Tenuta dell’Ornellaia – Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC Superiore

Featuring amongst the 10 Tuscany’s most wanted wines. WS: Complex aromas of dark fruit and spice roght out of the gae, with intense flavours of rich black cherry, blueberry and spice. The firm yet fine tannins add support as this build to a long finish and aftertaste. 93-97 points from critics, #57 Top 100 Wine Collectible of the World. The desire to nurture the Estate’s exceptional qualities has shaped Ornellaia’s philosophy since the beginning. Ornellaia is a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot and the faithful expression of unique terroir developed in harmony with nature. “What appeared to be a disadvantage for the 2013 vintage – late budding and flowering – proved to be a major advantage thanks to a warm summer and month of September offering textbook conditions for harvesting, with cool temperatures but a prevalence of sunny weather. This resulted in slow but complete ripening with great balance and a delightful aromatic quality, which we like to define as “Elegance”. Ornellaia 2013, with its dense, vibrant colour, has a nose of splendid aromatic complexity built around a limpid and brilliant fruitiness, underscored by refined spicy and balsamic notes. The mouth develops vibrant and complex fruity nuances framed by a dense, slender structure with tannins that attain a rare harmony between firmness and fleshiness, concluding with a long balanced and fresh finish.”
Axel Heinz – Winemaker at Ornellaia
Blend: 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot

Critical Acclaim
James Suckling 98/100
Amazing graphite and violet aromas with dark fruits. Medium to full body, ultra-velvety tannins and a long and beautiful finish. Formed and tight. I love the fresh ginger underneath it all. A cool profile that’s so approachable with wonderful length.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 96/100
This wine will be released in May 2016. The 2013 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is an integrated and seamless blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Alex Heinz tells me that 2013 was a difficult vintage especially towards the early part of the growing season. It balanced out during the summer and allowed for steady ripening of fruit before the harvest. But 2013 was not as hot as 2011 and 2012 overall, and this edition of Ornellaia is beautifully tonic and shapely as a result. The bouquet is very developed in terms of aromas this year with beautiful notes of dark fruit, tobacco and spice. Those perfumes are just gorgeous. The mouthfeel is similarly intense with tannins that are still young, but are already silky and linear in nature. This vintage promises a long aging future.
Decanter 95/100
The 2013 vintage was scorching hot in the summer, but August storms delayed the ripening and the grapes were harvested two weeks later than the 2011 and 2012. ‘This slow vegetative development favoured aromatic expression’, comments Heinz. The 2013 has lots of top notes of creamy oak spice and dark berried fruit. A soft and round first impression evolves into a rich, but not heavy, wine with a gentle appeal and a nuanced palate of green peppercorn, tobacco spice, lively redcurrant and vanilla. It has a suave and energetic personality.
Jeb Dunnuck 95/100
The inky colored 2013 Ornellaia is made from 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It was brought up in 70% new French oak, with the balance in once-used barrels, aged 18 months before bottling. Cassis, blackberries, graphite, toasty oak, and licorice notes all flow to a full-bodied, concentrated, structured 2013 that has beautiful purity and elegance, building tannin, and a great finish. It’s a beautiful wine that’s going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and shine for 10-15 years.