Tenuta dell´Ornellaia - Ornellaia VdT 2022

Jane Anson: "One of the few 2022 Tuscan wines where you can really see that this will benefit from a few years in bottle, right now it is, hovering on the edge of something delicious, vibrating over the tannic architecture, feathered, campfire smoke, fennel, blackberry, liquorice and crushed peonies, and the bitter fennel and slate scrape, dense, contrast of textures and flavours like only truly great wines can do, a reflection of skilful construction. A gorgeous wine, slowly stretching out in the palate, 65% new oak for ageing. Harvest began August 9 for the whites, and the reds began August 25 with Masseto, and then a few days later for Ornellaia, one of the earliest on record, with around 38hl/h yield."

Falstaff: "Dunkel schimmerndes Rubinviolett. Einprägsame Nase, präsentiert sich mit viel saftiger Frucht, vor allem Cassis und Heidelbeere, im Hintergrund etwas rauchige Noten. Am Gaumen frisch und erstaunlich saftig, griffiges, sehr gut eingebundenes Tannin, zeigt gute Spannung, schwingt sehr lange nach, eine Flasche, die man einfach gerne leert!"

The Wine Advocate: "Tasted a few months after it was bottled, the Ornellaia 2022 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia will be coming to market in March 2025. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. The wine sees 18 months of aging with up to 70% new oak, but the trick, proprietor Lamberto Frescobaldi tells me, is drawing from a large group of coopers with different toast levels and forests. "I don't want to make a wine of any one tonnellerie," he says. The oak element is crucial to the identity of this wine that reveals dark fruit, blackberry, sweet spice and cinnamon. Most of the vines were planted in the 1980s, and the average age of the plants is over 20 years old. Fruit comes from many parcels, including Bellaria, Bellaria Nuova, Bellaria Alta, Pero, Fosso, Vigna Vecchia and Stallina. Indeed, some 80 wines are made before final blending. The 2022 vintage will be remembered for its full-bodied appeal, concentrated fruit and generous oak renderings. Petit Verdot plays a slightly larger role in this vintage and was one of the surprise hits of 2022. It serves to elongate the wine and adds to its length. The wine's abundant fruit weight cedes to elegantly integrated tannins. This vintage will appeal to die-hard Ornellaia enthusiasts."

James Suckling: "A Mediterranean-style wine. Stunning elegance on the nose, with vibrant dried eucalyptus leaves, flowers, restrained brambleberries and hints of black cherries, dried bananas, milk chocolate, cloves and graphite. The palate is full-bodied with elegant tannins and a touch of dust. It’s savory and well packed, with integrated, brilliant freshness and a ripe, fruity finish with a toasty aftertaste of blond tobacco. Try from 2026."

Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2022 Ornellaia is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 10% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. A deep but bright purple/red color, it has a fantastic nose of blackberries, polished cedar, lavender, sweet herbs, and dark cocoa. Full-bodied, it has a rich structure, with warming concentration but a very balanced feel. The tannins are ripe and frame the underlying mineral notes very nicely, its fruity richness fleshing it out harmoniously. It is not a fruity vintage for this wine, though, and its structure leads here. Drink 2027-2050."

Decanter: "Ornellaia 2022 is bold, dark fruited and spicy at this early stage, reflecting the increased percentage of Petit Verdot used in the blend. Production director Marco Balsimelli settled on 10% Petit Verdot to lend more structure to the otherwise quite soft tannic profile. Not lacking in brooding complexity, it swirls with peppery and herbal nuances and some lovely fresh acidity which carries through to a bright finish. As is characteristic of the 2022s in Bolgheri, this is overall a more compact and dense style compared to the previous year. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot."