In a great spot. Wonderful Ornellaia age - I almost want to make a comparison to the Guigal LaLas where age creates this patina of unwieldy flavor that is so satisfying. When it works like this 98 does, I find it can be superior to all but the very very best aged Bordeaux. Enjoyed at Amore, waiting on the friar.
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Blackcurrants, dark chocolate and mint dominate in this incredibly beautiful and youthful wine. Just gets better and better. Extraordinary length. Turning into a freak, and quite easily the best vintage of the line.
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No detailed notes taken. This was another magical bottle of this probably best ever vintage of Ornellaia. This has it all, the depth, the precision and purity, the intriguing fruit and seductiveness and the elegance and classiness of a great Bordeaux, youthful elements mixed with tertiary notes, as well as a superb structure with fine tannins, high tension and freshness, an airy texture and a perfect harmony of all components.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed. Good from the go and with a lot of life ahead.
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1995s & Friends (67 Pall Mall, London): Decanting works here and much like a year ago when when we had this last ( Papies 94) this benefited from it. Its a wine of two faces in our mind the nose s as bordeaux-esque as it gets but on the palate it feels like it has done an internship in California. The fruit is riper, denser, definitely more selection here and had a cold feel it and dare we say the wine is young. A sort of complete wine across and with a lot of capacity to improve with more time in bottle. Very solid wine and shows that their wines need the time and mistakenly and more often than usual ( akin to Napa Cabs) are drunk too early. 94
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Allowed to breathe in bottle 1 hour. Clear deep garnet - inky violet, youthful appearance. Bright fresh blackberries, sour black cherries, blueberries, violets, sandalwood, leather, cardamom, stony soil. Full body, seamless, beautiful balance. Superb. My #1, group's FIRST PLACE among reds tonight.
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Shockingly youthful. This still seems primary with loads of fresh ripe fruit (plum, berry). Med to full body, good gripping finish. Thanks to SD-Wineaux for sharing.
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appearance is dark plum, totally opaque, lots of suspended sediment. bouquet is that of a fully mature super tuscan, savoury, mossy, damp forest floor, and vaguely mineral. palate is superb… plush, balanced, a nice mild acidity keeps it fresher than the nose would have you expect. some sour cherry in support and a long but subtle mineral aftertaste that holds on the finish. on the decline so i’d recommend drinking sooner than later.
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2023 Napa in the City: Gala Dinner (The Pool in NYC): A bit off theme for the night but absolutely awesome. All dark fruits and spice and interesting to see the Italian version of Cabernet. This was in a great spot. Juicy and delicious but well balanced. Huge fan.
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Mellow, but not subdued or boring. Had plenty of energy, from start to finish.
The fruit is just the right amount of juicy, after running its marathon in the cellar. The tannins are woven perfectly into the finish which seems to go on forever.
Thanks dad for approving this pull from the cellar!
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16x Right Bank Bordeaux 1998: Almost 25 years later, it’s a great time to check in on the wines of the much lauded right bank vintage. All wines tasted single blind. A few observations: A) most wines showed quite open with a melted tannin structure, but still good tension across the board. B) The highlight was rather on the structural side (elegance and finesse in most wines), than on the aromatic depth side, which was limited, also due to… C) …the fact that there is limited tertiary expression yet. Most wines will need at least another 5 to rather 10 years to reach their peak. D) An average rating of 91.9pts in my book and 92.0pts for the group shows that despite a few highlights, the reception was mixed overall. E) Best wines today were Angelus (group average 94.9pts), Valandraud (94.4) and Cheval Blanc (94.0). I would put L’Evangile (rated 95pts) in the top category too but the group (average 92.6) was less enthusiastic.
TN: Added as a ringer to the tasting (double blind). Oxidized, dead, which is a shame as this Ornellaia vintage can be amazing and represents the best Italian Bordeaux blend I’ve had to date (twice tasted with 98 pts).
Decanting: Double decanted and consumed a few hours later.
Group score: NA Group rank: 16th out of 16 reds
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General observations: Unfortunately, the tasting was below my expectations. The was no real "wow-effect" at any wines as I had with the left bank tasting 1982-1990 we had a year ago. So I had to find out, that, me, personally, I like more the aged left than the aged right banks. In the end, Ridge Montebello (pirate) ended even up being the wine of the night for me.
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TN: pirate very oxidated aromas, not sure if it was only the botte or if other 98 wines from tuscany are „over the hill“ as well… Maybe it had too much air, I would not suggest to decant it at all. the one who brought the wine to the tasting said that he had another bottle 2 years ago and it was amazing, so I think the bottle was flawed.
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Bordeaux Right Bank 1998 tasting (Essenz (Brugg)): Bordeaux right bank 1998 tasting. All wines were served single blind and were decanted several hours. The sample showed i/ generally healthy and structured wines, still quite primary with further aging potential; ii/ the overall performance was below expectations considering the repute of the vintage for the right bank (although this may be due to the very long aeration), iii/ top wine for me were 1. Valandrau (95), 2. L’Evangile (95), 3. Angélus (94) while for the group the ranking was 1. Angélus (94.9), 2. Valandrau (94.4), 3. Cheval Blanc (94.0). Complete list including group scores included in the tasting story.
Tasting note: Beef juice and soy sauce by the time of tasting. This was full of earth, dried leaves, tobacco with a ripe dark cherry and cranberry fruit when I double-decanted it. Unfortunately, this didn‘t survive the 6h period until consummation.
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Flawless. They don’t come better for my taste. Paid 600$ cad for this at auction. Worh every penny. Lots of fruit left which is well balanced with alcohol. Tannins very chewy and pleasant.
Barn yard funk happening now. If I was on an island and only had one wine, ornellaia would be my go to.
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Same bottle as Nutty08, this was the WOTN for me. Such layered complexity wound up within. The wine showed black cherry, sandalwood, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and more. Superb handling of the extraction with balanced alcohol and acid, and weight to spare. Marvelous wine
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This wine is new to me, tasted very right bank bordeaux and it is a cabernet/merlot blend I believe. Superb nose - classical structure, blackcurrent. Mature wine, very high quality and in supreme health. Perfect with the lamb rump. Would love to have a case of this in the cellar!
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Decanted for a good hour and was helpful as the wine had a bit of VA on the nose that need time to relax away. Post that was a superb wine, well aged but still bright with an almost Barolo feel of dry herbs and soft tar it felt at times but could be the VA playing tricks on us. Quite dark still , the oak is fully assimilated and the fruit is still very much alive. At peak now probably but would easily make it to 30yrs with no issues we felt. Very solid 94-95
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Acquired new. Agree with SIRPAT00 that "This smell, feels and tastes like a beautifully aged Bordeaux." Decanted for 2+ hours. This is what a great Super Tuscan can achieve. I believe this is definitely at its peak and would not wait more than 3-4 years more if you have any. The Italians have the perfect word for a wine like this: Bellissimo! Bravo!
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Grabbed from the cellar to bring to Lucanda Verde for partner dinner last nite. Read my last notes on this beauty, so had waiter decant as long as possible--which was a very smart move and highly recommended. Nose of ripe black and blue fruit permeates the glass, along with hints of spice & tobacco. Restaurant was dark, but I noticed no signs of age and a pretty purplish/ruby core. Medium body, surprisingly youthful and fresh. Copious amount of ripe fruit is immediately noticeable on the front end (perfectly ripe plums, and cassis in particular--perhaps some blueberry as well) along with some earthy, forest floor elements. I notice hints of chocolate, eucalyptus, mint and cedar as well. Tannins are still present, though ever-so-slight. The finish is as clean as you could ask for, and the length is exceedingly long and wonderful. Pure elegance, silky smooth, solid acidity, perfect fruit level, great concentration; and all elements perfectly integrated and balanced throughout - this wine is singing at 23 years young and is absolutely gorgeous right now! This is exemplary of how a great bottle of wine should age and mature. Arguably the best bottle of wine I've had in recent memory. If blind, I would have guessed a classic right bank Bdx. What a great wine, (and equally tragic that, alas, I have but one lonely bottle remaining in my cellar...:( This wine is gorgeous!
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Grabbed from the cellar to bring to Lucanda Verde for partner dinner last nite. Read my last notes on this beauty, so had waiter decant as long as possible--which was a very smart move and highly recommended. Nose of ripe red and black fruit permeates the glass, along with hints of spice & tobacco. Restaurant was dark, but I noticed no signs of age and a pretty purplish/ruby core. Medium body, surprisingly youthful and fresh. Copious amount of ripe fruit is immediately noticeable on the front end (perfectly ripe plums, and cassis in particular) along with some earthy, forest floor elements. I notice hints of chocolate, eucalyptus, mint and cedar as well. Tannins are still present, though ever-so-slight. The finish is as clean as you could ask for, and the length is exceedingly long and wonderful. Pure elegance, silky smooth, solid acidity, perfect fruit level, great concentration; and all elements perfectly integrated and balanced throughout - this wine is singing at 23 years young and is absolutely gorgeous right now! This is exemplary of how a great bottle of wine should age and mature. Arguably the best bottle of wine I've had in recent memory. If blind, I would have guessed a classic right bank Bdx. What a great wine, (and equally tragic that, alas, I have but one lonely bottle remaining in my cellar...:( This wine is gorgeous!
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Pure hedonism in a glass. Spectator WOTY in 2001. Patience was rewarded, but if you are holding and storing properly, there is life ahead...more on that in a moment. Bought this on release in 2001. From the first swirl of the glass to the last sip, just perfection. Yes, fully mature, but this still has the power to last another 5-7 in prime drinking window. I say this because I did not decant and over the evening, it got better and better. Mushrooms, truffle along with red fruit notes--strawberry and raspberry. Drink now for sure or wait a few more years.
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Deep red. Black fruit, some red fruit. Oak, tobacco, earth. Fantastic tannins gripping cheeks and tongue, mainly foreward. Fantastic length. Still has a lot of fruit
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dark fruits with an overlay of mint as a top note. Classical right bank look-a-like. Fabulous length, better than anything from Bordeaux in 1998. If you can find it, buy it.
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My second time crossing paths with this beauty and this bottle felt 10 years younger (but both were drinking great). This shows like a well aged right bank from a good vintage and as always is more red fruit dominated than dark fruit (same is true for Sassicaia). Especially on the palate this shows complex, round, super harmonious and with a long finish. The complete package and this bottle has the structure and fruit to age easily for another decade.
TN: After some cellar stink disappeared with a few swirls the nose showed pure, ripe, sweet red fruit, strawberry candy and herbs. Super intriguing and harmonious. On the palate there are leather, tobacco, earthy notes circling around a sweet red fruit core. Somer herbs to complement the picture. Super mellowed strucutre, creamy texture lifted with a nicely-integrated acidity. Long, sweet finish.
Decanting: Only double decanted to get rid of the sediment 2 hours prior to consumption. Good from the go but especially on the nose the wine improved markedly with more time in the glass. This would have needed a solid hour or better two in the decanter.
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Tasted blind after a c2h double-decant. This smell, feels and tastes like a beautifully aged Bordeaux. Tobacco, dried leather, somewhat earthy with a cool, rather dark berry fruit profile, droplets of sweet oak and elements of fresher, mint-like herbal notes. The fruit turned more red berry-like over time. Fresh and fruit-forward palate with more red type of fruit. Perfect balance, softly textured yet with structure. Palatable beyond belief. An entirely different bottle from 18 months ago, which was soaked in truffles and wet earth and appeared more advanced in the aging process. I would argue both presentations are impressive with this one a 96+.
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pretty incredible complex fruit and drinking perfectly...opened by the somm at a great steakhouse who said it was better than anything on their list... just struck me as an interesting blend between the complexity of bordeaux and the ripe fruit of the American cab
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Pnp Ripe , concentrated with earthy secondary flavors. It doesn’t have the tannic austerity that many 1990’s era Bordeaux wines have. This is where the ST wines shine. This 21 yo has youthful red berries but mixed with dark chocolate. A good balance of acidity, heat , tannin and fruit. No sharp edges or fading. At hour two more blueberry evolved and the cherry disappeared Long finish and good but Imo best out of the gate. Overall
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Extraordinary - complex, dark fruit, meat, and smoke, full mouthfeel, velvet tannins, earthy, long satisfying finish. Has years to go: at age 21 is just coming into form!
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Superb nose, complex on the palette ( cherries chocolate and a hint of spice) and a silky smooth lasting finish. Only one bottle left for another special occasion this year. Can’t chance it going south.
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Right from the first nose you fall in love with this beauty. For me the best aged example of a Super Tuscan I had yet. Wonderfully mature, suave and with good tension. I had it blind a guessed it to be an old left bank star at the peak of its possibilities. I would love to drink this wine again today (despite my hangover).
TN: So much intense, pure black truffles on the nose and palate. Dark fruit and black truffles, candied red fruit and black truffles, leather and black truffles, dry earth and black truffles, wet forest floor and black truffles, herbs and black truffles. Did I mention black truffles? Good complexity, elevated precision, good length. All embedded in a fine structural frame with very soft tannins and a superb acidity. Got stronger the longer the evening went on and shone with its harmony.
Decanting: Decanted for 1h, got better in the glass, best after 3 hours. Hence, I would advice to decant it for 2 to 3 hours – but depending on the bottle condition this might be a too big gamble. Better just follow it over several hours.
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Intense plum fruit filling the room when I opened this for a 1h decant (although the cork broke and was a pain to get out again, so proceed with caution). Once poured into the glass, borderline overaged and my heart sank into my pants. Leather and lots of (dry) earth or mushrooms. The real strength here was the palate initially. Apart from the freshness, lots of sweetness on the palate with black cherry compote woven into a great structure. An incredible pleasure to drink. Started off with 93 due to an overweight in aging aromatics, but a 96 was easily deserved after a while and I ended up with 98 as what was mistaken as traces of oxidized notes shrugged off the flaws and evolved into deep, intense, mind-blowing tastes of white truffle. The 1998 is in a fantastic drinking spot right now and would pop those bottles without hesitation now, not sure how long this dream will hold.
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Wonderfully delicious after 30 min decant. A bit funky on opening, it needed some air. Continued to evolve over the next few hours. Complex mature left bank Bordeaux type profile, gorgeous fruit purity with a hint of blueberry to add an Italian twist.
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Big powerful wine. Deep ruby color. Cassis, tobacco, lead pencil come to mind. Still tannic on the finish even after an hour or so of being opened. Will get even better with a few more years of age.
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What complexity’s. Bing cherries, pepper, leather and chocolate in harmony. Still should have many more years to enjoy. One of the better vintages. I rate this vintage just under the next to the perfect 2004.
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Strong pepper notes on the nose that nearly overwhelmed the rest of the elements, even after an hour plus decant. But the tase was wonderful, dark red fruit and complex notes with a long finish.
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Opened with 82 Gaja Barbaresco, 97 Gaja Darmagi, 11 Raveneau Butteaux, 08 Hundred Acre Kayli, some dodgy SQN (;-) that showed up a bit later. The 98 Ornellia continues to impress. 1 bottle left..... Wish I had more. Still has a lot of life left.
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Lovely mature nose of tobacco, leather, dark fruit, cassis, a bit of heat. Soft tannins adding structure on the palate with good acidity and notes of dark berries, cedar, and a hint of cherries. Long finish. A beautiful mature wine!
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A very good year for Ornellaia and Bolgheri wines in general. Cleary more aromatic and full bodied than the holy vintage 1997 which is much lighter. The 1998 vintage is highly recommended and drinking very well now.
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We had this one tonight with some pasta. Nice wine. Nose of dark fruit, bramble, leather, cedar, menthol, mineral. Perfect balance on nose with bright secondary aromas. Felt young. On the palate, black fruits, blackberries, very dark flavors, excellent acidity, long and balanced. Tannins are fine and mostly absorbed, but still there. Drank wonderful after 1 hour in glass. Incredibly pleasant wine.
Overall, I would have to give this a 94 or 95 subtracting only for the 14.5% alc. This is a serious wine with excellent overall balance in all areas. I bought this in 2000. I have one more. This is brilliant.
