| 99 Points: "The 2021 Ornellaia captures all the magic of this sensational
vintage on the Tuscan Coast. Rich, ample and expansive, with tremendous polish, the 2021 is pure class. Dark-toned fruit, mocha, espresso, licorice, plum, and dried herbs abound. The tannins are present but also beautifully integrated, as the French oak. There was a time not too long ago when young wines needed years in bottle to drink well. That’s not the case with the 2021. The blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot works so well. New oak was 70%. Drinking window: 2027 - 2051" – Antonio Galloni, Vinous (February 2024)
99 Points: "Aromas of blackcurrants, iodine, crushed stone, hints of mint and sage. Blue fruits. Full-bodied with chewy tannins that open with air.
It’s racy and very long. Very tannin driven and energetic with power and focus. Muscular and very toned. This is the best Ornellaia for the cellar in years. Try after 2030." – JamesSuckling.com (November 2023)
97 Points: "While the summer was hot and dry, with three months of drought, the vines' roots were able to tap water reserves which had been topped up by rainfall the previous winter and spring. Despite the warm growing season, Ornellaia 2021 feels less dense and muscular than vintages of old, offering pretty floral and wild herb perfumes alongside ripe red and black fruit scents. It's intense, fresh and vertical in character, with fine, ripe, round tannins that seem to be a trademark of the vintage – it's a gorgeous, breezy iteration of the Bolgheri benchmark that is already drinking well. The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon (up from 50% in 2020), 25% Merlot (down from 32%), 15% Cabernet Franc (up from 13%) and 7% Petit Verdot (up from 5%); a carefully considered response from the winemaking team to the increasingly warm summers in the region. Drinking Window: 2024 – 2048" – James Button, Decanter (February 2024)
96 Points: "The Ornellaia 2021 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia offers an extra layer of richness, generosity and plushness that shapes a very open-knit and exuberant Tuscan red. The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 7%
Petit Verdot. You feel the fruit and oak weight of the wine, the extract and the 15% alcohol content. All of these elements come together to big effect. From that power, you get black cherry, dark fruit, sweet spice and barbecue smoke. The fruit tannins are young, and this edition of Ornellaia proves worthy for medium or long-term drinking, especially as it softens up with more bottle age. Drink Date: 2026 – 2050" – Monica Larner, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (February 2024)
FROM THE WINERY
ORNELLAIA 2021 ‘LA GENEROSITÀ’
-BOLGHERI DOC SUPERIORE ROSSO
Ornellaia is born where nature and mind meet. Complex ancient soils converse through the medium of human wisdom with a delicate microclimate
that is echoed and reflected in the Mediterranean Sea. Prolonged ageing accompanies the estate’s fine wine in achieving its utmost expression, revealing all its finesse and generosity over time.
Blend: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot
Alc.: 15% vol
TASTING NOTES
Ornellaia 2021 displays the characteristics of a typical vintage in Bolgheri, with not a few sunny spells and devoid of rain, crafting a rich and concentrated wine that is also deeply expressive and generous. Signature notes of Mediterranean shrub, herbs, cypress berries, classic blackberry and dark fruit aromas unfurl on the nose, accompanying a palate endowed with dense tannins but certainly not lacking in precision and finesse. The finish is vibrant and enduring, bringing a feeling
of aromatic freshness and elegance.
THE 2021 GROWING SEASON
2021 started with a mild yet rainy winter that enabled the water resources in the soil to be replenished. After a dry March, budbreak occurred in the first fortnight of April. The gradual rise in temperatures and normal rainfall allowed the shoots to develop evenly before flowering in superb conditions towards the end of May. Summer fully arrived in June with temperatures slightly above average and an almost total absence of rain, resulting in veraison in the last week of July. The dry spell continued throughout August and September, but the spring rain and our estate’s deep soils allowed the vines to avoid overly intense water stress, creating the conditions for small, highly concentrated grapes with exceptional potential in terms of quality.
September was hot and sunny, devoid of rainfall, which provided for an "à la carte"
harvest to convey the maximum quality potential of each vineyard.
The red grapes were harvested mostly in September, with Merlot within the first fortnight, and other varieties of the estate from 13 September onwards, ending on 1 October.
VINIFICATION AND AGEING
The clusters were hand-picked into 15 kg crates and then selected by hand on a double sorting table, before and after destemming, and then softly crushed. In 2016, optical sorting has been introduced in addition to manual selection, to further increase the quality of selection. Each grape variety and single vineyard block were vinified separately. Fermentation took place in stainless steel and concrete tanks at temperatures between 26 and 30°C for one week, followed by maceration for about 15 days, for a total time in the vat of about three weeks. The malolactic fermentation took place mainly in oak barrels, 70% new and 30% used
once. The wine then remained in barriques, in Ornellaia’s cellars for about 18 months. After the first 12 months of maturation, the wine was assembled and then returned to the barriques for an additional 6 months. After bottling, the wine was aged for a further 12 months prior to release.
ABOUT ORNELLAIA
Ornellaia has established itself among the iconic wine estates in Italy (and beyond). The estate is dedicated to producing charming and opulent wines, full of Mediterranean character and finesse, reflecting the estate’s unique terroir in Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast. The combination of Bolgheri’s unique soils and growing conditions, and what can only be characterized as a total obsession with excellence, result in the world-class wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc that so many wine lovers across the world have come to cherish.
Ornellaia
employs a full time team of 80 people whose passion and motivation make Ornellaia what it is today. No shortcuts in the part of the production are allowed and the details literally come down to a grape by grape basis. Wines are intently crafted to capture the character of each vintage, in all its complexity and facets. In fact, the character and intricacies of each individual vintage are so important to the estate that since vintage 2006, the estate has identified a single word that captures the character of each vintage, and that word is interpreted by a contemporary artist who produces special labels and a site-specific work of art that remains part of the estate’s permanent collection.
In addition to its place among Italy’s iconic wines, Ornellaia is also an ambassador for the Bolgheri region, leading it to be recognized as one of Italy’s greatest winegrowing regions. It is their belief, and it is hard to argue, that Bogheri’s mild maritime
climate and diversity of soils create wines as distinct, complex and pleasurable as any in the world.
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