Wine Advisor
Ornellaia, Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2011
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Another dark, intense wine, the 2011 Ornellaia boasts superb depth, richness and power. Here, too, the 2011 has tightened up quite a bit over the last six months. Today, the searing tannins are quite prominent, giving the 2011 an element of gravitas and muscle that argues for cellaring. How long? I am not sure, but the 2011 is built for the long haul. Savory herbs, new leather, menthol and cloves resonate on the huge finish.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2011 Ornellaia is another gorgeous wine. Mocha, plums, tobacco and licorice blossom from the glass in a rich, seamless wine endowed with stunning depth. Savory notes develop later, adding depth and resonance. The 2011 looks to have a broad drinking window that is sure to provide many stages of pleasure over the next 20+ years. The blend is approximately 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Fully saturated ruby. Reticent aromas of deep black fruits and spices complemented by menthol, grilled herbs and vanillin oak. Dense, sweet and powerful but still quite primary, conveying a distinctly high pitch to its ripe black cherry, violet and coffee flavors. Finishes saline, tannic and very long, with impressive muscle and noteworthy medicinal reserve. A huge but very successful Ornellaia that I would have scored even higher had it showed even more length.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This shows incredible concentration with dark-berry, dark-chocolate, mint and rosemary character. Full body with a superb depth of fruit and polished tannins. It's chewy but caressing. This needs at least four or five years to come around. Powerful and intense. Yet it remains fresh and bright.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This shows incredible concentration with dark-berry, dark-chocolate, mint and rosemary character. Full body with a superb depth of fruit and polished tannins. It's chewy but caressing. This needs at least four or five years to come around. Powerful and intense. Yet it remains fresh and bright.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A bit of a monster with dark chocolate and cherry fruits. An assertive, bold wine with oak served up in thick slices, topped with slightly jammy cassis and blackberry. Forthright, bold and dense; very showy and boldly engineered. -NS
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A dark and fruity wine with aromas of brambleberries, plums, prunes, licorice, smoke, wood and a hint of flowers. Full-bodied with flavors of coffee grounds and chocolate, plus firm dusty tannins, sustained acidity and a polished finish. It’s slightly rustic yet savory. Drink now.
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.
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