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Petit retour sur notre souper avec les FOUDUVIN du Club de Sherbrooke au Resto AVV La Suite. Avec The Danny, Bulle, Meursault et FrancoisD. Superbe, le vin de la soirée! Un beau nez fruité et floral. Il y a des truffes et de la terre avec des fruits rouge. En bouche, belle acidité et intensité. Des cerises et des épices avec du graphite et un peu de tabac. Les tannins sont bien intégrés et le finale bien longue et velouté. Fait dans le style Bordeaux hi-class. Excellent sur toute la ligne, complexité et équilibre sont au rendez-vous.
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Italian Retrospective at the Texas Wine School. Decanted for a couple hours, from a magnum. Very youthful and fruit-forward and much more international and New World in style than the 1997 Sassicaia, for example. Ruby and medium plus in intensity, with only a hint of garnet. The nose is clean and medium plus in intensity, with black and ripe red fruit, plum, cigar box and oak spice. The nose is developing, with an elegant but noticeable oak treatment. The palate is dry, consistent with the nose and very fruit-forward. The acidity is medium, the tannins are medium (+) but very fine and silky and the alcohol is high at 14.5%. This is a full-bodied and intense wine, with a rich, luscious, creamy, lingering finish. This wine is drinking beautifully and surprisingly youthful, perhaps thanks to the large format bottle. I just figured out that this was the No. 1 wine of the WS Top 100 in 2001, which kind of makes sense.
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4thWednesdays - Giorgio & Paulo's Italian Wine Extravaganza - Feb 2018 (Texas Wine School, Houston, Tx): A: Deep ruby with garnet highlights N: Peach yoghurt (why does that keep coming up with some Cab heavy wines, i don't know), touch of acacia, dried black fruit, chocolate coffee, clove, black plum, tobacco, leather. Medium (+) intensity and fully developed P: Aromas confirmed. Dry, medium (+) velvety tannin, medium (+) acidity, high alcohol, pronounced intensity, long finish, full body C: Fruit forward wine. More like a traditionally Californian wine. Magnum bottle and therefore ages slower than a split or standard bottle
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Opened by Mark. 2nd time I have had this with the last being 5 years ago. This has become more earthy and rustic. Some bricking in the color. Notes of forest floor, cherries, leather and dried mushrooms. 92 points.
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Quite fruity and mellow in the nose, apples, cherries, honey, and some roses; still a bit tannic on the palate, yet also fruity and structured with quite some berries and light wood spices; long finish; overall, 93-94 points at this stage.
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So intense and youtful despite being almost 20 years of age. Flour on the palate and some bitterness. Shockingly young, but also harmonic at the same time. Potentially even greater. A potential 95+ for sure.
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Chicago Wine Flock...Bill Having Fun with Flights (Wilmette, IL): Tasted double blind. Very ripe and slightly oaky, clearly very modern styled, with moderate finesse. The faint green pepper note was actually my favorite aspect of the wine, in that it provided a nice contrasting note. Richness and concentration made this easy to enjoy, even if slightly lacking nuance.
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From dblMG: Mature, certainly, coming together as a Cab rather than the in your face modern Italian, this shows spice, herbs, cool olives, cedar, some tobacco and loads of primary fruit. Some tannins still, but smooth, extremely well made. For people living life on 1st class an upwards ... #IB50
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Drank with a 1998 Moss Wood Cab (Aussie) at an event where I was not able to decant either bottle. Both opened up well, and clearly the Ornellaia would have benefited from time in a decanter. Very elegant and silky wine, more subtle than the Moss Wood - which surprisingly held its own - and which I rated 93. This undecanted bottle did not quite have the wonderful palate of the 98 Ornellaia I had last year. Could be the lack of decanter, could be the need to start drinking up.
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Nose of cedar, pine and mint emerged after hour or more of air. Wine drinks beautifully but lacked the depth of fruit and sweet, plush ripeness of prior bottles that I'd rated at 96-97 points.
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Flawless and elegant bottle of 1998 Ornellaia in magnum. Birth year celebration for high school graduation. Was everything I hoped it would be. Shows the benefit of temperature-controlled storage over the life of the bottle.
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Casual (Mostly) Italian Wine Dinner with Friends (Ballaro - Highwood IL): In 90/96/97/98 vertical. Ripe black cherry comes across as forward and tasty with hints of licorice, baking spice and cassis. Given 1998 being a great vintage I was surprised this did not come across as polished or nuanced as the 1990 or 1996 tonight.
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From a double magnum decanted for a couple of hours as the sun went down.....Dense black-red colour with the merest beginning of lightening. Nose is OMFG.... blackcurrants and damp earth and undergrowth. Palate is still lots of tannic structure but starting to soften and develop some round edges. Refreshing very tart small blackcurrants. Deep brooding growling resonance like a bear hiding at the back of a dark cave. Needs a few more years, at least in this large format.
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This is a great wine, and easily the best Ornellaia I have seen. Very floral, subtly herbaceous and beautifully delineated, this has wonderful tertiary aromas and flavours, lots of beautiful old leather, dark fruits and earth. Totally avoids the jaminess of the younger vintages of this wine, which have been clearly crafted to impress various wine critics. Drinking beautifully now, but certainly no hurry to pull one out. Very highly recommended.
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January Wine Group Dinner (Campagna at the Bedford Post Inn): Light and feminine in nature, nose was wonderful, full of leather, fresh cut violets, lavender and berries. This is a thinkers wine, as you anticipate the next sip to see what has changed, the wine evolved slowly but steadily and no two sips were the same. Wonderful.
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In gorgeous form with years of evolution ahead. The '98 Ornellaia is dark, brooding and gutsy with vibrant black-red fruit. Soaring aromatics, juicy textures, and gripping structure combine to create one of the most complete wines of the vertical.
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Dark red garnet color , nose of dark fruits, cocoa, coffe , on the palate you can't imagine that have 18 years, balanced, refreshing acidity and long finish
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had with friends at Langdon's in Mt. Pleasant. No bottle variation, both with slight tawniness around the rim and beautiful bouquet exploded from the glass. The wines featured fresh, vibrant fruit, youthful still at 18 years of age, all elements seamlessly integrated and perfectly balanced, with a long finish. A majestic wine.
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Beautiful ruby color for a wine this age. Nose was excellent also... herbal and dark berries with a hint of chocolate. Palate was very smooth leaning to dark fruit and a hint of dark chocolate. Very nicely structured and full mouthfeel.
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Blanco brought to Saltaire last nite. Decanted at the restaurant. Ruby core, some browning at the edges. Generous nose of red fruit, some wood and spice. Wonderfully silky, smooth and elegant. Ripe, sweet red cherries dominate but there's also plenty of coffee, tobacco and earth here too. Great balance and elegance, with an extra long & spicy finish. Delicious wine!
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Decanted 1.5hrs, dark ruby, nose rather stringent, bit of cassis, plum and some oak. Sweet on palate, tannin still need time to resolve, bit grippy, but the wine has a refreshing fruit acidity that should enable further cellaring.
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Great wine. Decanted about an hour. Nose was wonderful, with dark fruit and spice. Balance was perfect with smooth silky tannins perfect. Dark fruit is still right there but there is complexity with currant, olive, tobacco, leather and even a faint touch of eucalyptus. The finish goes on for quite a while. Although there is no rush, I can't see how this can get much better. Best wine I've had in some time.
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nose - coffee, spice mouth - roasted red and dark fruits, coffee, concentrated and very much the essence of a rich mature wine. Has lots of life. my WOTN
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Boerne wine club - Bordeaux vs Italy vs California: This is flat out gorgeous. My WOTN Mature dark fruit, no noticeable oak, impeccable balance. This is likely at its peak, but at this time seems like it could on and on and the drinking window only out to 2018 seems quite conservative
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Gorgeous mature Bordeaux nose with hints of truffle. Nice round mouthfeel with great fruit intensity. Fantastic secondary and tertiary flavor profile. Long finish. Fantastic wine.
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popped and poured. This showed slight bricking at the edges, with dark ruby at the core. Alluring Bordeaux-like nose with eucalyptus, leather and subtle fruit. Tremendous structure, with forceful grip and great length. Exudes class. Obviously could live longer but seems to be in a sweet spot. 94-95.
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Exceptionnel super toscan si bordelais, avec son nez de poivron vert et sa bouche de cassis bien mûr. Resté si jeune grâce à ma cave à 12 degrés et un excellent bouchon, ce vin tiendra la route encore 10ans! Pas lourd du tout malgré ses tannins encore solides et ses 14,5% d'alcool.
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Popped and poured from 375 ml bottle. Hitting on all cylinders, more youthful appearance than I would have anticipated. The cab scent jumps from the glass. Tannins still grippy, but fruit takes over with a long sweet finish.
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deep ruby quite rich med/full body high alc 14,5 acid at the end a little bitter dry gin style ! yes plenty fruit coco truffle yes , leather yes bordeaux -ish yet never chapitalised as BANNED IN ITALY THANK GOD so we get REAL WINE in italy not a concoction as in other 08s in europe and 07s 04s 01s etc 13s i could go on !well were is it and were is it going hmmm we let breath 1 hour like advised , there is dry tannin lingering , anyhow its mature the acid tannin alc taking over the fruit this will continue it wont get any better !!! its v nice not great like another bt my friend prof matt bell brought cant remember vintage , this will still drink in 5 years time but why wait you will have lost another 40% in drinking quality so drink in your own time in next 3 years max for best results if it had been chapitalised id have dropped it 1 pt but as its banned in italy il give 93 max i dont like the high 14.5 alc no need this suits 12.5-13.5 max !!! The high alc and acid does trouble me the balance is ok ish but not perfect at all , cork was fine love cork ban the screw crap woops i mean cap ps the wine is worth say 40e a bt no more
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Davyd's Birthday Celebration 2015 (Hard Rock Hotel Suites): Pop and poured. Took about an hour of air in bottle to really open up. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour with slight garnet rim. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with a bouquet of mushroom, truffle, earth, underbrush, and slight orange peel. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol, fine high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of mushroom, sweet earth, tea leaves, blackberry, dark plums. Long finish. Very good quality. Evident Bordeaux style. Acidity and tannins going strong on this. Balance quite good. More tertiary earth than fruit already though. Drink up over next 3 years, not for further ageing. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.
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My 32nd Birthday Party (Hard Rock Hotel, RWS): Derek Popped this to pit against my 1998 Tertre Roteboeuf at my birthday party. Initially quite closed, displaying earthy and herbaceous notes. Dark cherries. Quite woody. High intensity, robust wine. Slightly bittersweet finish. Rounded mouthfeel; broad, full bodied. Persistent tannins, good structure. Later, the wine opened up beautifully to reveal an interesting truffle nose, roasted nuts, and earth. Oak evident and well integrated. Terroir started to show, quite clearly an Italian wine. Less fruity as compared to the Tertre, which had more blackberries and cherries. Higher alcohol too. Honestly, I felt that both wines exhibited a quality simalar to each other, and I think they're equally matched, though I prefer the Tertre because of its fruitiness and slightly lower alcohol (heat on the finish was a lot more pronounced in the Ornellaia, which I thought did not have enough sweetness to carry it through). Mixed votes from friends at my party. 3 hours later, notes of capsicum and black tea leaves started developing on the nose.
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Acquired at auction, cork was slightly protruded, so not sure about storage conditions. This bottle probably had less than a year left in it -- it was right on the line.
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Bordeaux like and almost had me calling a latour. Deep brooding dark fruited notes supported by well defined oak, spicy black truffles and slightly toasty coffee beans. At least a decade younger than it seems though smooth and velvety yet luscious and moreish.
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Only have owned one of these, that I can remember, and have been saving it for its 15th birthday to drink hopefully at or near its peak. Cork had barely any soak and the color was still dark crude oil in center /crimson on edge but no bricking. I poured a couple glasses first and decided it was way tool cool from my cellar. It was also a smidge tannic but that could be the temp. Guessing high 40s. So I decanted into a small 750 decantor which opened up the nose and flavors along with smoothing things out a bit. Cedar, smoke & creosote on the nose. Nice depth, intensity and length. Plum, licorice, cassis and decent minerality. For my palate, this is seems pretty large scaled but not flabby. Just not "Burgundian" ethereal in any way. I think this is near its peak and not sure the fruit will outlast the oak. I'd drink them up within the next couple years or so. I'd like this even more if the producer had dialed back the oak a bit. Wouldn't pay the $105 release price again and I'm sure this is ridiculously expensive now. A very nice wine but it comes at a prestige price premium.That said, a very very nice BDX blend that does show some Italian herbal accents. My score more reflects its success at being what it was intended to be and its relative complexity than my personal palate preference. Tasty with grilled chops!
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Enjoyed at Joel Robuchon. Drank shortly after the 1970 Ducru. Given this comparison, the youth and modern touch of this wine was evident. Still dark and opaque, ripe cassis flavours and sweet oak. Full-bodied and round, soft tannins, adequate acidity, good length. This was a pleasure to drink but lacking complexity and some elegance next to the older Bordeaux.
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Doppio Magnum. Rubino intenso, scuro e corposo, figlio di un terreno argilloso. Al naso colpisce la pungente balsamicità, molto frutto cotto concentrato, note alcoliche e spezie vegetali piccanti, quasi afrodisiache. In bocca esce la grande annata 98, migliore della 96 del Sassicaia, ma sono due interpretazioni di Bolgheri antitetiche. Ornellaia è un vino più moderno, femminile. Bocca tridimensionale e voluminosa, si sente ancora un po' la nota di liquirizia dolce del legno, ma è un' esplosione di frutta nera, the nero e argilla rossa. Finale lungo e tannino polveroso. Sembra un vino Californiano moderno, piacevole, ma non ha nulla della magia del Sassicaia
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Great nose, full of spices and wood. Voluptuous, but plenty of acid. Big and round. Easy to drink. Finish for days. Great by itself or with food. Easy to drink and has a sense of places despite being a super Tuscan. PDQ94+
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- Aromas of blackberry and has flavours of blackberry and dusty - Had at dinner. 20min decant. This bottle was in fine shape. Bright red, no brick color at all. At its peak.
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Dark ruby color, no signs of age. Somewhat musty, though generous nose of dark fruits. Medium bodied, mellow tannins, plenty of fruit though well integrated with the tannins & gentle acidity. Wine drinking very well, all elements extremely well balanced. Very enjoyable
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- Brick color with medium forming legs and aromas of prune. It's lacking fruit and has flavours of coffee with a light body. Smooth texture with a medium finish - Past peak and fading fast
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Mighty, dense, darkfruited nose. Distinct aroma of cigarre. And behind: a lovely courtain of blueberry, black currant, paired with a distinct dried herb note. Profound, modern, and with well-integrated oak aromas. And then a third layer of minerally gravel adding suitable complexity. Full body, tight palate that is plump and austere at the same time. This is complex. Very well-structured palate with fully mature tannins. Liqourice. A long, long finish with proper cigarre-tobacco flavour. Tasted blind, I noted a small green note combined with a small "dustiness" which I have discovered in Bolgheri wines previously. Other tasters went for Bdx immediately. Compared to the Pontet-Canet it was also just a tiny bit more "sweet" in the fruit. But this is definitely a wine that can stand the comparison with Classed growth Bdx. And yet it has a personality of its own. Splendid.
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Drank in Vegas with my boys on our annual trip. (Matched against a Terrabianco super tuscan wax label 1997 which was, unfortunately, over the hill). I bought this wine right after it was released as a 6-pack, and have taken very good care of it, drinking a bottle every 1-2 years. I am very happy to report that it was quite lovely, and drinking great. Medium to dark ruby color, nose of cedar, some blackberries & spice. Very supple, soft tannins that have integrated very nicely with the juice, though are still--somewhat surprisingly--fairly evident. The fruit is still there, though now combining with tertiary elements, such as tobacco, and forest floor thrown in. This wine is wonderfully elegant, nicely structured, still with great fruit and lots of complexity. Note that the wine was decanted by our waiter and we drank it with our main courses, and it was terrific. I'd even go out on a limb and say that though clearly a mature wine that has reached its plateau, I don't notice any danger of an imminent decline--which is a good thing considering I still have a few more bottles to drink, which I plan to do over the next 1-3 years.
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A little bramble, cedar, sour cherries, blackberry. still not feeling like the rough edges have smoothed out. Longer, more intense flavors, but not an integrated rich presentation, but very full bodied. Hopefully lots of room for age.
