Ratings & Tasting Notes:

100 points — The Wine Independent, December 2024
Deep ruby, with an irresistible nose of violets, cherry cordial, salted caramel, cracked pepper and fertile soil. The palate is incredibly nuanced, carried by a through-line of balletic tannins and freshness, closing on mulled spice and dark berries. The reviewer called it “a glass I will not soon forget” and an accomplishment for the Ornellaia team.

99 points — James Suckling, July 2023
Blackcurrant, iodine, crushed stone, mint and sage, with blue fruits. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins that open with air, racy and very long, tannin-driven and energetic, muscular and toned. Suckling called it “the best Ornellaia for the cellar in years.”

99 points — Vinous, February 2024
Captures all the magic of a sensational vintage on the Tuscan coast. Rich, ample and expansive with tremendous polish, abounding in dark-toned fruit, mocha, espresso, liquorice, plum and dried herbs. The tannins are present but beautifully integrated, as is the French oak — and unlike past vintages, this one does not demand years in bottle before it drinks well.

98 points — Wine Spectator, June 2024
An intense red defined by lively acidity and framed by dense, ripe tannins, showcasing blackcurrant, blackberry, violet and toasty oak, with iron and wild herb accents emerging on the finish. Expressive now, but set to benefit from time in bottle.

97 points — Decanter

97 points — Jane Anson

96 points — Wine Advocate
An extra layer of richness, generosity and plushness shaping an open-knit, exuberant Tuscan red. Black cherry, dark fruit, sweet spice and barbecue smoke come from the wine’s power. The fruit tannins are young, making this worthy of medium- to long-term cellaring as it softens with bottle age. Drink 2026 to 2050.

Cult Wines International Notes:

Ornellaia sits in the foothills near Bolgheri, a few kilometres from the Mediterranean, where sea breezes cool the vineyards in summer and the hills shelter them from cold northern winds. The soils are unusually varied for one estate, marine, alluvial and volcanic in origin, and the wine has always been built as a blend that reads that terroir rather than any one grape. Founded in 1981 by Lodovico Antinori and later part-owned by Robert Mondavi, the estate has belonged to the Frescobaldi family since 2005. Since 2006 Ornellaia has invited a contemporary artist each year to interpret the vintage’s character for its Vendemmia d’Artista project, working from a single word chosen by the winemaker. For 2021, the sixteenth edition, that word was La Generosità, generosity, and the Italian artist Marinella Senatore interpreted it in collage.

The name fits. 2021 was a classic Bolgheri year, sunny and largely without rain, and though the summer brought three months of drought the vines drew on water reserves laid down over the previous winter. The result is rich and concentrated but expressive rather than heavy: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot, eighteen months in French oak, seventy percent new. Deep ruby, with Mediterranean scrub, aromatic herbs, cypress berry, blackcurrant, violet, mocha and crushed stone. The tannins are dense but precise, the finish vibrant and long. Approachable young, and built to run to 2045.

Bottle Size:

750 mL

Storage History:

Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.

Condition:

Please note: The bottle shown is the exact bottle being sold.

Outstanding condition.