, and only one venture project called “Luce della Vite,” with the the beginning of 2005. nine-liter bottle. Robert Mondavi Corporation. In 1996, Giovanni We then moved our U.S. distribution We auction nine or 10 lots maximum became CEO of Frescobaldi and in 1999 became to Folio Fine Wine Partners, which with Sotheby’s and the money we raise CEO of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, which produces had been founded at the end of 2004 we give to the museum where we have Ornellaia and Masseto. by Michael Mondavi. done the event. What has been the secret to We have given back 1.5 million WINERY BRIEF Ornellaia (ornellaia.com) Ornellaia’s success? Euro to charity, contemporary art, and is located in Bolgheri, a unique area in Italy The early days were very impor- music. where the classic Bordeaux varieties thrive. The tant with our focus on the quality of the Where are the key markets to- Ornellaia estate is situated on the Via Bolgherese wine. We wanted to make the best pos- day and where do you see oppor- in the triangle between the sea, the medieval sible wine by far, not only in that region tunities for the future? hamlet of Bolgheri, and the town of Castagneto but in Italy and in the world. Our key markets are historical mar- Carducci. Ornellaia produces three highly ac- We never took a shortcut on our kets. Italy is number one. The U.S. is num- claimed wines: Ornellaia, a blend of predom- investment in agronomy, or on our ber two, immediately followed by Germany inantly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and winemaking, and we cut down produc- and Switzerland – both of which are over- Cabernet Franc; Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia, tion, which we had to do. The Mondavis performing. The U.K. is growing a lot, as is the ‘second vin’ of Ornellaia; and Le Volte were pushing to have a very large ex- Canada. We have made quite a few efforts in dell’Ornellaia, a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, tension of the winery but I wasn’t con- Russia and it is growing enormously. and Cabernet Sauvignon. Eighty people work vinced that was the way to go. In Asia, we’re not very strong because among the vines year round. When we went back, the market situ- Italy has around a 7 percent market share of im- ation was a bit better. We started working on ported wines there while France has about 47 or How has this brand evolved? brand communications and on very high qual- 48 percent. We’re growing there but very slowly, Ornellaia was founded in 1981. The region ity marketing. In 2005, we produced large for- which hasn’t been a bad thing. Much of the de- was known for Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet mats, starting with magnums silk-screened with mand for top bottle wines has gone to China and a Franc, and Merlot, and the goal was to make the 20th anniversary logo, which was a great lot of it hasn’t been drunk; it’s being stored some- the best possible international brand out of success. where. The supply didn’t go to the traditional Bolgheri. In 2006, we started what we called markets so they’re losing market share in those Marchese Lodovico Antinori developed “Vendemmia d’Artista.” We looked for an art- markets in a big way. We have been very careful Ornellaia. In 1997, he asked me to help him ist to link to a particular wine. We invited re- not to grow too much in any specifi c market. with handling the actual structure of the com- nowned art critic and curator Bartolomeo We always want to create more demand pany because that was not his strength. Pietromarchi and art historian Maria Alicata to than we can supply, so we look carefully at Ornellaia was gaining popularity all over curate the project and artworks. We wanted to how the wine is being depleted and where. the world. He produced a very large crop in have an Italian artist who was really exuberant We also separated the two top wines: 1995, but to get a top quality wine, he knew because that was our theme that year, and we Ornellaia and Masseto, which has much less he’d have to decrease production. That oc- found one of the most exuberant ones in Luigi production and is at a much higher price point. curred in 1996 and 1997, and he decided to Ontani. They were presented together at fi rst, but the make the second wine. In 2007, we did a theme with the United most expensive one becomes the wine in de- By 1998, he became disenchanted with the States, which was Harmony. The wine we used mand and more diffi cult to fi nd, and the other business so he wanted to sell, but only to a was very different, more elegant rather than becomes the second wine, so that was not good foreign company. He sold a share to Mondavi strong. We came to the U.S. and found an for Ornellaia. We kept distribution together only with the option to buy the majority at the end Egyptian artist living in New York who pro- for Italy, the U.S., and Canada. of 1999. The Mondavis asked me to join as the duced a beautiful set of bottles. Today, Masseto is the most demanded wine CEO of Ornellaia in 1999. Every year, we have a subject that repre- in Bordeaux and the price on it has grown three Things evolved quite quickly. By the sents the character of the vintage. We talk to the times in a matter of six or seven years. The separa- end of 2001, it was set up for Mondavi to take winemaker, hold brainstorming sessions, and tion has also given far more light to Ornellaia.• 206 LEADERS POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2016 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 39, NUMBER 1.