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My last bottle, and thankfully this was a good one. There was some bricking round the edges, but aromatics were terrific as always for Ornellaia with dark berries, leather, violets especially prominent. I had this wine on my first ever visit to Tuscany circa 2003 (which of course brings back great memories) and the richness and balance are still very much in evidence, as is the length of finish which I remember left quite an impression 10 years ago. But I do think it's wise to drink up any bottles over the next 5-6 years or so, as it is drinking very nicely now, with tannins are nicely rounded, and the fruit is starting to inch into the background. Wouldn't hang around until 2025 waiting for this...
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upon uncorking: old red-brown colour qualitative elegant perfumed tertiary aroma with hints of ripe cherries, chocolate, leather & dust full bodied, alcoholic, smooth integrated tannins, excellent acidity, ripe cherries & plums, chocolate, very good harmony, classic long aftertaste, ideal to enjoy now.
after 4 hours: stable elegance, perfume, complexity & structure. classic. improved since uncorking. excellent.
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Opened 5 hours in advance of drinking. Big nose filled with dark fruit, blueberry, aromas of cedar and vanilla. On the palate this was a very big wine that needs more time in the cellar. The flavors followed the nose with additional notes of blackberry, dark cherries and bell pepper. Finish was long and smooth. Enjoyed with spring lamb cassoulette.
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Brought this to dinner, and when our first bottle turned out to be badly oxidized I thought we were lucky to have this as a backup. Sadly, it was also oxidized and tasted pretty foul. What a coincidence!
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Decanted for an hour, which was not nearly enough. upon pouring into the decanter there was a beautiful nose for bosenberry, but after some time only wood was apparent. After following it for an hour I could start to grasp the very nice , very mature dark fruits with bosenberry, blueberry and a touch of bell pepper, but the oak and cedar was overpowering. Not sure if there is enough fruit to outlast the wood integration. This wine either needs 5 hours in a decanter, or another 5 years in the cellar. Curious where it w=ould be on day 2..
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Opened by Mark. 14.5% alcohol. Medium red color. Notes of forest floor, pencil lead, mocha and dark fruit. Moderate tannins. Rather bordeauxlike in style. Medium to full bodied. I liked this better than either the 1999 or 2002 which I have had before. 93-94 points.
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I love this wine. Very tight on opening. Deep concentration and a real sense of terrior on both the nose and palate. Tomato stalk, deep red fruit and earth. Lush but very balanced and refined palate. Delicious.
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Decanted 30 min prior to drinking. Dark purple with some ruby at the edge but now bricking. Lovely secondary nose of tobacco and spice but still-present plum pudding and maraschino cherry too. Palate dominated by black fruits with some savoury olive and earth notes. Supple and elegant tannins have integrated beautifully. This is probably right at its peak now, but has the structure to hold for a while yet. Hard to resist opening my last 2 bottles though.
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Still quite deep and youthful color. A beautiful nose of graphite, dark stony fruits, bitter chocolate, bell pepper, and olives. A cool mix of fruit and savory. Deep and perfumed with a sweetness to the fruit I seem to get in Bolgheri-Bordeaux. Ripe and seductive but with excellent depth and structure that keeps it all in balance. I don't think you would ever confuse this with Bordeaux, it is its own creature, and a very enjoyable one at that. Outstanding stuff drinking at early peak for me. 95 pts
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Stunning nose, deep dark fruits. Drank next to the 2006 Ornellaia which was quite closed but promising. Clearly WOTN. Other wines: 1999 Sori Ginestra, 2001 Campolonge di Torbe, 2003 Aglianico di Meo and Penfolds Sangiovese.
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PnP. Wow! Deep, bright red that shows little signs of age. Nose of olives and forest floor. Medium bodied palate is wonderfully soft with just a slight grip in the finish. Cherries and dirt in the palate. What's fascinating about this wine is that the experience combines young and old characteristics. But it's whole and well integrated. A very special bottle.
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Full, rich and concentrated. Mature and complex with notes of cedar, cigar box, blackcurrant and dark plum. Nicely integrated oak, but maybe a touch too much alcohol in the finish to be perfectly balanced. Very good
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Perfect drinking now. Decanted for 2 hours. Tannins and a little alcohol were present, more of a Bordeaux style than a super Tuscan. Still has fruit and long after taste. Medium bodied. It’s definitely a zipping wine. Don’t need food to enhance this one. Simply superb.
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A beautiful deep ruby, almost purple, a youthful appearance and 14.5% abv. This Super Tuscan is very classy, still quite young, showing a nose of black fruits like cassis and plum, with a dust-and-ash minerality and a bit of heat. On the palate, the wine is full bodied, dry, moderately firm tannins that are integrating quite nicely, as the black fruits are still quite forward, and the midpalate seamlessly leads into a moderately long, velvety finish with a little heat and spice. Marvelous. Drink for the next 10-15 years, this baby is quite structured.
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Decanted for two hours. Exotic and very fresh. There is a lot of body and layer upon layer of silky tannins. Mouth-coatingly enticing.b Raisin, blackberry, olive, basil, cedar and roasted cherry. Maturing and, yet, still young. The finish sails for a millennium; there's so much beauty and individualality. Honestly, I see no reason to rush or wait. Drink now - 2028.
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Opened and drank without waiting, intense floral nose with earth and some fruit, very addictive, almost too good to drink it. Very soft tannins, this is at its peak now, drink up. Finnished it within 2 hours so do not know how long it will last.
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Aerate to decanter 1 hour. Dark ruby, no sign of age. As many have already said, this shows a good deal of New World Cab/Cab blend qualities, while at the same time maintaining several qualities typically reserved for fine 2nd-5th growth wines. Piercing acids, layers of rich, layered black and blue fruits, with superb tannins and a long finish that tends toward a building intensity. No doubt the last glass was the best; a bright future for this effort to be sure. Worked very well with the chicken-fried brisket and rapini. Drink thru 2021, score: A- (upside noted)
https://italianwine.blog/
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Superb in every way. Perfectly integrated tannins, hints of mint, saffron, & cumin over a dark berry base. Long finish and fascinating color. Couldn't be any better. Loved by 8 at dinner through 2 consistent bottles.
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Sassicaia and Ornellaia Masterclass at Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (Landmark Hotel, London): Deep red colour with brick at the edge. Rather sweetish nose with blackcurrants, some plum compote, some flowery notes and noticeable eucalyptus, some barnyard aromas, a hint of leather, coffee. Developed and nuanced nose. On the palate very ripe dark berries, some tar, noticeable tannins of a rather silky structure, noticeable spice, discrete notes of alcohol. The aftertaste shows fruitiness of dark berries and some tannins. Reasonably ready to drink, 94-95 p Elegant New World styled nose, but not unsimilar to a right bank Bordeaux, at least from a hot vintage. More tannins left than in the 2000, and definitely shows darker fruit than the 2000.
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Decanter Sassicaia & Ornellaia Masterclass (Landmark Hotel London): Dark ruby with garnet rim. Beautiful and elegant nose with sweet spice, old oak, raisins, cedar, saddle leather. Very expressive and open with tertiary aromas complexity, yet still very fresh. Palate is sweet, spicy and savoury with nice balance of sweetness to bitterness. Silky-velvety texture, mellowed structure. Long cedary and sweet finish. Refreshing wine despite evolution and loosening of structure.
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National Day dinner Chez Jada: Colour almost vermilion, ring of amber at the edge. From just appearance alone, seemed a much more mature and evolved wine than the '99 opened side by side. (Before decanting, I thought I should be careful not to confuse the two, but it turned out to be easy to tell them apart just by looking.) The gorgeous nose was an expansive bouquet of flowers, camphor, leather, cassis, dark berries, very Bordeaux. While not a big wine, it was certainly showy, with all the flair, balance and silky smoothness of a mature, well-rested Bordeaux of left bank persuasion. So what if "terroirists" will lament the lack of "sense of place", the '98 Ornellaia is thoroughly well made and enjoyable -- not to mention a great way to impress female company (which were the main constituent at this dinner)
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Opened at 12.30pm and let slow ox until drinking at 9pm in the evening. The nose on this wine is a dead ringer for a Bordeaux. Earthy, tabacco, tomato stalks but with a bit more richness than a Bordeaux somewhere in between Napa and French. Just a lovely wine to sit and smell. On the palate the flavors are the same. Seemless from start to finsh with the acididy driving straight through to the finish. A beautiful wine I wish I had more of.
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Leo's Blind Tasting Group - June '11 edition (Restaurant Saul, Brooklyn): Outstanding. Comes across like a classical older Bordeaux with a seamless combination of rich dark fruits, cedar, tobacco, fresh herbs and an exotic sandalwood element. It's still very youthful with plenty of primary fruit and a fair bit of tannin, but it's drinking incredibly well now, very polished and finessed with fantastic depth and persistence.
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Dinner Chez Shannon and David: Very impressive wine. It's a hypothetical blend between a top-notch St. Emilion and a top-notch Napa Cabernet. The nose is entirely old-world and could be mistaken for Bordeaux (which I did). On the palate though, there is richer fruit and less acidity than Bordeaux usually shows, not unlike a very good Napa Cab. Bing cherry, chocolate, earth and spices on the palate and a long, long finish that has just a trace of the "funk" I love in Italian wine. Showed incredibly young. I had guessed early 2000s on the vintage, so I was off by quite a few years. Really quite a spectacular wine.
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Inaugural of Martins new House (Martin Rickenbach): Vegetable soy-sauce, sunday roast, black tea. Interesting, very good and right in the perfect drinking spot. Surprising for this vintage but needs to be drunk up
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The 90th Tasting (The Lyon's Tree House): After a two hour decant, this is a very impressive wine for it's texture and flavors. Berries, plum, cedar, tar, and leather go on and on. I have an idiosyncratic sensitivity to Italian acids which make many of their wines taste sour to me on the finish, o/w this would score even higher.
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Decanted one hour before drinking. For the first half hour the cab franc components are predominant (and a nice cab franc!), but then all the other varietals in the blend show up and join the party. Sweet tannins, mocha, ripe dark and red fruit, vanilla, spices, cedarwood...a textbook wine! very long and harmonious finish.
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Just when we thought we were wrapping up the night, out came an Italian big gun. Tar, tabocco on nose. Rich red fruit with a tough of green pepper. This wine had great body and was elegant. Still very young.
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Decanted about 2 hours, ate with grilled pork chop/vegetables. Wine was fantastic. Chocolate, dark berries, a little leather. Very balanced and smooth. Definitely not "over the top" as many current wines in order to satisfy a "critic". Wine has many more great years ahead. Wish I had more of this vintage.
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Dark core, out to graduated, pretty rim; fresh, blackcurrant pastilles intertwined with a leafy, cedariness, reminiscent of a Pauillac - an enticing bouquet; soft, supple fruit, but has true depth, rounded, refreshing/cleansing acidity; so well balanced & well built. The only downside a compact feel to an extended finish. Maybe it hasn't peaked? Should drink well for another 10 years.
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Not a TN, as we just relaxed with this half-bottle on a friday evening after a long week.
The wine offered complexity and decent intensity, yet suppleness and elegance - a rare combination. Definitely in a good place to drink now, but I'd not be surprised if it made another decade with ease (it still had fine structure).
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Wine is a black cherry color of medium depth. Nose is expressive: chalk, cherry Twizzlers and blackberries. On the palate, the wine is smooth and medium bodied. Rose petals is the dominant flavor. Dark fruits. Slight hints of funk. Still has some tannic grip. Overall, a very pleasant wine that still has years in it.
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So very fragrant with violets, black currant, green tobacco, red currant, leather, smoke and earthy European cellar. It does have some "vegetal" elements but this is not at all under-ripe. I love that oak is not evident on the nose...it appears pure and true. The palate is liquid velvet with Tasmanian pepper, black cherry and licorice on the mid palate. Great balance and very pretty length. I'm sure this can age and will perhaps offer more in terms of aromatic complexity but this palate on the wine in this bottle is already seemless and integrated.
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from magnum. decanted. very lively, cab expressive, well balanced, long finish, drinking superbly from this format. mild residual tannin. drink now - 2018
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Surprisingly green - classy tobacco and red fruits. Medium body. Firm, well-balanced and medium-grain structure. Good wine, but not what I remember and the green streak is a bit much.
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London CT II Event (The Hide Bar, London): Deep nose of dark fruit with a flavour profile that is starting to resolve itself and develop secondary characteristics. Fairly international in style, but high quality wine - good white pepper on the palate, long smooth finish - fine tannins. Good stuff but according to those in the know this is still a wee baby.
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6 hour decant. Pure decadence here. Sweet dark fruit, smoke and truffles supported by a structure that is almost creamy. Pjaines picked up a herbaceous ripe tomato note as it opened further in the glass. Pinpoint balance with terrifically soft and ripe tannins. Layers of mint and cedar add to the impressive complexity of this young wine, but I have no doubt this has a good 10 years of improvement in bottle left to come. Really a very classy wine fully deserving of the elevated reputation of the producer.
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Beautiful wine. Held up very well against an 89 Margaux. Deep primary colour. Nose is incredibly tightly wound up mixture of dark fruits, forest floor, asian spices, pepper. In the mouth this has amazing balance and opens up in the glass. This is no fruit bomb, Light of touch in the mouth, fine tannins, wonderful complexity, smooth, balanced. This will age for another 20 years easily. Excellent.
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Impressively deep crimson wine throws out a nose of formidable fruit and brush with the merest hint of decaying vegetable matter. Ripe and meaty on the attack with licorice and all the dark berry fruit you can eat. Perhaps a little disappointed by the complexity of this example but a wonderful minerality comes through strongly on the mid palate and through to a long and black-fruit dominated finish. Extremely rich and chewy while maintaining a medium body. Surprisingly still drinking like a 5-year-old with plenty of tannic structure supporting the fruit. Only a 30 minute decant and I suspect it needs another hour or so in the jug before it really hits it's stride. Lovely but will improve.
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Dark sweet mineral with regal floral lift. Dark black fruit core with good depth of flavors. Just a slight drop off in midpalate intensity. Finishes a touch dry, but with spice and good grip. Wonder if this improves from here. Jury out. Tasted blind and guessed Bordeaux.
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Intoxicating nose of ripe flowery fruit that oozes out of the glass. Palette didn't quite blow me away like the nose did, but still really nice. Round smooth and dense fruit with a long finish. To me it tastes very much like a powerful right-bank Bdx.
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Outstanding Bordeaux blend. Deep purple color, very dry fruit, long finish. Took it to the Epic Roast House in SF. Paired with a double rib eye. Both were outstanding. Did not decant, but improved in the glass. Probably should decant.
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Deep garnet colour; very dark in the core. No sign of bricking at the rim yet. Powerful fruity nose with redcurrant, cassis and blackcurrant; all underpinned with cedar and a hint of green pepper. Medium bodied, good acidity and mouth-cleansing tannins. Real complexity on the palate; cedar, blackcurrant, stewed fruits and an earthiness which evolved into more spicy winter fruit and dark chocolate over the life of the bottle. Superb length in the mid palate and in the powerful rich finish. I think this has years left too. Wow. Amazing.
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Frisco enjoyed after a day of 11+ inches of powder in Vail with some bifteca florentin over a big salad. 2.5 hr decant & back in the bottle it went for another 2 hrs. This bottle may have been even better than the one shared with the Atlanta gang in BC last year. Soft elegant and complex -Classic Bordeaux aromatics and flavors yet it had that Tuscan minerality all over the long long finish. truly superb.
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1.5L bottle opened. This vintage is drinking very well. Fruit was a bit forward upon first uncorking, but it setlled down nicely about an hour after decanting. Nice balance of spice and fruit, very long finish.
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I'm a big Ornellaia fan and this one surely didn't disapoint me. My 1st '98, this was really excellent. Still dark ruby, almost opaque with almost no sign of evolution. Big nose of bell pepper, tar and smoke, cedar, cassis. Nose kept evolving during our dinner to show more earthy notes. Full body, this is big and ripe without being to much. Ripe and supple tannins, low acidity but still balanced. I loved the texture of the wine and the finish is there for ever. A little more licorice and chocolate on the palate.
