Ornellaia 2011/2012 (750 ml)

7 bottles of 2011
2 bottles of 2012

*Indicate vintage preference at checkout


The 2012 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is very similar to the 2011 Ornellaia that precedes it. These were both hot vintages, but 2012 saw the heat towards the end of the growing season. In fact the harvest in 2012 came two weeks earlier than average. This seamless blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (56%), Merlot (27%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Petit Verdot (7%) shows some of the roundness and softness of that summer heat. The wine's density and extraction are spot-on and the bouquet is beautifully shaped by dark cherry nuances with spice, leather and tobacco at the back. There is a gorgeous sense of richness and plushness here. Some 160,000 bottles were produced. This edition of Ornellaia is more immediate in character and less suited to the decades-long aging that cooler vintages can affront so successfully.

94 points from Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

“The 2012 growing season was characterised by an abundance of sunny, dry weather; some rain did fall as well, but it occurred in just the right periods, before the harvest, and helped the vines to cope with the hot, dry conditions. The result was an even, consistent ripening process that in the end yielded generous, full-volumed wines that are remarkably appealing and seductive, with an overall character that we like to define with the word Incanto (‘Enchantment’). Ornellaia 2012 appears a deep ruby, and a remarkably beguiling bouquet boasts rich fruit and spices notes. The palate shows well-rounded, full, and generous, with glossy tannins and a complete absence of any roughness. The 2012 lacks none of the proverbial concentration that distinguishes Ornellaia’s, great vintages, but this vintage adroitly masks that richness behind an expansive, magisterial structure, then concludes with a near-endless finish.”

Axel Heinz – May 2014