Tenuta dell´Ornellaia - Ornellaia VdT 2018

Jane Anson: "Pure rich and seductive fruits in that generous way that Ornellaia has, with the most gorgeous smoky character. It is full of life and nuance and so moreish. Teases with its ability to give and take, structured yet soft, powerful but finessed, full of leather, vanilla bean, raspberry, red cherry, tar. All varieties are aged separately for 12 months then blended and then put back in barrel for 6 months, 70% new oak. First released through the Place in March 2021."

James Suckling: "So aromatic and complex with blackcurrants, blueberries, fresh violets and lavender on the nose. Some graphite and iodine, too. Medium to full body with firm, chewy tannins that are polished and refined, yet the palate is so long and refined. This is an Ornellaia with strength in elegance. Try after 2025."

Vinum: "Der Jahrgang wie der Wein wurde mit Grazia (Anmut) umschrieben: im Duft zurückhaltend, dann ein Potpourri von Waldfrüchten, Pfeffer, getrockneten Rosen; feine Tannine mit rassiger Säure ergeben einen dichten, doch eleganten Wein, der noch lagern sollte."

Decanter: "This is such a charismatic wine, abundant and packed full of flavour while refined and precise. The palate has barely-there tannins that glide across the tongue underpinned by milk chocolate, leather, almost-sour cherries, blackcurrants and liquorice spicing. Freshness and persistence balanced by density and silkiness. Fermentation in oak barrels 70% new and 30% once used, then transferred to barriques for 18 months. After the first 12 months of maturation the wine is assembled and returned to barriques for an additional 6 months before being bottled and aged again for 12 months prior to release. A blend of 51% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot."

Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2018 Ornellaia is mostly Merlot but includes a solid amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and tiny amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It's a gorgeous wine that takes air to show at its best (and deserves bottle age), giving up a terrific array of red and black currants, cedar pencil, tobacco, iron, and savory herbs. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, incredibly well-balanced red that has building, ripe, polished tannins, perfectly integrated acidity, a great mid-palate, and one heck of a finish. While not a blockbuster in the exuberant, extroverted sense of the word, it has incredible intensity and depth, and this is a gem of a wine. It needs another 5-7 years to hit maturity and, I suspect, will evolve for 30-40 years."

Falstaff: "Funkelndes, sattes Rubin mit leichten Violettschimmer. Eröffnet mit satter dunkler Beerenfrucht, dahinter harzig-mediterrane Kräuter, etwas Zedernholz. Am Gaumen rund und saftig, sehr schön ausbalanciert, samtiges, schon erstaunlich gut eingebundenes Tannin, schmalzig und viel frische Frucht, im Nachhall nach Sandelholz und Lebkuchen."

The Wine Advocate: "The 2018 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is complete and seamlessly stitched together with extreme care and precision. This is an almost technical blend of Merlot (at 50% of the blend for the first time), 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot that offers a true sense of wholeness and consistency that speaks to the blending expertise and experience of the winemaking team. Finding harmony among the various vinous components of the wine was especially important in this vintage that prized early-ripening grapes like Merlot over the others. Blackberry and dried cherry segue to spice, tar, campfire ash and more sweet fruit. We're off to a great start, and this vintage of Ornellaia is surely destined to flesh out and grow more complex with age."

Weinwisser: "51% Merlot, 40 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 7 % Cabernet Franc, 2 % Petit Verdot: Mittelkräftiges Rubinrot mit satter Mitte und deutlich violettblauer Einfärbung und Reflexen. Ein Wein, der seinem Namen als «La Grazia» schon im Duft alle Ehre macht. Schon im ersten Ansatz sehr anmutend mit viel blau untermalter Frucht, feinste Vanilleschote und Zeder, dahinter kommen dann die mediterrane Macchia und herrliche Lakritznoten zum Vorschein. Das ist schon sehr harmonisch und verführerisch. Am Gaumen enorm saftig und elegant mit guter Dichte, das feinpolierte Tannin ist cremig umhüllt, ja fast wie Samt und Seide legt er sich ohne Schwere auf die Zunge. Die Säure ist jetzt schon gut eingebunden, vielleicht wird ihm für die ganz lange Reise ein Tick Spannung fehlen, aber das wird ein feinsinniger, früh zugänglicher Ornellaia mit hohem Genussfaktor. Kommt nicht ganz ran an den 2016er, der mit mehr «Tensione» (Spannung) aufwartet, aber ein Ornellaia, der frühen und viel hedonistischen Genuss verspricht."

Wine Spectator: " Complex, sophisticated and harmonious, this pure red is marked by black currant, black cherry, cedar, iron and light spice flavors. Bright and focused, with refined tannins emerging on the spice-tinged finish. Discreet and stylish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2040. 1,500 cases imported."

Jancis Robinson: "Deep glowing crimson. Restrained nose – more so that the Serre Nuove. This is all potential rather than actuality. Lots of dense fruit tucked in and quite a bit of tannin. Dry finish. Still a baby! "