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Generously brought to dinner by French16. After a small taste the decision was made not to decant it. Purple moderately opaque wine. This had a powerful nose of bell pepper, eucalyptus, and dark deep berry/cassis fruit, with maybe a touch of chocolate or earthy spice. It is silky rich in the mouth with nice complexity but tending towards the austere side with a high acidity that held it up against my peppercorn crusted duck breast (at Cafe Matou). It finished well, and the structure of this wine tells me it has miles to go, despite the fact that it drank very well right now. I wonder if decanting would have softened it a little, but we didn't really have the option (only 1 decanter and the burgundy needed it more!). Overall I found this wine highly pleasurable and quite alluring.
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Decanted for 1-1/2 hrs in am. At 6pm redecanted, and significant sediment emerged then, not earlier. Let breathe for another hour before going to Gabbiano. Remains a fabulous bottle of wine, justifying its WS WOTY hype. Intense dark berry perfume/bouquet, similar intense flavor, and finish, with sweet ripe tannins. Great value in today's inflated market.One of my Wines of thsi year.
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10 year old wine that showed little age so far. On the nose, got slate, raspberry, mocha, and a hint of mint. Palate was very soft, supple and elegant. Perfectly balanced. Beautiful long finish. This is not an over the top fruit forward wine but a tremendously elegant well balanced wine. Just continued to improve in the glass. If I had another bottle, I might decant this and drink after 1-2 hours. Still can cellar for at least another 5 years if one wished and perhaps longer.
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Garnet purple color. Nose of cassis, red currants, cedar, earth. Hedonistic and bold on the tongue with lots of refreshing acidity and raciness. Tannins still providing plenty of structure. Finish was long and harmonious. Going strong and not yet at peak.
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Big nose and tasty wine but a little shallow on the finish (relative to our lofty expectation). We came to enjoy this wine more as our glasses emptied.
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Flock - Super Tuscan Tasting (Bob and Ann's): Full open and complex nose with aromas of red currants, smoke, spice, herbs and cedar. Palate is full bodied with a big-time, delicious attack. Rich fruit, chewy tannins and bright acidity provide balance, lift and a long, long finish. Outstanding. Group's #2, my #2.
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Wineflock - Super Tuscan's (Bob & Ann's): Group #2, My #9 - Full deep red color. Big nose with wide green streak and a hint of black fruit. Interesting spicy, cedar, herb, green pepper black fruit palate with a long chewy finish.
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Broke fast at Quattro. Based on January's experience double decanted in am, and subsequently decanted for an hour+ before dinner. Had an exceptional amount if fine sediment. Wine kept improving through our 2 hour dinner. Remains an exception bordeaux blend with many years of development ahead. Have two left. Will wait until 2012 to have the next one.
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we were dining at ole (asbury park) and the couple at the next table had brought this wine in. they were generous enough to share a glass with us. the wine shows obvious breeding but did not seem ready to drink. very complex nose and robust mouth feel. however, i did not experience the multiple taste sensations and long finish described by others. needs to shed considerable tannins before it can reveal its charms. this wine had not been decanted. i assume that it would have been better with more air time or more cellaring. would love to know how it has been stored to understand why this bottle was so backward in its development.
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Dinner with fresh truffles (Sydney, Australia): Deep, seductive and luscious aromas of raspberry, cherry, cassis, five spice and tobacco. The palate, while quite obviously young, tight and concentrated is also approachable and enjoyable to drink. Exhibits really nice depth of fruit and has very good length. Give it another 8-10 years and it should really be singing.
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AT Quattro w Fran and Doug Gerrard. Double decanted in am. Classic bell pepper cab nose, w slight minerality, based on my sips upon opening. Much more accessible without the pronounced minerality and austerity of its sibling the 98 Masseto which we had over Xmas??? Surprising cab vs merlot??? Will post rating and additional comments after dinner. Decanted at Quattro for an hour, while we drank the 2000 La Spinetta Starderi. In that hour the Ornellaia showed its greatness, an absolutely incredible Bordeaux blend, drinks better than 82 Latour(funky nose), or 82 Mouton(monolithic monster, that my grandson may enjoy?). I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH THE COMMENT THAT YOU WILL FIND BETTER VALUE IN BORDEAUX!The 98 Ornellaia deserves it WOTY designation, and it is drinking beautifully now, and should develop phenomenally over the next few years. I can't imagine this not winning a blind tasting, against any wine of its era.
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Atlanta Off-line (Bone's Restaurant, Atlanta, GA): Decanted 1½ hr’s min. Wonderfully expressive, detailed and floral nose of cassis, red fruits and violet. By far, the best nose of the night. The complex flavors of cassis, raspberry at the core, and hints of chocolate and vanilla are well integrated and pick up additional weight on the mid-palate. Super-fine tannins and light acidity lead to a nice, focused and lingering finish. A terrific wine that’s thoroughly enjoyable now.
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My dinner with Eduardo (PARK 75 ATLANTA): I last tried this wine in February 2002, shortly after it was announced as the #1 WOY by WS for 2001. At that point this wine was hard to get your arms around, showed great complexity and structure, but I just didn't resonate with it to the point of a #1 WOY
Tonight, this was the WOTN, although the rest of the set menu was not worth detailing. The Ornellaia has come into it's own. We did not decant but did a direct pour..this is a fabulous wine, with spectacular mouthfeel and balance. The carbernet is right up front, would not have identified this as a super-Tuscan without help. LOOOOOOONG finish, just didn't quit. And above it all floated a sandlewood, elegance that just took one's breath away. This can last for another 10 years, but why wait?
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(From magnum) A powerful, black wine. On opening, youthful tannins rush in and dominate. As it opens over the course of the night, some cassis, tar and creosote appear. Though the wine was not consumed blind, I think it could be guessed as Italian as it had a certain Bolgheri profile to it. A very long life ahead for this strong wine - especially in this format.
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i was concerned that this would be a 'tweener, i.e. neither young and vibrant or mature. it's been over a year since i had it last. i know that this wine was purchased at costco for about $110, and, of course, it was a WS WOTY.
still tannic, but not a problem. just more oomph and power with plenty of fruit. it's not a killer wine, but i enjoyed the hell out of it, and it was my wine of the night. i'd be interested in aging comments about this wine.
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With dinner out. Deep purple color and slightly smoky nose. Some vegetal/green pepper notes but not enough to bother me. Really improved after 30 minutes in the glass, to the point that I quite enjoyed it. However, Bordeaux offers many better deals.
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Christine's Going Away Party: This wine shows tons of potential. It had been open all day, but Chris Hayes would have preferred it be open for about 30 hours. Smells like tannin, old wood on the nose, along with minerals and a bit of mint(?). On the palate it is rich and full-bodied with tons of black currant fruit. Tight, but very concentrated. Nice.
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this was awesome as well. served without decanting but i managed to time my tasting until it hit the bottom of the bottle. Very silky with black fruit and dark cherries on the finish. Still carrying a ton of tannin, but somewhat approachable with substantial decanting.
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6/7/02 at Acme Chop House. Extremely rich, dark, luxurious color. Nose is amazing, close to perfect, fragrant, elegant, lovely. Palate also very fine. Silky, elegant, yet still has grip and guts. An amazing drink, and almost certainly the best Italian wine I have ever drunk. 5-14-17-9: 95/100 Hiroko says 94.
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3/29/2024 - Nontaco Likes this wine: 96 Points
In a great spot. Wonderful Ornellaia age - I almost want to make a comparison to the Guigal LaLas where age creates this patina of unwieldy flavor that is so satisfying. When it works like this 98 does, I find it can be superior to all but the very very best aged Bordeaux. Enjoyed at Amore, waiting on the friar.
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1/9/2024 - felixp Likes this wine: 99 Points
Blackcurrants, dark chocolate and mint dominate in this incredibly beautiful and youthful wine. Just gets better and better. Extraordinary length.
Turning into a freak, and quite easily the best vintage of the line.
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11/2/2023 - Cailles wrote: 97 Points
No detailed notes taken. This was another magical bottle of this probably best ever vintage of Ornellaia. This has it all, the depth, the precision and purity, the intriguing fruit and seductiveness and the elegance and classiness of a great Bordeaux, youthful elements mixed with tertiary notes, as well as a superb structure with fine tannins, high tension and freshness, an airy texture and a perfect harmony of all components.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed. Good from the go and with a lot of life ahead.
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8/8/2023 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
1995s & Friends (67 Pall Mall, London): Decanting works here and much like a year ago when when we had this last ( Papies 94) this benefited from it.
Its a wine of two faces in our mind the nose s as bordeaux-esque as it gets but on the palate it feels like it has done an internship in California. The fruit is riper, denser, definitely more selection here and had a cold feel it and dare we say the wine is young. A sort of complete wine across and with a lot of capacity to improve with more time in bottle. Very solid wine and shows that their wines need the time and mistakenly and more often than usual ( akin to Napa Cabs) are drunk too early. 94
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7/29/2023 - Javachip Likes this wine: 96 Points
Allowed to breathe in bottle 1 hour. Clear deep garnet - inky violet, youthful appearance. Bright fresh blackberries, sour black cherries, blueberries, violets, sandalwood, leather, cardamom, stony soil. Full body, seamless, beautiful balance. Superb. My #1, group's FIRST PLACE among reds tonight.
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7/29/2023 - Racer117 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Shockingly youthful. This still seems primary with loads of fresh ripe fruit (plum, berry). Med to full body, good gripping finish. Thanks to SD-Wineaux for sharing.
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7/2/2023 - Cromulent Likes this wine: 97 Points
Amazing. a fantastic bottle. Cork had no staining what so ever. Showing its age but still in fine shape.
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6/17/2023 - Patethel Likes this wine: 93 Points
Très très bon. Bien équilibré
Pour souligner les 25 ans et le Barreau de LP
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3/31/2023 - #1 or #2? Likes this wine: 94 Points
appearance is dark plum, totally opaque, lots of suspended sediment. bouquet is that of a fully mature super tuscan, savoury, mossy, damp forest floor, and vaguely mineral. palate is superb… plush, balanced, a nice mild acidity keeps it fresher than the nose would have you expect. some sour cherry in support and a long but subtle mineral aftertaste that holds on the finish. on the decline so i’d recommend drinking sooner than later.
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3/10/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
2023 Napa in the City: Gala Dinner (The Pool in NYC): A bit off theme for the night but absolutely awesome. All dark fruits and spice and interesting to see the Italian version of Cabernet. This was in a great spot. Juicy and delicious but well balanced. Huge fan.
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1/4/2023 - jon.siracusa Likes this wine: 99 Points
Mind-blowing.
Sets the bar for me.
Mellow, but not subdued or boring. Had plenty of energy, from start to finish.
The fruit is just the right amount of juicy, after running its marathon in the cellar. The tannins are woven perfectly into the finish which seems to go on forever.
Thanks dad for approving this pull from the cellar!
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12/18/2022 - Cailles wrote: flawed
16x Right Bank Bordeaux 1998: Almost 25 years later, it’s a great time to check in on the wines of the much lauded right bank vintage. All wines tasted single blind. A few observations: A) most wines showed quite open with a melted tannin structure, but still good tension across the board. B) The highlight was rather on the structural side (elegance and finesse in most wines), than on the aromatic depth side, which was limited, also due to… C) …the fact that there is limited tertiary expression yet. Most wines will need at least another 5 to rather 10 years to reach their peak. D) An average rating of 91.9pts in my book and 92.0pts for the group shows that despite a few highlights, the reception was mixed overall. E) Best wines today were Angelus (group average 94.9pts), Valandraud (94.4) and Cheval Blanc (94.0). I would put L’Evangile (rated 95pts) in the top category too but the group (average 92.6) was less enthusiastic.
TN: Added as a ringer to the tasting (double blind). Oxidized, dead, which is a shame as this Ornellaia vintage can be amazing and represents the best Italian Bordeaux blend I’ve had to date (twice tasted with 98 pts).
Decanting: Double decanted and consumed a few hours later.
Group score: NA
Group rank: 16th out of 16 reds
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11/26/2022 - La Sprezzatura wrote: flawed
1998 Horizontal Bordeaux Right Bank Tasting (private) (Essen'z): All wines were tasted single blind and were decanted before tasting. 14 right bank bordeaux and 2 pirates. All wines were from the vintage 1998.
General observations:
Unfortunately, the tasting was below my expectations. The was no real "wow-effect" at any wines as I had with the left bank tasting 1982-1990 we had a year ago. So I had to find out, that, me, personally, I like more the aged left than the aged right banks. In the end, Ridge Montebello (pirate) ended even up being the wine of the night for me.
_______
TN:
pirate
very oxidated aromas, not sure if it was only the botte or if other 98 wines from tuscany are „over the hill“ as well… Maybe it had too much air, I would not suggest to decant it at all. the one who brought the wine to the tasting said that he had another bottle 2 years ago and it was amazing, so I think the bottle was flawed.
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11/26/2022 - sirpat00 wrote: flawed
Bordeaux Right Bank 1998 tasting (Essenz (Brugg)): Bordeaux right bank 1998 tasting. All wines were served single blind and were decanted several hours. The sample showed i/ generally healthy and structured wines, still quite primary with further aging potential; ii/ the overall performance was below expectations considering the repute of the vintage for the right bank (although this may be due to the very long aeration), iii/ top wine for me were 1. Valandrau (95), 2. L’Evangile (95), 3. Angélus (94) while for the group the ranking was 1. Angélus (94.9), 2. Valandrau (94.4), 3. Cheval Blanc (94.0). Complete list including group scores included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
Beef juice and soy sauce by the time of tasting. This was full of earth, dried leaves, tobacco with a ripe dark cherry and cranberry fruit when I double-decanted it. Unfortunately, this didn‘t survive the 6h period until consummation.
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10/28/2022 - greedy wrote: 100 Points
Flawless. They don’t come better for my taste. Paid 600$ cad for this at auction. Worh every penny. Lots of fruit left which is well balanced with alcohol. Tannins very chewy and pleasant.
Barn yard funk happening now. If I was on an island and only had one wine, ornellaia would be my go to.
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10/21/2022 - rgawlowski Likes this wine: 96 Points
Fantastic; it’s a top left-bank class, like a great vintage Lalande or Las Cases; beautiful, mature fruit; excellent nose; subtle but long finish.
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9/25/2022 - jviz wrote: 97 Points
Same bottle as Nutty08, this was the WOTN for me. Such layered complexity wound up within. The wine showed black cherry, sandalwood, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and more. Superb handling of the extraction with balanced alcohol and acid, and weight to spare. Marvelous wine
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9/24/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Probably at it's apogee. Suave and polished with tobacco and cedar notes mixed in with black fruits. Svelte tannins. Excellent.
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3/25/2022 - crazywineguy Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine is new to me, tasted very right bank bordeaux and it is a cabernet/merlot blend I believe. Superb nose - classical structure, blackcurrent. Mature wine, very high quality and in supreme health. Perfect with the lamb rump. Would love to have a case of this in the cellar!
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3/4/2022 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for a good hour and was helpful as the wine had a bit of VA on the nose that need time to relax away. Post that was a superb wine, well aged but still bright with an almost Barolo feel of dry herbs and soft tar it felt at times but could be the VA playing tricks on us. Quite dark still , the oak is fully assimilated and the fruit is still very much alive. At peak now probably but would easily make it to 30yrs with no issues we felt. Very solid 94-95
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12/24/2021 - viking92067 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Acquired new. Agree with SIRPAT00 that "This smell, feels and tastes like a beautifully aged Bordeaux." Decanted for 2+ hours. This is what a great Super Tuscan can achieve. I believe this is definitely at its peak and would not wait more than 3-4 years more if you have any. The Italians have the perfect word for a wine like this: Bellissimo! Bravo!
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12/1/2021 - cephomer Likes this wine: 98 Points
Grabbed from the cellar to bring to Lucanda Verde for partner dinner last nite. Read my last notes on this beauty, so had waiter decant as long as possible--which was a very smart move and highly recommended. Nose of ripe black and blue fruit permeates the glass, along with hints of spice & tobacco. Restaurant was dark, but I noticed no signs of age and a pretty purplish/ruby core. Medium body, surprisingly youthful and fresh. Copious amount of ripe fruit is immediately noticeable on the front end (perfectly ripe plums, and cassis in particular--perhaps some blueberry as well) along with some earthy, forest floor elements. I notice hints of chocolate, eucalyptus, mint and cedar as well. Tannins are still present, though ever-so-slight. The finish is as clean as you could ask for, and the length is exceedingly long and wonderful. Pure elegance, silky smooth, solid acidity, perfect fruit level, great concentration; and all elements perfectly integrated and balanced throughout - this wine is singing at 23 years young and is absolutely gorgeous right now! This is exemplary of how a great bottle of wine should age and mature. Arguably the best bottle of wine I've had in recent memory. If blind, I would have guessed a classic right bank Bdx. What a great wine, (and equally tragic that, alas, I have but one lonely bottle remaining in my cellar...:(
This wine is gorgeous!
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11/30/2021 - cephomer Likes this wine: 98 Points
Grabbed from the cellar to bring to Lucanda Verde for partner dinner last nite. Read my last notes on this beauty, so had waiter decant as long as possible--which was a very smart move and highly recommended. Nose of ripe red and black fruit permeates the glass, along with hints of spice & tobacco. Restaurant was dark, but I noticed no signs of age and a pretty purplish/ruby core. Medium body, surprisingly youthful and fresh. Copious amount of ripe fruit is immediately noticeable on the front end (perfectly ripe plums, and cassis in particular) along with some earthy, forest floor elements. I notice hints of chocolate, eucalyptus, mint and cedar as well. Tannins are still present, though ever-so-slight. The finish is as clean as you could ask for, and the length is exceedingly long and wonderful. Pure elegance, silky smooth, solid acidity, perfect fruit level, great concentration; and all elements perfectly integrated and balanced throughout - this wine is singing at 23 years young and is absolutely gorgeous right now! This is exemplary of how a great bottle of wine should age and mature. Arguably the best bottle of wine I've had in recent memory. If blind, I would have guessed a classic right bank Bdx. What a great wine, (and equally tragic that, alas, I have but one lonely bottle remaining in my cellar...:(
This wine is gorgeous!
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11/25/2021 - TMo wrote:
Took Meg and Evan for thanksgiving 21
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11/12/2021 - mcromain1021 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Pure hedonism in a glass. Spectator WOTY in 2001. Patience was rewarded, but if you are holding and storing properly, there is life ahead...more on that in a moment. Bought this on release in 2001. From the first swirl of the glass to the last sip, just perfection. Yes, fully mature, but this still has the power to last another 5-7 in prime drinking window. I say this because I did not decant and over the evening, it got better and better. Mushrooms, truffle along with red fruit notes--strawberry and raspberry. Drink now for sure or wait a few more years.
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8/14/2021 - Marcosuru Likes this wine: 97 Points
A beauty. This is how a great wine should mature. Fantastic to drink now, but there is no hurry.
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7/16/2021 - lesz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted about two hours before but if needed more while really nice two days later really smooth rough edges removed.
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4/29/2021 - Slade wrote: 95 Points
What an unbelievable wine. Was supposed to be past its drinking window..... definitely not!!
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4/4/2021 - Taronti wrote: 96 Points
Deep red. Black fruit, some red fruit. Oak, tobacco, earth. Fantastic tannins gripping cheeks and tongue, mainly foreward. Fantastic length. Still has a lot of fruit
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3/2/2021 - felixp Likes this wine: 98 Points
dark fruits with an overlay of mint as a top note. Classical right bank look-a-like. Fabulous length, better than anything from Bordeaux in 1998. If you can find it, buy it.
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12/30/2020 - Cailles wrote: 98 Points
My second time crossing paths with this beauty and this bottle felt 10 years younger (but both were drinking great). This shows like a well aged right bank from a good vintage and as always is more red fruit dominated than dark fruit (same is true for Sassicaia). Especially on the palate this shows complex, round, super harmonious and with a long finish. The complete package and this bottle has the structure and fruit to age easily for another decade.
TN: After some cellar stink disappeared with a few swirls the nose showed pure, ripe, sweet red fruit, strawberry candy and herbs. Super intriguing and harmonious. On the palate there are leather, tobacco, earthy notes circling around a sweet red fruit core. Somer herbs to complement the picture. Super mellowed strucutre, creamy texture lifted with a nicely-integrated acidity. Long, sweet finish.
Decanting: Only double decanted to get rid of the sediment 2 hours prior to consumption. Good from the go but especially on the nose the wine improved markedly with more time in the glass. This would have needed a solid hour or better two in the decanter.
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12/4/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 96 Points
Tasted blind after a c2h double-decant. This smell, feels and tastes like a beautifully aged Bordeaux. Tobacco, dried leather, somewhat earthy with a cool, rather dark berry fruit profile, droplets of sweet oak and elements of fresher, mint-like herbal notes. The fruit turned more red berry-like over time. Fresh and fruit-forward palate with more red type of fruit. Perfect balance, softly textured yet with structure. Palatable beyond belief. An entirely different bottle from 18 months ago, which was soaked in truffles and wet earth and appeared more advanced in the aging process. I would argue both presentations are impressive with this one a 96+.
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8/16/2020 - rraaffaa wrote: 96 Points
Still beautiful
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2/2/2020 - rraaffaa Likes this wine: 96 Points
Seems in even better shape than the last bottle I had. Strong, well balanced red fruit, leather, perfect body, stunning wine
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1/3/2020 - johnharty wrote:
Absolutely lovely. Very mellow but I was amazed how much fruit it still had for a 21+ year old wine
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12/31/2019 - dkeyes Likes this wine:
Loads of time yet. Fruit forward. Not sure where it’s going but it has a few years.
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12/31/2019 - RED AND BLACK wrote: 95 Points
This is a wow red wine
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11/22/2019 - JR1575 wrote: 98 Points
pretty incredible complex fruit and drinking perfectly...opened by the somm at a great steakhouse who said it was better than anything on their list... just struck me as an interesting blend between the complexity of bordeaux and the ripe fruit of the American cab
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11/22/2019 - Montesquieu wrote: 98 Points
Magnificent. Waited a few years to drink this bottle, but I can't see any reason it will get better with more age. Near perfection today.
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11/17/2019 - Kevnzworld wrote: 96 Points
Pnp
Ripe , concentrated with earthy secondary flavors.
It doesn’t have the tannic austerity that many 1990’s era Bordeaux wines have. This is where the ST wines shine.
This 21 yo has youthful red berries but mixed with dark chocolate.
A good balance of acidity, heat , tannin and fruit. No sharp edges or fading.
At hour two more blueberry evolved and the cherry disappeared
Long finish and good but Imo best out of the gate. Overall
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10/19/2019 - Doctor Koulodare Likes this wine: 98 Points
Extraordinary - complex, dark fruit, meat, and smoke, full mouthfeel, velvet tannins, earthy, long satisfying finish. Has years to go: at age 21 is just coming into form!
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10/11/2019 - rraaffaa wrote: 96 Points
Still beautiful but maybe it's peaked
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10/10/2019 - redknife Likes this wine:
With Richard and Elda at Thursday night dinner Mesamar
Been almost 1 year no TN but recall it was stunning
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8/30/2019 - Gooddummy Likes this wine: 99 Points
Superb nose, complex on the palette ( cherries chocolate and a hint of spice) and a silky smooth lasting finish. Only one bottle left for another special occasion this year. Can’t chance it going south.
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8/7/2019 - PMJak11 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nice! Deep, dark fruit. Still has many years left in it.
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7/5/2019 - Cailles wrote: 98 Points
Right from the first nose you fall in love with this beauty. For me the best aged example of a Super Tuscan I had yet. Wonderfully mature, suave and with good tension. I had it blind a guessed it to be an old left bank star at the peak of its possibilities. I would love to drink this wine again today (despite my hangover).
TN: So much intense, pure black truffles on the nose and palate. Dark fruit and black truffles, candied red fruit and black truffles, leather and black truffles, dry earth and black truffles, wet forest floor and black truffles, herbs and black truffles. Did I mention black truffles? Good complexity, elevated precision, good length. All embedded in a fine structural frame with very soft tannins and a superb acidity. Got stronger the longer the evening went on and shone with its harmony.
Decanting: Decanted for 1h, got better in the glass, best after 3 hours. Hence, I would advice to decant it for 2 to 3 hours – but depending on the bottle condition this might be a too big gamble. Better just follow it over several hours.
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7/4/2019 - sirpat00 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Intense plum fruit filling the room when I opened this for a 1h decant (although the cork broke and was a pain to get out again, so proceed with caution). Once poured into the glass, borderline overaged and my heart sank into my pants. Leather and lots of (dry) earth or mushrooms. The real strength here was the palate initially. Apart from the freshness, lots of sweetness on the palate with black cherry compote woven into a great structure. An incredible pleasure to drink. Started off with 93 due to an overweight in aging aromatics, but a 96 was easily deserved after a while and I ended up with 98 as what was mistaken as traces of oxidized notes shrugged off the flaws and evolved into deep, intense, mind-blowing tastes of white truffle. The 1998 is in a fantastic drinking spot right now and would pop those bottles without hesitation now, not sure how long this dream will hold.
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6/15/2019 - jmoon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderfully delicious after 30 min decant. A bit funky on opening, it needed some air. Continued to evolve over the next few hours. Complex mature left bank Bordeaux type profile, gorgeous fruit purity with a hint of blueberry to add an Italian twist.
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6/3/2019 - Sievvy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big powerful wine. Deep ruby color. Cassis, tobacco, lead pencil come to mind. Still tannic on the finish even after an hour or so of being opened. Will get even better with a few more years of age.
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4/23/2019 - Insignia98 Likes this wine: 92 Points
3 hours decant, nice fruit, Ornellaia Style gr8!
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3/8/2019 - Gooddummy Likes this wine: 97 Points
What complexity’s. Bing cherries, pepper, leather and chocolate in harmony. Still should have many more years to enjoy. One of the better vintages. I rate this vintage just under the next to the perfect 2004.
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2/17/2019 - suilesor25 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Strong pepper notes on the nose that nearly overwhelmed the rest of the elements, even after an hour plus decant. But the tase was wonderful, dark red fruit and complex notes with a long finish.
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2/16/2019 - sdsull Likes this wine: 99 Points
Opened with 82 Gaja Barbaresco, 97 Gaja Darmagi, 11 Raveneau Butteaux, 08 Hundred Acre Kayli, some dodgy SQN (;-) that showed up a bit later. The 98 Ornellia continues to impress. 1 bottle left..... Wish I had more. Still has a lot of life left.
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2/13/2019 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lovely mature nose of tobacco, leather, dark fruit, cassis, a bit of heat. Soft tannins adding structure on the palate with good acidity and notes of dark berries, cedar, and a hint of cherries. Long finish. A beautiful mature wine!
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12/12/2018 - redknife Likes this wine: 95 Points
Took to Zucca with the group
No TN and its been a while but the wine showed beautifully with brief decant
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11/16/2018 - Lype Likes this wine: 93 Points
A very good year for Ornellaia and Bolgheri wines in general. Cleary more aromatic and full bodied than the holy vintage 1997 which is much lighter. The 1998 vintage is highly recommended and drinking very well now.
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11/10/2018 - Mr Pinot Noir Likes this wine: 94 Points
We had this one tonight with some pasta. Nice wine. Nose of dark fruit, bramble, leather, cedar, menthol, mineral. Perfect balance on nose with bright secondary aromas. Felt young. On the palate, black fruits, blackberries, very dark flavors, excellent acidity, long and balanced. Tannins are fine and mostly absorbed, but still there. Drank wonderful after 1 hour in glass. Incredibly pleasant wine.
Overall, I would have to give this a 94 or 95 subtracting only for the 14.5% alc. This is a serious wine with excellent overall balance in all areas. I bought this in 2000. I have one more. This is brilliant.
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9/19/2018 - maxima wrote: 94 Points
Petit retour sur notre souper avec les FOUDUVIN du Club de Sherbrooke au Resto AVV La Suite.
Avec The Danny, Bulle, Meursault et FrancoisD.
Superbe, le vin de la soirée!
Un beau nez fruité et floral.
Il y a des truffes et de la terre avec des fruits rouge.
En bouche, belle acidité et intensité.
Des cerises et des épices avec du graphite et un
peu de tabac. Les tannins sont bien intégrés et le finale bien longue et velouté.
Fait dans le style Bordeaux hi-class.
Excellent sur toute la ligne, complexité et équilibre sont au rendez-vous.
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3/10/2018 - europat55 wrote: 90 Points
Nose: B++ Palate: B++
My #6, Group's #7 (63 pts). Part of a Super Tuscan tasting. Tasted blind.
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3/10/2018 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Nose: B++ Palate: B++/A-
My #3, Group's #2 (36 pts). Part of a Super Tuscan tasting. Tasted blind.
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3/1/2018 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 94 Points
Italian Retrospective at the Texas Wine School. Decanted for a couple hours, from a magnum. Very youthful and fruit-forward and much more international and New World in style than the 1997 Sassicaia, for example. Ruby and medium plus in intensity, with only a hint of garnet. The nose is clean and medium plus in intensity, with black and ripe red fruit, plum, cigar box and oak spice. The nose is developing, with an elegant but noticeable oak treatment. The palate is dry, consistent with the nose and very fruit-forward. The acidity is medium, the tannins are medium (+) but very fine and silky and the alcohol is high at 14.5%. This is a full-bodied and intense wine, with a rich, luscious, creamy, lingering finish. This wine is drinking beautifully and surprisingly youthful, perhaps thanks to the large format bottle. I just figured out that this was the No. 1 wine of the WS Top 100 in 2001, which kind of makes sense.
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2/28/2018 - Heynetty wrote:
4thWednesdays - Giorgio & Paulo's Italian Wine Extravaganza - Feb 2018 (Texas Wine School, Houston, Tx): A: Deep ruby with garnet highlights
N: Peach yoghurt (why does that keep coming up with some Cab heavy wines, i don't know), touch of acacia, dried black fruit, chocolate coffee, clove, black plum, tobacco, leather. Medium (+) intensity and fully developed
P: Aromas confirmed. Dry, medium (+) velvety tannin, medium (+) acidity, high alcohol, pronounced intensity, long finish, full body
C: Fruit forward wine. More like a traditionally Californian wine. Magnum bottle and therefore ages slower than a split or standard bottle
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2/24/2018 - Chaochao Likes this wine: 89 Points
Some bricking. Mushroomy nose, soy flavours and very earthy. Not much fruit left, if any, some cherries.
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2/17/2018 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
Opened by Mark. 2nd time I have had this with the last being 5 years ago. This has become more earthy and rustic. Some bricking in the color. Notes of forest floor, cherries, leather and dried mushrooms. 92 points.
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1/7/2018 - CWang wrote: 93 Points
Quite fruity and mellow in the nose, apples, cherries, honey, and some roses; still a bit tannic on the palate, yet also fruity and structured with quite some berries and light wood spices; long finish; overall, 93-94 points at this stage.
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11/24/2017 - AV2012 wrote: 93 Points
So intense and youtful despite being almost 20 years of age. Flour on the palate and some bitterness. Shockingly young, but also harmonic at the same time. Potentially even greater. A potential 95+ for sure.
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10/21/2017 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 90 Points
Cellaraid - Cabernet Sauvignon Taste-Off Dinner (Tonny's Restaurant): creme de cassis, pencil shavings, leathery and meaty; pretty nice
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8/24/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Chicago Wine Flock...Bill Having Fun with Flights (Wilmette, IL): Tasted double blind. Very ripe and slightly oaky, clearly very modern styled, with moderate finesse. The faint green pepper note was actually my favorite aspect of the wine, in that it provided a nice contrasting note. Richness and concentration made this easy to enjoy, even if slightly lacking nuance.
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7/1/2017 - beatles wrote: 92 Points
From dblMG: Mature, certainly, coming together as a Cab rather than the in your face modern Italian, this shows spice, herbs, cool olives, cedar, some tobacco and loads of primary fruit. Some tannins still, but smooth, extremely well made. For people living life on 1st class an upwards ... #IB50
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6/17/2017 - SeaCellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank with a 1998 Moss Wood Cab (Aussie) at an event where I was not able to decant either bottle. Both opened up well, and clearly the Ornellaia would have benefited from time in a decanter. Very elegant and silky wine, more subtle than the Moss Wood - which surprisingly held its own - and which I rated 93. This undecanted bottle did not quite have the wonderful palate of the 98 Ornellaia I had last year. Could be the lack of decanter, could be the need to start drinking up.
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5/28/2017 - Winedad53 wrote: 93 Points
Nose of cedar, pine and mint emerged after hour or more of air. Wine drinks beautifully but lacked the depth of fruit and sweet, plush ripeness of prior bottles that I'd rated at 96-97 points.
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5/13/2017 - sdsull wrote: 99 Points
Flawless and elegant bottle of 1998 Ornellaia in magnum. Birth year celebration for high school graduation. Was everything I hoped it would be. Shows the benefit of temperature-controlled storage over the life of the bottle.
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5/10/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Casual (Mostly) Italian Wine Dinner with Friends (Ballaro - Highwood IL): In 90/96/97/98 vertical. Ripe black cherry comes across as forward and tasty with hints of licorice, baking spice and cassis. Given 1998 being a great vintage I was surprised this did not come across as polished or nuanced as the 1990 or 1996 tonight.
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4/2/2017 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a double magnum decanted for a couple of hours as the sun went down.....Dense black-red colour with the merest beginning of lightening. Nose is OMFG.... blackcurrants and damp earth and undergrowth. Palate is still lots of tannic structure but starting to soften and develop some round edges. Refreshing very tart small blackcurrants. Deep brooding growling resonance like a bear hiding at the back of a dark cave. Needs a few more years, at least in this large format.
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3/3/2017 - felixp Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is a great wine, and easily the best Ornellaia I have seen.
Very floral, subtly herbaceous and beautifully delineated, this has wonderful tertiary aromas and flavours, lots of beautiful old leather, dark fruits and earth. Totally avoids the jaminess of the younger vintages of this wine, which have been clearly crafted to impress various wine critics.
Drinking beautifully now, but certainly no hurry to pull one out.
Very highly recommended.
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1/18/2017 - Vinomarcus Likes this wine: 92 Points
January Wine Group Dinner (Campagna at the Bedford Post Inn): Light and feminine in nature, nose was wonderful, full of leather, fresh cut violets, lavender and berries. This is a thinkers wine, as you anticipate the next sip to see what has changed, the wine evolved slowly but steadily and no two sips were the same. Wonderful.
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12/31/2016 - Dave Canada wrote: 96 Points
Pop and Pour
In an awesome place....great primary fruit and tertiary development. Drink this if you have it...in a great place.
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12/5/2016 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 95 Points
In gorgeous form with years of evolution ahead. The '98 Ornellaia is dark, brooding and gutsy with vibrant black-red fruit. Soaring aromatics, juicy textures, and gripping structure combine to create one of the most complete wines of the vertical.
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11/13/2016 - Gian wrote: 92 Points
Dark red garnet color , nose of dark fruits, cocoa, coffe , on the palate you can't imagine that have 18 years, balanced, refreshing acidity and long finish
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11/1/2016 - AV2012 wrote: 92 Points
Supertuscany 1978-2011: Very intense, big and powerful. Bloody juicy meat. Still young and a touch vulgar.
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10/22/2016 - thwacker Likes this wine: 95 Points
had with friends at Langdon's in Mt. Pleasant. No bottle variation, both with slight tawniness around the rim and beautiful bouquet exploded from the glass. The wines featured fresh, vibrant fruit, youthful still at 18 years of age, all elements seamlessly integrated and perfectly balanced, with a long finish. A majestic wine.
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10/10/2016 - GFWeaver wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful ruby color for a wine this age. Nose was excellent also... herbal and dark berries with a hint of chocolate. Palate was very smooth leaning to dark fruit and a hint of dark chocolate. Very nicely structured and full mouthfeel.
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10/8/2016 - cephomer Likes this wine: 95 Points
Blanco brought to Saltaire last nite. Decanted at the restaurant. Ruby core, some browning at the edges. Generous nose of red fruit, some wood and spice. Wonderfully silky, smooth and elegant. Ripe, sweet red cherries dominate but there's also plenty of coffee, tobacco and earth here too. Great balance and elegance, with an extra long & spicy finish. Delicious wine!
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9/28/2016 - sdsull wrote: 96 Points
Enjoyed at Carmines in Bellevue. Spectacular showing, smooth and silky....
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8/21/2016 - conviction buy wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 1.5hrs, dark ruby, nose rather stringent, bit of cassis, plum and some oak. Sweet on palate, tannin still need time to resolve, bit grippy, but the wine has a refreshing fruit acidity that should enable further cellaring.
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8/4/2016 - SeaCellar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding and drinking optimally right now. Wonderful and in its prime.
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7/4/2016 - pamswans Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful wine -- drinking perfectly!
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6/4/2016 - JS1056 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Great wine. Decanted about an hour. Nose was wonderful, with dark fruit and spice.
Balance was perfect with smooth silky tannins perfect. Dark fruit is still right there but there is complexity with currant, olive, tobacco, leather and even a faint touch of eucalyptus. The finish goes on for quite a while.
Although there is no rush, I can't see how this can get much better.
Best wine I've had in some time.
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5/15/2016 - soyhead wrote:
nose - coffee, spice
mouth - roasted red and dark fruits, coffee, concentrated and very much the essence of a rich mature wine. Has lots of life. my WOTN
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3/20/2016 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Boerne wine club - Bordeaux vs Italy vs California: This is flat out gorgeous. My WOTN
Mature dark fruit, no noticeable oak, impeccable balance. This is likely at its peak, but at this time seems like it could on and on and the drinking window only out to 2018 seems quite conservative
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2/14/2016 - nywine68 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Gorgeous mature Bordeaux nose with hints of truffle. Nice round mouthfeel with great fruit intensity. Fantastic secondary and tertiary flavor profile. Long finish. Fantastic wine.
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1/8/2016 - soyhead wrote:
nose - olive, cedar, confected cherry
mouth - full bodied , nice round tannins but overly oaky in my opinion. the wine doesnt need this much makeup.
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10/14/2015 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 94 Points
An Outstanding Array of High-End Wines at a Charity Dinner (Fairmont Miramar, Santa Monica): Voluptuous, rich and drinking at peak, with loads of berry, currant, floral and mineral components, sweet, firm tannins and no noticeable oak. The most feminine Ornellaia I've had.
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8/26/2015 - pmravens Likes this wine: 92 Points
Double decanted ~1hr before. In a very good window right now.
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7/5/2015 - jmull Likes this wine: 94 Points
popped and poured. This showed slight bricking at the edges, with dark ruby at the core. Alluring Bordeaux-like nose with eucalyptus, leather and subtle fruit. Tremendous structure, with forceful grip and great length. Exudes class. Obviously could live longer but seems to be in a sweet spot. 94-95.
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7/4/2015 - millesime66 wrote: 95 Points
Exceptionnel super toscan si bordelais, avec son nez de poivron vert et sa bouche de cassis bien mûr. Resté si jeune grâce à ma cave à 12 degrés et un excellent bouchon, ce vin tiendra la route encore 10ans! Pas lourd du tout malgré ses tannins encore solides et ses 14,5% d'alcool.
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6/2/2015 - imbibe wrote:
Popped and poured from 375 ml bottle. Hitting on all cylinders, more youthful appearance than I would have anticipated. The cab scent jumps from the glass. Tannins still grippy, but fruit takes over with a long sweet finish.
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2/15/2015 - theb Likes this wine: 93 Points
deep ruby quite rich med/full body high alc 14,5 acid at the end a little bitter dry gin style ! yes plenty fruit coco truffle yes , leather yes bordeaux -ish yet never chapitalised as BANNED IN ITALY THANK GOD so we get REAL WINE in italy not a concoction as in other 08s in europe and 07s 04s 01s etc 13s i could go on !well were is it and were is it going hmmm we let breath 1 hour like advised , there is dry tannin lingering , anyhow its mature the acid tannin alc taking over the fruit this will continue it wont get any better !!! its v nice not great like another bt my friend prof matt bell brought cant remember vintage , this will still drink in 5 years time but why wait you will have lost another 40% in drinking quality so drink in your own time in next 3 years max for best results if it had been chapitalised id have dropped it 1 pt but as its banned in italy il give 93 max i dont like the high 14.5 alc no need this suits 12.5-13.5 max !!! The high alc and acid does trouble me the balance is ok ish but not perfect at all , cork was fine love cork ban the screw crap woops i mean cap
ps the wine is worth say 40e a bt no more
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1/10/2015 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 95 Points
Davyd's Birthday Celebration 2015 (Hard Rock Hotel Suites): Pop and poured. Took about an hour of air in bottle to really open up.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour with slight garnet rim. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with a bouquet of mushroom, truffle, earth, underbrush, and slight orange peel. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol, fine high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of mushroom, sweet earth, tea leaves, blackberry, dark plums. Long finish.
Very good quality. Evident Bordeaux style. Acidity and tannins going strong on this. Balance quite good. More tertiary earth than fruit already though. Drink up over next 3 years, not for further ageing.
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.
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1/10/2015 - Davyd Chong Likes this wine: 93 Points
My 32nd Birthday Party (Hard Rock Hotel, RWS): Derek Popped this to pit against my 1998 Tertre Roteboeuf at my birthday party. Initially quite closed, displaying earthy and herbaceous notes. Dark cherries. Quite woody. High intensity, robust wine. Slightly bittersweet finish. Rounded mouthfeel; broad, full bodied. Persistent tannins, good structure. Later, the wine opened up beautifully to reveal an interesting truffle nose, roasted nuts, and earth. Oak evident and well integrated. Terroir started to show, quite clearly an Italian wine. Less fruity as compared to the Tertre, which had more blackberries and cherries. Higher alcohol too. Honestly, I felt that both wines exhibited a quality simalar to each other, and I think they're equally matched, though I prefer the Tertre because of its fruitiness and slightly lower alcohol (heat on the finish was a lot more pronounced in the Ornellaia, which I thought did not have enough sweetness to carry it through). Mixed votes from friends at my party. 3 hours later, notes of capsicum and black tea leaves started developing on the nose.
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12/30/2014 - jljones wrote: 94 Points
Acquired at auction, cork was slightly protruded, so not sure about storage conditions. This bottle probably had less than a year left in it -- it was right on the line.
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11/13/2014 - SineQuaNon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great wine - juicy, rich displaying huge amounts of green cabernet bell pepper
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9/20/2014 - Alex H wrote: 91 Points
Bordeaux like and almost had me calling a latour. Deep brooding dark fruited notes supported by well defined oak, spicy black truffles and slightly toasty coffee beans. At least a decade younger than it seems though smooth and velvety yet luscious and moreish.
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6/14/2014 - chablis28 wrote: 93 Points
Only have owned one of these, that I can remember, and have been saving it for its 15th birthday to drink hopefully at or near its peak. Cork had barely any soak and the color was still dark crude oil in center /crimson on edge but no bricking. I poured a couple glasses first and decided it was way tool cool from my cellar. It was also a smidge tannic but that could be the temp. Guessing high 40s. So I decanted into a small 750 decantor which opened up the nose and flavors along with smoothing things out a bit. Cedar, smoke & creosote on the nose. Nice depth, intensity and length. Plum, licorice, cassis and decent minerality. For my palate, this is seems pretty large scaled but not flabby. Just not "Burgundian" ethereal in any way. I think this is near its peak and not sure the fruit will outlast the oak. I'd drink them up within the next couple years or so. I'd like this even more if the producer had dialed back the oak a bit. Wouldn't pay the $105 release price again and I'm sure this is ridiculously expensive now. A very nice wine but it comes at a prestige price premium.That said, a very very nice BDX blend that does show some Italian herbal accents. My score more reflects its success at being what it was intended to be and its relative complexity than my personal palate preference. Tasty with grilled chops!
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6/4/2014 - jkuanl Likes this wine: 92 Points
Enjoyed at Joel Robuchon. Drank shortly after the 1970 Ducru. Given this comparison, the youth and modern touch of this wine was evident. Still dark and opaque, ripe cassis flavours and sweet oak. Full-bodied and round, soft tannins, adequate acidity, good length. This was a pleasure to drink but lacking complexity and some elegance next to the older Bordeaux.
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4/15/2014 - galenico wrote: 91 Points
Doppio Magnum. Rubino intenso, scuro e corposo, figlio di un terreno argilloso.
Al naso colpisce la pungente balsamicità, molto frutto cotto concentrato, note alcoliche e spezie vegetali piccanti, quasi afrodisiache.
In bocca esce la grande annata 98, migliore della 96 del Sassicaia, ma sono due interpretazioni di Bolgheri antitetiche.
Ornellaia è un vino più moderno, femminile. Bocca tridimensionale e voluminosa, si sente ancora un po' la nota di liquirizia dolce del legno, ma è un' esplosione di frutta nera, the nero e argilla rossa.
Finale lungo e tannino polveroso.
Sembra un vino Californiano moderno, piacevole, ma non ha nulla della magia del Sassicaia
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3/30/2014 - pdemaio wrote: 95 Points
Great nose, full of spices and wood. Voluptuous, but plenty of acid. Big and round. Easy to drink. Finish for days. Great by itself or with food. Easy to drink and has a sense of places despite being a super Tuscan.
PDQ94+
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3/6/2014 - Shoomon wrote: 75 Points
Past prime. Raisin like finish, flat.
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2/26/2014 - dulcamara wrote: 94 Points
See previous TN.
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2/26/2014 - dulcamara wrote:
- Aromas of blackberry and has flavours of blackberry and dusty - Had at dinner. 20min decant. This bottle was in fine shape. Bright red, no brick color at all. At its peak.
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2/14/2014 - cubswinws wrote: 88 Points
Opened up nicely but faded fast over the evening developing a metallic aftertaste. Certainly not up to what I had hoped for.
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1/25/2014 - cephomer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark ruby color, no signs of age. Somewhat musty, though generous nose of dark fruits. Medium bodied, mellow tannins, plenty of fruit though well integrated with the tannins & gentle acidity. Wine drinking very well, all elements extremely well balanced. Very enjoyable
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1/18/2014 - soyhead Likes this wine:
nose - dusty, dark berry
mouth - delicious, mature red fruit, rich, with imperessive concentration, very broad on the palate. worth seeking out.
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1/1/2014 - Shoomon wrote: 81 Points
- Brick color with medium forming legs and aromas of prune. It's lacking fruit and has flavours of coffee with a light body. Smooth texture with a medium finish - Past peak and fading fast
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1/1/2014 - Shoomon wrote:
- Brick color and aromas of coffee. It's lacking fruit and has flavours of coffee and prune with a light body. Linear texture with a medium finish.
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11/14/2013 - Argrath wrote: 95 Points
Mighty, dense, darkfruited nose. Distinct aroma of cigarre. And behind: a lovely courtain of blueberry, black currant, paired with a distinct dried herb note. Profound, modern, and with well-integrated oak aromas. And then a third layer of minerally gravel adding suitable complexity.
Full body, tight palate that is plump and austere at the same time. This is complex. Very well-structured palate with fully mature tannins. Liqourice. A long, long finish with proper cigarre-tobacco flavour.
Tasted blind, I noted a small green note combined with a small "dustiness" which I have discovered in Bolgheri wines previously. Other tasters went for Bdx immediately. Compared to the Pontet-Canet it was also just a tiny bit more "sweet" in the fruit. But this is definitely a wine that can stand the comparison with Classed growth Bdx. And yet it has a personality of its own. Splendid.
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11/3/2013 - GA wrote: 94 Points
11/13 Balanced rounded fruit with firm tannic finish - good drinking window. 94 pts.
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10/3/2013 - Yagil wrote: 93 Points
Sextet, that became a Septet, 4th meeting: Super Tuscan evening (at Yoram's): see my previous TN
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9/28/2013 - cephomer Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank in Vegas with my boys on our annual trip. (Matched against a Terrabianco super tuscan wax label 1997 which was, unfortunately, over the hill). I bought this wine right after it was released as a 6-pack, and have taken very good care of it, drinking a bottle every 1-2 years. I am very happy to report that it was quite lovely, and drinking great. Medium to dark ruby color, nose of cedar, some blackberries & spice. Very supple, soft tannins that have integrated very nicely with the juice, though are still--somewhat surprisingly--fairly evident. The fruit is still there, though now combining with tertiary elements, such as tobacco, and forest floor thrown in. This wine is wonderfully elegant, nicely structured, still with great fruit and lots of complexity. Note that the wine was decanted by our waiter and we drank it with our main courses, and it was terrific. I'd even go out on a limb and say that though clearly a mature wine that has reached its plateau, I don't notice any danger of an imminent decline--which is a good thing considering I still have a few more bottles to drink, which I plan to do over the next 1-3 years.
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7/23/2013 - Margauxguy wrote: 90 Points
A little bramble, cedar, sour cherries, blackberry. still not feeling like the rough edges have smoothed out. Longer, more intense flavors, but not an integrated rich presentation, but very full bodied. Hopefully lots of room for age.
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6/29/2013 - ilee Likes this wine: 94 Points
My last bottle, and thankfully this was a good one. There was some bricking round the edges, but aromatics were terrific as always for Ornellaia with dark berries, leather, violets especially prominent. I had this wine on my first ever visit to Tuscany circa 2003 (which of course brings back great memories) and the richness and balance are still very much in evidence, as is the length of finish which I remember left quite an impression 10 years ago. But I do think it's wise to drink up any bottles over the next 5-6 years or so, as it is drinking very nicely now, with tannins are nicely rounded, and the fruit is starting to inch into the background. Wouldn't hang around until 2025 waiting for this...
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6/23/2013 - Yagil wrote: 93 Points
upon uncorking:
old red-brown colour
qualitative elegant perfumed tertiary aroma with hints of ripe cherries, chocolate, leather & dust
full bodied, alcoholic, smooth integrated tannins, excellent acidity, ripe cherries & plums, chocolate, very good harmony, classic long aftertaste, ideal to enjoy now.
after 4 hours:
stable elegance, perfume, complexity & structure. classic. improved since uncorking. excellent.
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6/13/2013 - allfalkedup Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened 5 hours in advance of drinking. Big nose filled with dark fruit, blueberry, aromas of cedar and vanilla. On the palate this was a very big wine that needs more time in the cellar. The flavors followed the nose with additional notes of blackberry, dark cherries and bell pepper. Finish was long and smooth. Enjoyed with spring lamb cassoulette.
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5/6/2013 - ilee wrote: flawed
Brought this to dinner, and when our first bottle turned out to be badly oxidized I thought we were lucky to have this as a backup. Sadly, it was also oxidized and tasted pretty foul. What a coincidence!
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5/4/2013 - uberoh wrote: 94 Points
terrific balance - got better after an hour or so in the glass.
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4/27/2013 - gzim Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for an hour, which was not nearly enough. upon pouring into the decanter there was a beautiful nose for bosenberry, but after some time only wood was apparent.
After following it for an hour I could start to grasp the very nice , very mature dark fruits with bosenberry, blueberry and a touch of bell pepper, but the oak and cedar was overpowering. Not sure if there is enough fruit to outlast the wood integration. This wine either needs 5 hours in a decanter, or another 5 years in the cellar.
Curious where it w=ould be on day 2..
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3/15/2013 - Vino Me wrote: 93 Points
Opened by Mark. 14.5% alcohol. Medium red color. Notes of forest floor, pencil lead, mocha and dark fruit. Moderate tannins. Rather bordeauxlike in style. Medium to full bodied. I liked this better than either the 1999 or 2002 which I have had before. 93-94 points.
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1/26/2013 - fdub wrote: 96 Points
I love this wine. Very tight on opening. Deep concentration and a real sense of terrior on both the nose and palate. Tomato stalk, deep red fruit and earth. Lush but very balanced and refined palate. Delicious.
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12/13/2012 - wenderoth Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 30 min prior to drinking. Dark purple with some ruby at the edge but now bricking. Lovely secondary nose of tobacco and spice but still-present plum pudding and maraschino cherry too. Palate dominated by black fruits with some savoury olive and earth notes. Supple and elegant tannins have integrated beautifully. This is probably right at its peak now, but has the structure to hold for a while yet. Hard to resist opening my last 2 bottles though.
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12/1/2012 - cct wrote: 95 Points
Still quite deep and youthful color. A beautiful nose of graphite, dark stony fruits, bitter chocolate, bell pepper, and olives. A cool mix of fruit and savory. Deep and perfumed with a sweetness to the fruit I seem to get in Bolgheri-Bordeaux. Ripe and seductive but with excellent depth and structure that keeps it all in balance. I don't think you would ever confuse this with Bordeaux, it is its own creature, and a very enjoyable one at that. Outstanding stuff drinking at early peak for me. 95 pts
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11/23/2012 - cnordstr wrote: 95 Points
Stunning nose, deep dark fruits. Drank next to the 2006 Ornellaia which was quite closed but promising. Clearly WOTN. Other wines: 1999 Sori Ginestra, 2001 Campolonge di Torbe, 2003 Aglianico di Meo and Penfolds Sangiovese.
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11/21/2012 - plitton wrote: 97 Points
PnP. Wow! Deep, bright red that shows little signs of age. Nose of olives and forest floor. Medium bodied palate is wonderfully soft with just a slight grip in the finish. Cherries and dirt in the palate. What's fascinating about this wine is that the experience combines young and old characteristics. But it's whole and well integrated. A very special bottle.
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10/8/2012 - bza wrote:
Full, rich and concentrated. Mature and complex with notes of cedar, cigar box, blackcurrant and dark plum. Nicely integrated oak, but maybe a touch too much alcohol in the finish to be perfectly balanced. Very good
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9/21/2012 - Pinotphile123 wrote: 95 Points
Same comments as previous
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9/14/2012 - Verticalcollector Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perfect drinking now. Decanted for 2 hours. Tannins and a little alcohol were present, more of a Bordeaux style than a super Tuscan. Still has fruit and long after taste. Medium bodied. It’s definitely a zipping wine. Don’t need food to enhance this one. Simply superb.
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9/1/2012 - drrobvino wrote: 93 Points
A beautiful deep ruby, almost purple, a youthful appearance and 14.5% abv. This Super Tuscan is very classy, still quite young, showing a nose of black fruits like cassis and plum, with a dust-and-ash minerality and a bit of heat. On the palate, the wine is full bodied, dry, moderately firm tannins that are integrating quite nicely, as the black fruits are still quite forward, and the midpalate seamlessly leads into a moderately long, velvety finish with a little heat and spice. Marvelous. Drink for the next 10-15 years, this baby is quite structured.
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7/28/2012 - Pinotphile123 wrote: 95 Points
Amazing wine, full of life. Smooth tannin structure.
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7/2/2012 - RayOB wrote: 92 Points
Drank at Umu London
Full nose of earth, plumbs, tobacco and vanilla. Nice smooth mouth but slightly weak on the mid palate. Medium length.
Good stuff but at the price point there is better.
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6/30/2012 - Matt Scott wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for two hours. Exotic and very fresh. There is a lot of body and layer upon layer of silky tannins. Mouth-coatingly enticing.b Raisin, blackberry, olive, basil, cedar and roasted cherry. Maturing and, yet, still young. The finish sails for a millennium; there's so much beauty and individualality. Honestly, I see no reason to rush or wait. Drink now - 2028.
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5/26/2012 - Hank Gillespie wrote:
Tenuta dell' Ornellaia (The Wine Summit at the Post Hotel in Lake Louise): 80/20 blend of CS and CF. Dark purple ruby; aromas feature dark fruits and some spice; sweet black currant flavors, but has some awkward vegetal as well; modest finish.
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5/19/2012 - InflationHedge wrote: 95 Points
This monster was young and vibrant, Dark berries and cassis, with a dusty tannins and a long finish. Superb!
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3/8/2012 - danielk168 wrote: 94 Points
Opened and drank without waiting, intense floral nose with earth and some fruit, very addictive, almost too good to drink it. Very soft tannins, this is at its peak now, drink up. Finnished it within 2 hours so do not know how long it will last.
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2/16/2012 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Aerate to decanter 1 hour. Dark ruby, no sign of age. As many have already said, this shows a good deal of New World Cab/Cab blend qualities, while at the same time maintaining several qualities typically reserved for fine 2nd-5th growth wines. Piercing acids, layers of rich, layered black and blue fruits, with superb tannins and a long finish that tends toward a building intensity. No doubt the last glass was the best; a bright future for this effort to be sure. Worked very well with the chicken-fried brisket and rapini. Drink thru 2021, score: A- (upside noted)
https://italianwine.blog/
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1/28/2012 - RJMerlot wrote: 93 Points
Exceptional well rounded and at its prime
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12/31/2011 - LARich wrote: 98 Points
Superb in every way. Perfectly integrated tannins, hints of mint, saffron, & cumin over a dark berry base. Long finish and fascinating color. Couldn't be any better. Loved by 8 at dinner through 2 consistent bottles.
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12/8/2011 - plitton wrote: 93 Points
This bottle, the fruit was a bit younger. Could have benefitted from another 2 years. Still delicious.
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11/20/2011 - Vintomas wrote: 94 Points
Sassicaia and Ornellaia Masterclass at Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (Landmark Hotel, London): Deep red colour with brick at the edge. Rather sweetish nose with blackcurrants, some plum compote, some flowery notes and noticeable eucalyptus, some barnyard aromas, a hint of leather, coffee. Developed and nuanced nose. On the palate very ripe dark berries, some tar, noticeable tannins of a rather silky structure, noticeable spice, discrete notes of alcohol. The aftertaste shows fruitiness of dark berries and some tannins. Reasonably ready to drink, 94-95 p
Elegant New World styled nose, but not unsimilar to a right bank Bordeaux, at least from a hot vintage. More tannins left than in the 2000, and definitely shows darker fruit than the 2000.
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11/20/2011 - Stefanos T. wrote: 95 Points
Decanter Sassicaia & Ornellaia Masterclass (Landmark Hotel London): Dark ruby with garnet rim. Beautiful and elegant nose with sweet spice, old oak, raisins, cedar, saddle leather. Very expressive and open with tertiary aromas complexity, yet still very fresh. Palate is sweet, spicy and savoury with nice balance of sweetness to bitterness. Silky-velvety texture, mellowed structure. Long cedary and sweet finish. Refreshing wine despite evolution and loosening of structure.
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11/14/2011 - plitton wrote: flawed
Corked! Arrgggghh.
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10/30/2011 - plitton wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous palate of blackfruit, leather and earth. Tannins give it a little edge. Excellent right from the start. A little air softens it. At its peak.
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10/28/2011 - zazoo wrote: 98 Points
Amazing...
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10/2/2011 - mike l. wrote: 93 Points
Not as voluptuous as the 2000, lots of pencil lead, not unlike good aged napa. Last sip was the best, so agree with notes saying long decant.
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10/1/2011 - ilee wrote: 96 Points
National Day dinner Chez Jada: Colour almost vermilion, ring of amber at the edge. From just appearance alone, seemed a much more mature and evolved wine than the '99 opened side by side. (Before decanting, I thought I should be careful not to confuse the two, but it turned out to be easy to tell them apart just by looking.) The gorgeous nose was an expansive bouquet of flowers, camphor, leather, cassis, dark berries, very Bordeaux. While not a big wine, it was certainly showy, with all the flair, balance and silky smoothness of a mature, well-rested Bordeaux of left bank persuasion. So what if "terroirists" will lament the lack of "sense of place", the '98 Ornellaia is thoroughly well made and enjoyable -- not to mention a great way to impress female company (which were the main constituent at this dinner)
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7/13/2011 - dcwino wrote: 93 Points
Trip’s farewell dinner! (Cities restaurant - Washington D.C.): Ash, fresh, earth, typical Italian acidity and flavor, closer to a classical napa cab than a Bordeaux.
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7/12/2011 - fdub wrote: 96 Points
Opened at 12.30pm and let slow ox until drinking at 9pm in the evening. The nose on this wine is a dead ringer for a Bordeaux. Earthy, tabacco, tomato stalks but with a bit more richness than a Bordeaux somewhere in between Napa and French. Just a lovely wine to sit and smell. On the palate the flavors are the same. Seemless from start to finsh with the acididy driving straight through to the finish. A beautiful wine I wish I had more of.
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6/15/2011 - salil wrote: 94 Points
Leo's Blind Tasting Group - June '11 edition (Restaurant Saul, Brooklyn): Outstanding. Comes across like a classical older Bordeaux with a seamless combination of rich dark fruits, cedar, tobacco, fresh herbs and an exotic sandalwood element. It's still very youthful with plenty of primary fruit and a fair bit of tannin, but it's drinking incredibly well now, very polished and finessed with fantastic depth and persistence.
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6/4/2011 - steffenpelz wrote:
Dinner Chez Shannon and David: Very impressive wine. It's a hypothetical blend between a top-notch St. Emilion and a top-notch Napa Cabernet. The nose is entirely old-world and could be mistaken for Bordeaux (which I did). On the palate though, there is richer fruit and less acidity than Bordeaux usually shows, not unlike a very good Napa Cab. Bing cherry, chocolate, earth and spices on the palate and a long, long finish that has just a trace of the "funk" I love in Italian wine. Showed incredibly young. I had guessed early 2000s on the vintage, so I was off by quite a few years. Really quite a spectacular wine.
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4/29/2011 - G_H wrote: 92 Points
Inaugural of Martins new House (Martin Rickenbach): Vegetable soy-sauce, sunday roast, black tea. Interesting, very good and right in the perfect drinking spot. Surprising for this vintage but needs to be drunk up
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4/23/2011 - JJB007 wrote: 92 Points
better than the 1999 Silver oak and the 2005 Maybach Mateurium
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4/8/2011 - Grinner wrote: 94 Points
The 90th Tasting (The Lyon's Tree House): After a two hour decant, this is a very impressive wine for it's texture and flavors. Berries, plum, cedar, tar, and leather go on and on. I have an idiosyncratic sensitivity to Italian acids which make many of their wines taste sour to me on the finish, o/w this would score even higher.
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3/19/2011 - Filippo wrote: 97 Points
Decanted one hour before drinking. For the first half hour the cab franc components are predominant (and a nice cab franc!), but then all the other varietals in the blend show up and join the party. Sweet tannins, mocha, ripe dark and red fruit, vanilla, spices, cedarwood...a textbook wine! very long and harmonious finish.
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2/12/2011 - The Vinocrat Likes this wine: 92 Points
still very tannic after 13 years, but relentlessly beautiful
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1/2/2011 - Ricky99 wrote: 93 Points
big and bold... still
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12/23/2010 - cubswinws wrote: 94 Points
WOW, this is a true blue blood. Earth and tobacco leaves. Soft tannins but still some grip.
Just a great bottle of wine.
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9/12/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 94 Points
Just when we thought we were wrapping up the night, out came an Italian big gun. Tar, tabocco on nose. Rich red fruit with a tough of green pepper. This wine had great body and was elegant. Still very young.
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8/26/2010 - Employee500 wrote: flawed
corked
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5/31/2010 - patrickrains wrote: 94 Points
Decanted about 2 hours, ate with grilled pork chop/vegetables. Wine was fantastic. Chocolate, dark berries, a little leather. Very balanced and smooth. Definitely not "over the top" as many current wines in order to satisfy a "critic". Wine has many more great years ahead. Wish I had more of this vintage.
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5/7/2010 - chbeaumont Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark core, out to graduated, pretty rim; fresh, blackcurrant pastilles intertwined with a leafy, cedariness, reminiscent of a Pauillac - an enticing bouquet; soft, supple fruit, but has true depth, rounded, refreshing/cleansing acidity; so well balanced & well built. The only downside a compact feel to an extended finish. Maybe it hasn't peaked? Should drink well for another 10 years.
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4/12/2010 - chiliman96 wrote: 95 Points
very old world style for Italian Bord. Blend; not full and rich but elegant and tantalizing;
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2/28/2010 - Ian S wrote:
Not a TN, as we just relaxed with this half-bottle on a friday evening after a long week.
The wine offered complexity and decent intensity, yet suppleness and elegance - a rare combination. Definitely in a good place to drink now, but I'd not be surprised if it made another decade with ease (it still had fine structure).
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2/6/2010 - grafstrb wrote:
Wine is a black cherry color of medium depth. Nose is expressive: chalk, cherry Twizzlers and blackberries. On the palate, the wine is smooth and medium bodied. Rose petals is the dominant flavor. Dark fruits. Slight hints of funk. Still has some tannic grip. Overall, a very pleasant wine that still has years in it.
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12/27/2009 - Nosey Nose wrote: 94 Points
So very fragrant with violets, black currant, green tobacco, red currant, leather, smoke and earthy European cellar. It does have some "vegetal" elements but this is not at all under-ripe. I love that oak is not evident on the nose...it appears pure and true. The palate is liquid velvet with Tasmanian pepper, black cherry and licorice on the mid palate. Great balance and very pretty length. I'm sure this can age and will perhaps offer more in terms of aromatic complexity but this palate on the wine in this bottle is already seemless and integrated.
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12/25/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: 93 Points
from magnum. decanted. very lively, cab expressive, well balanced, long finish, drinking superbly from this format. mild residual tannin. drink now - 2018
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12/19/2009 - psmith wrote:
Surprisingly green - classy tobacco and red fruits. Medium body. Firm, well-balanced and medium-grain structure. Good wine, but not what I remember and the green streak is a bit much.
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11/21/2009 - pjaines wrote:
London CT II Event (The Hide Bar, London): Deep nose of dark fruit with a flavour profile that is starting to resolve itself and develop secondary characteristics. Fairly international in style, but high quality wine - good white pepper on the palate, long smooth finish - fine tannins. Good stuff but according to those in the know this is still a wee baby.
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11/17/2009 - rwstorer wrote: 93 Points
Dark purple in color with a smoke aroma. A bit flat but some nice fruit that keeps your attention. Much better wine if paired with food.
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11/4/2009 - Margauxguy wrote: 89 Points
A little disappointing. Maybe a touch of va. A little funky on the nose, and a bit to sweet raisanny in the mouth. Ok, but a bit short and thin.
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10/31/2009 - wpd wrote: 92 Points
Deep , dark purple. Popped and tasted. Definitely has to be decanted. Complex wine with plenty of life left. Opened up after an hour. Halloween Treat.
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9/18/2009 - Khamen wrote: 96 Points
6 hour decant. Pure decadence here. Sweet dark fruit, smoke and truffles supported by a structure that is almost creamy. Pjaines picked up a herbaceous ripe tomato note as it opened further in the glass. Pinpoint balance with terrifically soft and ripe tannins. Layers of mint and cedar add to the impressive complexity of this young wine, but I have no doubt this has a good 10 years of improvement in bottle left to come. Really a very classy wine fully deserving of the elevated reputation of the producer.
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9/17/2009 - pjaines wrote:
Beautiful wine. Held up very well against an 89 Margaux. Deep primary colour. Nose is incredibly tightly wound up mixture of dark fruits, forest floor, asian spices, pepper. In the mouth this has amazing balance and opens up in the glass. This is no fruit bomb, Light of touch in the mouth, fine tannins, wonderful complexity, smooth, balanced. This will age for another 20 years easily. Excellent.
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9/6/2009 - Ricky99 wrote: 96 Points
Just a bruiser, drank next to an 93 Angelus and a 94 Mondavi Reserve Cab... this was the best of the night
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7/27/2009 - Khamen wrote: 93 Points
Impressively deep crimson wine throws out a nose of formidable fruit and brush with the merest hint of decaying vegetable matter. Ripe and meaty on the attack with licorice and all the dark berry fruit you can eat. Perhaps a little disappointed by the complexity of this example but a wonderful minerality comes through strongly on the mid palate and through to a long and black-fruit dominated finish. Extremely rich and chewy while maintaining a medium body. Surprisingly still drinking like a 5-year-old with plenty of tannic structure supporting the fruit. Only a 30 minute decant and I suspect it needs another hour or so in the jug before it really hits it's stride. Lovely but will improve.
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6/22/2009 - KenK wrote: 93 Points
Dark sweet mineral with regal floral lift. Dark black fruit core with good depth of flavors. Just a slight drop off in midpalate intensity. Finishes a touch dry, but with spice and good grip. Wonder if this improves from here. Jury out. Tasted blind and guessed Bordeaux.
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6/14/2009 - jgrapski wrote: 95 Points
Terrific bottle. Noise is restrained at first, opens up and you get lots of earth. The mouthfeel is what I really like about this wine.
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6/5/2009 - Hazeo wrote: 93 Points
Intoxicating nose of ripe flowery fruit that oozes out of the glass. Palette didn't quite blow me away like the nose did, but still really nice. Round smooth and dense fruit with a long finish. To me it tastes very much like a powerful right-bank Bdx.
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5/24/2009 - wpd wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding Bordeaux blend. Deep purple color, very dry fruit, long finish. Took it to the Epic Roast House in SF. Paired with a double rib eye. Both were outstanding. Did not decant, but improved in the glass. Probably should decant.
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4/26/2009 - mcneil7 wrote: 95 Points
Good nose of ripe dark fruits with odors of tar cedar spice. Taste was balanced with good linger. Dark and heavy legs on the glass.
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4/25/2009 - Jossik wrote: 86 Points
Festa Winesnob 2009 (Pizzeria di Giulio a Roma): profumo solito carnoso e tabacco al naso, in bocca muore quasi subito, senza raggiungere il centro bocca
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4/9/2009 - Biggsy wrote: 95 Points
Deep garnet colour; very dark in the core. No sign of bricking at the rim yet. Powerful fruity nose with redcurrant, cassis and blackcurrant; all underpinned with cedar and a hint of green pepper. Medium bodied, good acidity and mouth-cleansing tannins. Real complexity on the palate; cedar, blackcurrant, stewed fruits and an earthiness which evolved into more spicy winter fruit and dark chocolate over the life of the bottle. Superb length in the mid palate and in the powerful rich finish. I think this has years left too. Wow. Amazing.
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3/31/2009 - bon vivant wrote:
Frisco enjoyed after a day of 11+ inches of powder in Vail with some bifteca florentin over a big salad. 2.5 hr decant & back in the bottle it went for another 2 hrs. This bottle may have been even better than the one shared with the Atlanta gang in BC last year. Soft elegant and complex -Classic Bordeaux aromatics and flavors yet it had that Tuscan minerality all over the long long finish. truly superb.
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1/31/2009 - arappaport wrote: 97 Points
1.5L bottle opened. This vintage is drinking very well. Fruit was a bit forward upon first uncorking, but it setlled down nicely about an hour after decanting. Nice balance of spice and fruit, very long finish.
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1/19/2009 - french16 wrote: 95 Points
I'm a big Ornellaia fan and this one surely didn't disapoint me. My 1st '98, this was really excellent. Still dark ruby, almost opaque with almost no sign of evolution. Big nose of bell pepper, tar and smoke, cedar, cassis. Nose kept evolving during our dinner to show more earthy notes.
Full body, this is big and ripe without being to much. Ripe and supple tannins, low acidity but still balanced. I loved the texture of the wine and the finish is there for ever. A little more licorice and chocolate on the palate.
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1/18/2009 - grossie wrote: 93 Points
Generously brought to dinner by French16. After a small taste the decision was made not to decant it. Purple moderately opaque wine. This had a powerful nose of bell pepper, eucalyptus, and dark deep berry/cassis fruit, with maybe a touch of chocolate or earthy spice. It is silky rich in the mouth with nice complexity but tending towards the austere side with a high acidity that held it up against my peppercorn crusted duck breast (at Cafe Matou). It finished well, and the structure of this wine tells me it has miles to go, despite the fact that it drank very well right now. I wonder if decanting would have softened it a little, but we didn't really have the option (only 1 decanter and the burgundy needed it more!). Overall I found this wine highly pleasurable and quite alluring.
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10/4/2008 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for 1-1/2 hrs in am. At 6pm redecanted, and significant sediment emerged then, not earlier. Let breathe for another hour before going to Gabbiano. Remains a fabulous bottle of wine, justifying its WS WOTY hype. Intense dark berry perfume/bouquet, similar intense flavor, and finish, with sweet ripe tannins. Great value in today's inflated market.One of my Wines of thsi year.
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9/11/2008 - J-Sho wrote: 96 Points
10 year old wine that showed little age so far. On the nose, got slate, raspberry, mocha, and a hint of mint. Palate was very soft, supple and elegant. Perfectly balanced. Beautiful long finish. This is not an over the top fruit forward wine but a tremendously elegant well balanced wine. Just continued to improve in the glass. If I had another bottle, I might decant this and drink after 1-2 hours. Still can cellar for at least another 5 years if one wished and perhaps longer.
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8/24/2008 - DougLee wrote: 93 Points
Garnet purple color. Nose of cassis, red currants, cedar, earth. Hedonistic and bold on the tongue with lots of refreshing acidity and raciness. Tannins still providing plenty of structure. Finish was long and harmonious. Going strong and not yet at peak.
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8/10/2008 - zeke26 wrote: 91 Points
Big nose and tasty wine but a little shallow on the finish (relative to our lofty expectation). We came to enjoy this wine more as our glasses emptied.
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4/25/2008 - jeff nowak wrote: flawed
corked.
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3/20/2008 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
Flock - Super Tuscan Tasting (Bob and Ann's): Full open and complex nose with aromas of red currants, smoke, spice, herbs and cedar. Palate is full bodied with a big-time, delicious attack. Rich fruit, chewy tannins and bright acidity provide balance, lift and a long, long finish. Outstanding. Group's #2, my #2.
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3/20/2008 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Wineflock - Super Tuscan's (Bob & Ann's): Group #2, My #9 - Full deep red color. Big nose with wide green streak and a hint of black fruit. Interesting spicy, cedar, herb, green pepper black fruit palate with a long chewy finish.
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1/20/2008 - Ricky99 wrote: 94 Points
Tight and refined - elegant. Pretty garnet color and sexy nose.
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9/22/2007 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 95 Points
Broke fast at Quattro. Based on January's experience double decanted in am, and subsequently decanted for an hour+ before dinner. Had an exceptional amount if fine sediment. Wine kept improving through our 2 hour dinner. Remains an exception bordeaux blend with many years of development ahead. Have two left. Will wait until 2012 to have the next one.
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7/20/2007 - Ricky99 wrote: 93 Points
nice and tasty,,, not as incredible as I hoped
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6/20/2007 - Ardross wrote: 92 Points
Deep rich highly concentrated , rich red fruits and mixed spice - still so young
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3/24/2007 - bacchus wrote: 92 Points
we were dining at ole (asbury park) and the couple at the next table had brought this wine in. they were generous enough to share a glass with us. the wine shows obvious breeding but did not seem ready to drink. very complex nose and robust mouth feel. however, i did not experience the multiple taste sensations and long finish described by others. needs to shed considerable tannins before it can reveal its charms. this wine had not been decanted. i assume that it would have been better with more air time or more cellaring. would love to know how it has been stored to understand why this bottle was so backward in its development.
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2/3/2007 - teton taster wrote: 94 Points
Opened and drank almost immediately so opening up as I drink it. Beautiful.
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1/30/2007 - CamWheeler wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with fresh truffles (Sydney, Australia): Deep, seductive and luscious aromas of raspberry, cherry, cassis, five spice and tobacco. The palate, while quite obviously young, tight and concentrated is also approachable and enjoyable to drink. Exhibits really nice depth of fruit and has very good length. Give it another 8-10 years and it should really be singing.
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1/22/2007 - Ricky99 wrote: 92 Points
Didn't give it much time... but was tasty.. look forward to next one.
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1/6/2007 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 98 Points
AT Quattro w Fran and Doug Gerrard. Double decanted in am. Classic bell pepper cab nose, w slight minerality, based on my sips upon opening. Much more accessible without the pronounced minerality and austerity of its sibling the 98 Masseto which we had over Xmas??? Surprising cab vs merlot??? Will post rating and additional comments after dinner.
Decanted at Quattro for an hour, while we drank the 2000 La Spinetta Starderi. In that hour the Ornellaia showed its greatness, an absolutely incredible Bordeaux blend, drinks better than 82 Latour(funky nose), or 82 Mouton(monolithic monster, that my grandson may enjoy?). I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH THE COMMENT THAT YOU WILL FIND BETTER VALUE IN BORDEAUX!The 98 Ornellaia deserves it WOTY designation, and it is drinking beautifully now, and should develop phenomenally over the next few years. I can't imagine this not winning a blind tasting, against any wine of its era.
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9/15/2006 - GreenDrazi wrote: 96 Points
Atlanta Off-line (Bone's Restaurant, Atlanta, GA): Decanted 1½ hr’s min. Wonderfully expressive, detailed and floral nose of cassis, red fruits and violet. By far, the best nose of the night. The complex flavors of cassis, raspberry at the core, and hints of chocolate and vanilla are well integrated and pick up additional weight on the mid-palate. Super-fine tannins and light acidity lead to a nice, focused and lingering finish. A terrific wine that’s thoroughly enjoyable now.
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6/7/2006 - zazoo wrote: 97 Points
This wine has come in to its own now. Amazing. Can't wait to drink another.
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6/4/2006 - JScott wrote: 93 Points
Very balanced and complete.
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3/1/2006 - 1800kidney wrote: 95 Points
My dinner with Eduardo (PARK 75 ATLANTA): I last tried this wine in February 2002, shortly after it was announced as the #1 WOY by WS for 2001. At that point this wine was hard to get your arms around, showed great complexity and structure, but I just didn't resonate with it to the point of a #1 WOY
Tonight, this was the WOTN, although the rest of the set menu was not worth detailing. The Ornellaia has come into it's own. We did not decant but did a direct pour..this is a fabulous wine, with spectacular mouthfeel and balance. The carbernet is right up front, would not have identified this as a super-Tuscan without help. LOOOOOOONG finish, just didn't quit. And above it all floated a sandlewood, elegance that just took one's breath away. This can last for another 10 years, but why wait?
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12/25/2005 - rhansen wrote: 96 Points
Damn Fine Bottle. Had with 82 Mouton and 90 Monte Bello with gigantic filet roast! Definitely an Orne to remember
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1/8/2005 - Blair Curtis wrote: 94 Points
(From magnum) A powerful, black wine. On opening, youthful tannins rush in and dominate. As it opens over the course of the night, some cassis, tar and creosote appear. Though the wine was not consumed blind, I think it could be guessed as Italian as it had a certain Bolgheri profile to it. A very long life ahead for this strong wine - especially in this format.
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3/28/2004 - jeff nowak wrote:
i was concerned that this would be a 'tweener, i.e. neither young and vibrant or mature. it's been over a year since i had it last. i know that this wine was purchased at costco for about $110, and, of course, it was a WS WOTY.
still tannic, but not a problem. just more oomph and power with plenty of fruit. it's not a killer wine, but i enjoyed the hell out of it, and it was my wine of the night. i'd be interested in aging comments about this wine.
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3/19/2004 - ChimpanA wrote:
With dinner out. Deep purple color and slightly smoky nose. Some vegetal/green pepper notes but not enough to bother me. Really improved after 30 minutes in the glass, to the point that I quite enjoyed it. However, Bordeaux offers many better deals.
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10/3/2003 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Christine's Going Away Party: This wine shows tons of potential. It had been open all day, but Chris Hayes would have preferred it be open for about 30 hours. Smells like tannin, old wood on the nose, along with minerals and a bit of mint(?). On the palate it is rich and full-bodied with tons of black currant fruit. Tight, but very concentrated. Nice.
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9/13/2002 - R2-D2 wrote: 95 Points
this was awesome as well. served without decanting but i managed to time my tasting until it hit the bottom of the bottle. Very silky with black fruit and dark cherries on the finish. Still carrying a ton of tannin, but somewhat approachable with substantial decanting.
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6/7/2002 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 95 Points
1998 Ornellaia
6/7/02 at Acme Chop House. Extremely rich, dark, luxurious color. Nose is amazing, close to perfect, fragrant, elegant, lovely. Palate also very fine. Silky, elegant, yet still has grip and guts. An amazing drink, and almost certainly the best Italian wine I have ever drunk. 5-14-17-9: 95/100 Hiroko says 94.
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