Expert Reviews
The finesse and depth to this is really impressive, showing brightness and super-integrated, polished and balanced tannins that go on for minutes. Fresh herbs, cherries, currants and a hint of vanilla. Long, almost endless finish. Drink after 2028, but already gorgeous.
The 2021 Ornellaia captures all the magic of this sensational vintage on the Tuscan Coast. Rich, ample and expansive, with tremendous polish, the 2021 is pure class. Dark-toned fruit, mocha, espresso, licorice, plum and dried herbs abound. The tannins are present but also beautifully integrated, as is the French oak. There was a time not too long ago when young wines here needed years in bottle to drink well. That's not at all the case with the 2021. The blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot works so well. New oak was 70%.
A wine that feels like walking into an Italian bar just as the morning is getting started, the steam and heat of the Marzocco, the espresso grinding, the chocolate and jam oozing out of the fresh pastry, a hint of perfume and aftershave from everyone loitering before heading to the office. More welcoming than past Ornellaia—the generosity of spirit is felt.
An intense red, defined by lively acidity and framed by dense, ripe tannins that showcase its black currant, blackberry, violet and toasty oak aromas and flavors. Iron and wild herb accents emerge as this plays out on the finish. Though expressive at this stage, this youthful version will benefit from time in bottle. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
While the summer was hot and dry, with three months of drought, the vines' roots were able to tap water reserves which had been topped up by rainfall the previous winter and spring. Despite the warm growing season, Ornellaia 2021 feels less dense and muscular than vintages of old, offering pretty floral and wild herb perfumes alongside ripe red and black fruit scents. It's intense, fresh and vertical in character, with fine, ripe, round tannins that seem to be a trademark of the vintage – it's a gorgeous, breezy iteration of the Bolgheri benchmark that is already drinking well. The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon (up from 50% in 2020), 25% Merlot (down from 32%), 15% Cabernet Franc (up from 13%) and 7% Petit Verdot (up from 5%); a carefully considered response from the winemaking team to the increasingly warm summers in the region.
The Ornellaia 2021 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia offers an extra layer of richness, generosity and plushness that shapes a very open-knit and exuberant Tuscan red. The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. You feel the fruit and oak weight of the wine, the extract and the 15% alcohol content. All of these elements come together to big effect. From that power, you get black cherry, dark fruit, sweet spice and barbecue smoke. The fruit tannins are young, and this edition of Ornellaia proves worthy for medium or long-term drinking, especially as it softens up with more bottle age.