2012 | Ornellaia | Bolgheri Superiore

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.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: 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.

• James Suckling: 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.

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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