The character of Ornellaia 2006, the first edition of Vendemmia d’Artista was “L’Esuberanza”. 
Every harvest has its own personality that bestows a unique character on Ornellaia and the 2006 harvest resulted in a beguiling wine that stood out with its exuberance.
Luigi Ontani was the artist chosen to interpret “L’Esuberanza”.

An internationally renowned Italian artist since the Sixties, Luigi Ontari’s works are inspired by an eclectic range of sources and historic eras: art history, fairytales, classical and eastern mythology as well as personal idea. As part of his technique, Ontani himself is often the star of his works, clad in the clothes of legendary figures from the worlds of religion and literature. The artist is known for his expressive exuberance and for embracing a multitude of techniques, such as photography, performance, tableaux-vivant, sculptures, installations, drawings and engraving. Luigi Ontani has displayed his art in leading museums around the world, including the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid; and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. In 2001, P.S.1 in New York held the first major retrospective of his works in the United States. He participated in the Venice Biennale in 1972, 1978, 1984, 1986 and 1995, and at the Lyon Biennale in 2000. In 2009, he won the Terna Award and the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte in Naples held a major retrospective of Ontani’s art.

For “L’Esuberanza” of Ornellaia 2006, Luigi Ontani created four ceramic column sculptures that also work as fountains to symbolize the seasons. Ontani made these works in collaboration with the master ceramists of Faenza out of respect for Italian handicraft traditions of the highest order. The alternating seasons can be seen in Ontani’s works as natural elements that symbolise the various times of the year: flowers for the spring, wheat for the summer, grapes for the autumn and nuts for the winter. The four allegories of the seasons introduce the temporal dimension of the work of winemaking.
For “L’Esuberanza” of Ornellaia 2006 Luigi Ontani also designed an exclusive label for an extremely limited number of large-format bottles of Ornellaia 2006. The artist dedicated a different colour for each format. The design of the label shows four faces hidden behind the artist’s calligraphy, which recall the theme of the seasons, while the manna ash and alder leaves become letters that make up the wording ‘Ornellaia Esuberanza’.
Some of the large-format bottles of Vendemmia d’Artista “L’Esuberanza” were auctioned and the profits were donated to the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan.