1998 ornellaia, bolgheri

Marketplace price

Bottle size (ML)

Why We're Buying

Ornellaia Bolgheri belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of Italian wines. It’s one of the original Super Tuscans, a style that transformed Italian wine into the powerhouse it is today. Ornellaia is picked during ideal conditions and uses only the finest fruit to ensure immaculate year-over-year quality. Today, the Bordeaux-style red blend easily commands a $300 price tag.

Critics Scores

Decanter

1998 is most likely the best vintage ever for Ornellaia. Petit Verdot was not yet used in the blend. Evolved bramble fruits meld with forest floor, helichrysum and Mediterranean herb aromas. On the palate this wine dazzles with the vibrancy of the best Pomerol-like minerality, with a tight-knit structure of velvety yet lively tannins amongst the fruit, and delicate acidity pushing a slightly pyrazinic finish with long, dark notes of Marmite and cigar-box supported by some citrus notes.

Wine Spectator

A cool and sleek Tuscan red, with tarragon and fresh sage aromas, blackberry and cherry undertones. Full-bodied, with a wonderfully silky palate of fine tannins and a long, fruity finish. Very sophisticated and reserved.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Made in a relatively structured style for the normally succulent Ornellaia, the dense saturated ruby/purple-colored 1998 offers up aromas of pain grille, spice, smoke, black fruits, and graphite. Full-bodied, concentrated, exceptionally pure, and long, it will be at its finest between 2005-2018. Very impressive, but it requires patience.