2017 Orma Toscana Rosso IGT 750 ml

A superb wine from start to never-ending finish, this 2017 Super Tuscan from Orma lives up to the title. Well-integrated and impressively silky at its young age, it’s got powerful Bordeaux-like structure and gorgeous fruit purity.

Epitomizing the style that’s typically associated with the famous “aia” wines that made Bolgheri a household name among red wine lovers, this 2017 Orma punches so far above its weight that it—deservedly—stands head-to-head with its “Italian First Growth” peers four times the price.  

No serious cellar is complete without those iconic Tuscan kings, but in 2017, Orma pulled up a chair at the royal table, achieving the same score as Sassicaia ($240), and coming within striking distance of Ornellaia ($250), and Solaia ($376). 

An incredible coup for a $100 wine. Unable to resist, we did one better and locked it in at an incredible price.

A deep purple wine consisting primarily of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a healthy dose of Cabernet Franc, the 2017 Orma blends the ripeness and density that one might associate with Napa's sunny skies with the earthiness and structure of Bordeaux. 

But it’s the textbook Super Tuscan backbone of vibrant acidity and dusty aromas of spiced plum, ripe black cherry, cigar tobacco, leather, and crushed violet that keep it unmistakably Italian.

A muscular wine that’s as energetic as it is full-bodied, its firm, fine-grained tannins give way to a deep, sumptuous mid-palate of blackberry, toast, and licorice, while dried herbs and freshly ground spices linger for minutes on the finish. Densely packed and long, this beauty is just beginning to unfurl and show its true potential. 

Orma’s Bordelaise grapes achieve their unique expression thanks to their breezy proximity to the Tyrrhenian Sea. South of the famed cypress-lined avenue of Bolgheri, gentle and consistent sea winds keep vines ventilated even as grapes ripen in the brilliant Tuscan sunshine. 

But what truly sets Orma's vineyards apart are its soils, whose DNA is shared with next-door neighbor, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia—an estate that legendary enologist André Tchelistcheff famously called a viticultural “El Dorado.” Both benefit from a high proportion of sand and pebbles, with considerably less clay than other coastal areas in Tuscany. This yields a well-drained growing environment in which vines must dig deep for buried water reserves, resulting in richly defined wines of power, concentration, and character.

“Orma” means “footprint,” and since his 1996 purchase, Italian luxury fashion magnate Antonio Moretti has certainly left his. He’s spared no expense, in the hopes that Orma might one day occupy the same cellar real estate as its lauded neighbor. The critics have taken notice, with Antonio Galloni recently writing how “Orma seems to keep getting better with each passing vintage.” 

But it was Italian wine expert James Suckling who cemented Orma’s place in the pantheon of the region’s greats, with a 95-point score in his report, “The Surprising Quality of Top 2017 Super Tuscan Reds.”

And while Sassicaia's $240+ flagship is worth every penny, Orma’s 2017—a true steal at our price—just means more opportunities to drink equally superlative Super Tuscans, guilt-free.