Tenuta dell’Ornellaia – Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC Superiore Magnum

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. “The 2012 growing season was characterised by an abundance of sunny, dry weather; some rain did fall as well, but it occurred in just the right periods, before the harvest, and helped the vines to cope with the hot, dry conditions. The result was an even, consistent ripening process that in the end yielded generous, full-volumed wines that are remarkably appealing and seductive, with an overall character that we like to define with the word Incanto (‘Enchantment’). Ornellaia 2012 appears a deep ruby, and a remarkably beguiling bouquet boasts rich fruit and spices notes. The palate shows well-rounded, full, and generous, with glossy tannins and a complete absence of any roughness. The 2012 lacks none of the proverbial concentration that distinguishes Ornellaia’s, great vintages, but this vintage adroitly masks that richness behind an expansive, magisterial structure, then concludes with a near-endless finish.”
Axel Heinz – Winemaker at Ornellaia
Composition: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon – 27% Merlot – 10% Cabernet Franc – 7% Petit Verdot

Critical Acclaim
James Suckling 97/100
A tight and silky red with compacted fruit and tannin texture featuring blackcurrant, mushroom and bark undertones. Full body, firm tannins and a minerally finish. Excellent structure and mouthfeel. A cooler style of Ornellaia, bringing it back to the classicism of this celebrated region. Bordeaux blend. Better in 2018.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 94/100
The 2012 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is very similar to the 2011 Ornellaia that precedes it. These were both hot vintages, but 2012 saw the heat towards the end of the growing season. In fact the harvest in 2012 came two weeks earlier than average. This seamless blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (56%), Merlot (27%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Petit Verdot (7%) shows some of the roundness and softness of that summer heat. The wine’s density and extraction are spot-on and the bouquet is beautifully shaped by dark cherry nuances with spice, leather and tobacco at the back. There is a gorgeous sense of richness and plushness here. Some 160,000 bottles were produced. This edition of Ornellaia is more immediate in character and less suited to the decades-long aging that cooler vintages can affront so successfully.
Decanter 94/100
2012 was an extremely dry yet sound vintage where the awareness of making less extracted and more balanced wines was employed. If the style is more overt, with ripe but not jammy bramble fruits, it doesn’t lack a muffled nose of straw, fresh pipe tobacco and macerated flowers. On the palate this Ornellaia is full and powerful with big, creamy tannins and a chalky, woody finish, underlined by firm acidity most likely emphasised by the drought.
Wine Spectator 93/100
Features complex aromas of dark fruit and spice right out of the gate, with intense flavors of rich black cherry, blueberry and spice. The firm yet fine tannins add support as this builds to a long finish and aftertaste. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Better than previously reviewed. Best from 2018 through 2032.