2010 Ornellaia, Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy
Critics reviews
Antionio Galloni - Aug-2013
Monica Larner - 29/08/2013
Jancis Robinson - jancisrobinson.com - 30-Jul-2013
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com - 07-Nov-2013
About this WINE
Ornellaia
Tenuta dell’Ornellaia is located in one of the world’s most exciting wine regions: Bolgheri. A breathtaking avenue lined by towering cypress trees leads inland from the Aurelia, the old Roman coastal road, up to the walls of Bolgheri’s medieval hamlet. From the village the view extends far out to sea and on a clear day the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago and Corsica can be seen.
The mild maritime climate and the lush Mediterranean vegetation leave an imprint upon the character of the wines. Tenuta dell’Ornellaia's unique territory guides all aspects of production: limited quantities to ensure maximum quality, attention to every detail, selective hand harvesting, microvinification and ageing.
Ornellaia is a Cabernet/Merlot wine blend. Masseto is made entirely from Merlot - it is a model of rich, silky elegance and has rapidly become a modern classic.
Bolgheri
Bolgheri is a new DOC in the coastal Maremma region which first rose to prominence during the 1970s with the emergence of the so-called Super Tuscan wines like Ornellaia and Sassicaia. These new ventures had rocked the DOC establishment by using high proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon, opting out of the DOC system and relabeling their wines as simply Vino da Tavola (table wine).
Having won universal acclaim and exchanging hands for unprecedented prices (higher even than Tuscany's finest examples), the authorities relented and awarded Bolgheri its own DOC. The actions of the Super Tuscans inspired a generation in Italy, even if some of the wines here have lost a little of their lustre since.
Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
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Description
One of the highlights of the vintage on the Tuscan coast, the 2010 Ornellaia is dazzling. A tightly wound, powerful wine, the 2010 is going to need a few years in the cellar to show the full breadth of its potential and class. Still, it is impossible to miss the wine's pure pedigree and class. Freshly cut flowers, mocha, tobacco, grilled herbs and plums burst from the glass in this beautifully layered, polished Ornellaia. The 2010 is vivid, nuanced and precise from start to finish. I can't wait to see how it develops over the coming years. Today, the 2010 is all about precision, vibrancy and saline-infused energy. I very much like the way the wine continues to open up in the glass. In 2010 winemaker Axel Heinz increased the Merlot quite a bit in order to give the wine a little more richness, while Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, both challenged by the weather, were used sparingly. The 2010 is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and dollops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Antionio Galloni - Aug-2013
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