2003 | Ornellaia | Bolgheri Superiore

Subtle aromas of currant, coffee and blackberry, yet rather coarse on the palate just now. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, long finish.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2003 Ornellaia (magnum) is another impressive wine. Owing to the heat of the vintage, this is an especially ripe, opulent Ornellaia. The blend contains a higher percentage of Cabernet Franc and less Merlot than is the norm, which helps preserve a measure of freshness. It is also the first vintage where Petit Verdot is part of the blend. Dark, jammy fruit is nicely balanced by a vein of minerality that gives the wine clarity and length, yet the tannins are a touch less finessed than in the finest years, which is consistent with the quality of the vintage. The final blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, aged a total of 18 months in French oak, 70% new. This is without question a very impressive 2003.

• Vinous: Deep, saturated ruby. Wonderfully sweet aromas of blackcurrant, violet, smoky plum and milk chocolate, complicated by nuances of graphite and menthol. Thick and powerful in the mouth, with a penetrating sweetness of fruit accentuated by superrich milk chocolate and espresso flavors. Highly polished tannins and sound acidity leave the mouth basking in a creamy, long finish. This is the first vintage in which petit verdot was included in the blend (the fruit comes from the seven-year-old Olivo vineyard), and you can actually pick up its presence, especially on the floral nose.

Producer Information

Ornellaia is one of the foremost producers in the Bolgheri appellation on the coast of Tuscany. It is particularly known for making one of Italy's most famous and expensive wines, which shares the same name. This Bordeaux-style blend is one of the original Super Tuscans. It is made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, instead of Tuscany's most famous variety, Sangiovese. The vineyard, which neighbors Sassacaia in Tuscany's coastal Maremma region, enjoys gentle sea breezes, which mitigate the summer heat, and is sheltered by neighboring hills from cold winter winds. The soils are a complex mix of alluvial, volcanic and marine elements, providing a good base for the Bordeaux varieties planted here. After hand-picking and careful selection – firstly by bunch and secondly grape by grape – each variety and each vineyard block is vinified separately in stainless steel tanks. Ornellaia is aged for around 18 months in oak, 70 percent of which is new. Grapes which do not make the cut for the top wine (primarily from the estate's younger vineyards) are redirected to Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia, the second wine of the estate. This usually has more Merlot, and less time in oak. 2015 brought a statement of confidence in the terroir's suitability for great white wine, with the release of the maiden (2013) vintage of Ornellaia Bianco. This is a blend with a majority of Sauvignon Blanc sourced from three small estate vineyards identified as producing particularly expressive fruit. The Ornellaia portfolio also includes Le Volte dell'Ornellaia, which is based on Merlot, Poggio alla Gazze dell'Ornellaia, a Sauvignon Blanc-based white. Finally, Ornus dell'Ornellaia, a late-harvest Petit Manseng. The company was founded in 1981 by Marchese Lodovico Antinori, with the first vintage in 1985. From 2002 to 2005 the estate was co-owned by Robert Mondavi and Marchesi De Frescobaldi but, since 2005 Frescobaldi has owned it outright. Michel Rolland has been the consultant winemaker since 1991.

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