Wine Advisor
Ornellaia, Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 1995
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Is the 1995 Ornellaia better than previous vintages? It is too soon to know, but this is unquestionably another stunning wine in what has been a strong succession of top wines since 1988. The color is a saturated, thick-looking, ruby/purple. The nose offers up aromas of roasted coffee, jammy black cherry liqueur, and cassis intermixed with spice. On the palate, the wine is rich and full-bodied, with well-integrated wood, tannin, and acidity. Pure, youthful, and accessible, this impressively endowed wine should drink well for 10-15+ years. The "other" Antinori continues to turn out stunning wines from this small estate in Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast. The omnipresent Michel Rolland is the consultant, and that is evident in the rich texture, and ripe, concentrated style of this wine. Importer: Kobrand Corp., New York, NY; tel. (212) 490-9300
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1995 Ornellaia (magnum) is remarkably fresher than the same wine from bottle. There is a warm, almost exotic quality to the luxurious, rich fruit. Sweet tobacco and licorice add further layers of nuance and flavor. In magnum the wine still has a few years left, but bottles are further along in their evolution and need to be drunk over the next few years. The 1995 is a rather unique Ornellaia in that only a portion of the wine (40%) finished its malolactic fermentation in barrique, while the majority of the wine underwent malo in cask. The blend is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, and the percentage of new oak is 39%. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2014.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1995 Ornellaia looks to be sensational, and appears to be a return to the exceptional quality of the 1990 and 1988. The Marchese Lodovico Antinori makes these luxuriously fruity, rich wines from his vineyards in Bolgheri, an area not far from the famed Sassicaia. With the help of Bordeaux's brilliant oenologist, Michel Rolland, these wines seem to be going from strength to strength. Importer: Kobrand Corp., New York, NY; tel. (212) 490-9300
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1995 Ornellaia (magnum) is remarkably fresher than the same wine from bottle. There is a warm, almost exotic quality to the luxurious, rich fruit. Sweet tobacco and licorice add further layers of nuance and flavor. In magnum the wine still has a few years left, but bottles are further along in their evolution and need to be drunk over the next few years. The 1995 is a rather unique Ornellaia in that only a portion of the wine (40%) finished its malolactic fermentation in barrique, while the majority of the wine underwent malo in cask. The blend is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, and the percentage of new oak is 39%.
Reviewed by: Joel Butler
Medium ruby-garnet, not violet or purple. Evident new-oak vanilla, along with cherry, cassis, ripe plum and cedar aromas. Medium-full body. Has weight, good fruit and decent extract, but less than I expected from a fine vintage like 1995. Moderately concentrated berry, cassis and minerally flavors are suffused by toasty oak, which tends to add a lean, drying note to the finish. This should pick up weight, color, and fruit with bottle aging, but still seems disappointing in the context of the vintage. *+
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good medium reed. Ripe aromas of red fruits, tobacco, chocolate, smoke, leather and truffle. Densely packed, structured and backward, with complex, youthful flavors of cassis, lavender, minerals and game. Still unfolding. Finishes with superb persistence and tannic grip. A great year for quality and quantity, notes Duroux.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Dark red-ruby. Complex aromas of redcurrant, cassis, rose petal, coffee and menthol. Suave, supple and moderately ripe in the mouth, with flavors of maraschino cherry, red berries, menthol and grilled nuts. Boasts good middle-palate texture, but finishes with somewhat drying tannins. I expected more from this vintage.
About the Producer
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia (also known as Ornellaia) is located in one of the most beautiful natural locations in the Tuscany region of Italy, and the estate's priority is to produce wines of exceptional quality. The passion for wine, the dedication to quality and the unique terroir have created the highly acclaimed wines of Château Ornellaia, which have established the estate as one of the world's leading wineries. Located in the foothills of the Bolgheri region of Livorno, on the western edge of Tuscany, facing the Mediterranean Sea, Château d'Ornellaia is a unique wine estate. Thanks to its proximity to the sea, the cool sea breeze blows through the vineyards throughout the summer. The soil is predominantly alluvial and volcanic, and the unique terroir and microclimate create an excellent environment for the grapes to grow. There are two main vineyards: the original vineyard of Château d'Ornaya, where the winery is located, and the Bellaria vineyard, located directly east of the town of Paogli. Founded in 1981 by Lodovico Antinori, Château d'Ornaya began producing its first vintage in 1985, and in 1991 Michel Rolland became the winemaking consultant for Château d'Ornaya. In 2005, the Frescobaldi family bought all the remaining shares of Ornellaia and has been running it ever since. This brought Ornellaia back into the hands of the Italians. Since the foundations of Ornellaia were laid more than 20 years ago, the winery has had a vision that the Italian wines of the future would have to be created with a unique and new winemaking process, in search of great quality. To achieve this, the winery had to find a unique origin, get the timing right and have an optimal team. All of this is structured into a philosophy and has enabled Château d'Ornaya to unleash its unlimited potential. With its intelligent team and winemaking philosophy, as well as the inspiration of its "artists", each vintage is crafted into a masterpiece. Château d'Ornellaia is committed to following the laws of nature in the production of each vintage. The grapes are hand-picked when they reach full ripeness and then vinified individually according to the parcels in order to extract the unique and rare terroir brought about by the growing conditions. In addition, the team's dedication and hard work to achieve the winery's goal of producing excellent quality wines has resulted in bottle after bottle of excellent wines. The hand-harvested grapes were completely destemmed and then fermented, partly in wooden barrels and partly in stainless steel tanks. The wine then undergoes malolactic fermentation in oak barrels, 70% of which are new and 30% are old. The wine is then aged in temperature-controlled cellars for 18 months. Once the ageing period has reached 12 months, the winemaker blends the wine and allows it to age further. Château d'Ornaya's winemaking philosophy is based on the belief that wines must faithfully express the characteristics of the terroir. This adherence to this unique terroir is also firmly embedded in all aspects and processes of wine making, such as limiting yields to ensure the highest quality, paying attention to every detail and insisting on hand-selected harvesting and small batch fermentation and ageing.
1986(1)1987(1)1990(1)
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