2013 ornellaia, bolgheri

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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

Wine Enthusiast

A blend of 45 Cabernet Sauvignon, 38 Merlot, 10 Cabernet Franc and 7 Petit Verdot, this opens with aromas of red currant, fragrant purple flower and exotic spice. The currant aroma carries over to the austere palate along with cranberry, chopped herb and French oak. With its backbone of firm acidity and assertive close-grained tannins, it already boasts finesse but will need years to soften and develop. Drink 2021–2028.

James Suckling

Amazing graphite and violet aromas with dark fruits. Medium to full body, ultra-velvety tannins and a long and beautiful finish. Formed and tight. I love the fresh ginger underneath it all. A cool profile that's so approachable with wonderful length.

Jeb Dunnuck

The inky colored 2013 Ornellaia is made from 45 Cabernet Sauvignon, 38 Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It was brought up in 70 new French oak, with the balance in once-used barrels, aged 18 months before bottling. Cassis, blackberries, graphite, toasty oak, and licorice notes all flow to a full-bodied, concentrated, structured 2013 that has beautiful purity and elegance, building tannin, and a great finish. It’s a beautiful wine that’s going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and shine for 10-15 years.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This wine will be released in May 2016. The 2013 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is an integrated and seamless blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Alex Heinz tells me that 2013 was a difficult vintage especially towards the early part of the growing season. It balanced out during the summer and allowed for steady ripening of fruit before the harvest. But 2013 was not as hot as 2011 and 2012 overall, and this edition of Ornellaia is beautifully tonic and shapely as a result. The bouquet is very developed in terms of aromas this year with beautiful notes of dark fruit, tobacco and spice. Those perfumes are just gorgeous. The mouthfeel is similarly intense with tannins that are still young, but are already silky and linear in nature. This vintage promises a long aging future.

Wine Spectator

Vanilla, toast and smoke notes shade the black cherry and plum aromas, while the spicy oak theme carries over on the palate. A brash style that shows fine balance, but this will require time to find equilibrium. Best from 2018 through 2029.