On my trip to Bolgheri, I brought this to Ornellaia for my tasting, bottle was pristine with fill well into the neck and cork was nearly perfect as well. PNP and served along side the 2020 this did not disappoint. Great deep color with orange brown at meniscus. Aromas of dried dark fruits, leather, and earthy. Well balanced and quite delightful the palate was similar to the aromas. Nice long finish and a treat to try. At peak, but hokding well.
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Brownish colour. Pleasant aromas of dark berries, smoke, earth. Acidity is a bit strong. No aromatic depth in the mouth. Still drinking OK but not giving great pleasure. Had it with home made Burgers, sweet onions and fried zucchini which helped the wine a bit.
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Pnp at home. Dark garnet not showing its age. Initially showing some forest floor and a bit thin fruit, this gains weight with some time in the open bottle. A fairly sombre style of wine with plenty of dark fruit, a touch of coffee but also green notes. Still fine to medium tannins. Rather short. Prefer the brighter and better balanced Sassicaia in the same vintage.
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Drank alongside a 1989 Barton. Similar styled wines, though the Italian was a bit more on the modern side. Coffee and cassis on the nose, elegant and silky smooth with deep black fruit. Hints of green pepper and some mocha notes. Good length and complexity. Lovely wine showing well.
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Perfectly aged BDX style wine. Elements of barn, green pepper, lead and graphite with touches of secondary berry fruit and cassis. Smooth with no tannin yet not syrupy. Tasted blind would be tough to distinguish between this and classic aged BDX.
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Caramel, sweet candy fruit nose. Once again the green note that comes from well aged Bordeaux. This is exactly what you want aged wine to taste like. Wonderful.
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1993 Horizontal - The Papies at year 20! (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): The wine needs time to develop post opening. The first notes had a sweet light cooked fruit which worried it us and thus avoided decanting but with the benefit of hindsight careful decanting would have helped the wine evolve. As time went by it relaxed in the glass, shed it heavy fruit notes and showed a more balanced side of it. The fruit is still there, a touch on the heavy side as expected but not dried and unlike the Ca’Martina 93 (Papies -90) that followed this didn’t have the lactic remnants of oak abuse in its elevage. Silky tannin, well round and one to enjoy sooner than later. 91-92
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wow, what a wine--from Magnum--blind decant--i thought it was a bordeaux--silky Tannins--great fruit--long finish--i tried many sassicaia and ornellaia--but my way home is always to ornellaia
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Great wine at its peak. Perfectly balanced, very smooth tannins, complex nose and long finish. Hard to believe that it's almost 20 years old. Elegant and subtle complex nose; layers of herbs, spices, dark fruit, tobacco, earth.
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ANother good show fromt his wine. Again 30mins open before serving. To add to earlier TN - a bit more of earth and some bordeaux hints on the nose, light minty, floral. Still some oak in the background but a quite elegant well aged result. 92-93
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very good color, intriguing nose of herbs, spices and leather, very subtle and gaining complexity after being opened for an hour or so. on the palate good grip, freshness, good acidity, medium bodied, excellent. really fine and at peak, but still seems to have something in reserve for several more years; this bottle was kept under bad conditions for quite a number of years but presented itself still in good shape. (I have to confess that I had forgotten all about it, as it - there was just one bottle of this vintage- was tucked away somewhere; lucky find!)
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A great find. Wine is drinking very well at the moment and requires maybe 30mins of decanting. Still dark in colour and only close to the rim you can start to see its age. Open with lots of fine fruit, good earthy tones, well rounded and integrated. From the first sip you know this will be something special and indeed it was. Drink now.
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I thought this was an excellent wine; had an enticing bouquet of chalky minerals, deep florals, and cool raspberry. Very smooth on the palate, with flavors of cigar, earth, black cherry, and a hint of funk. Well-integrated tannins and the 13% alc. not-at-all noticeable. Full palate. Powerful wine, but not in punch-you-in-the-face sort of way ... more in a kneading-bread-dough sort of way --- this wine leans on your palate with a genuine firmness. Fine tannins come through on the long finish; wonderful acid; drinking great now, but I would venture to guess another 5-10 years left in this wine.
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Tuscany tasting (my house): A descent effort in a quirky year. Hints of pine with blackberry fruit, a hint of vanilla and some oaky flavours. Drink now for maximum pleasure as it appears to be declining.
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Tuscan tasting (Canan's place): Dark red color with a slightly orange hue. Aromas of sweet fruit, tobaco and herbs. Tight blackcurrant and cherry on the palate, with leafs and stalks. Nice length and balance. All the parts are here, but the vegetable note seems to make this wine slightly disjoint.
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11/24/2023 - Mwineright Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lots of wood ash on the nose. Nice balance and smooth tanina. Leather and red berries.
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5/29/2023 - KenK Likes this wine: 93 Points
On my trip to Bolgheri, I brought this to Ornellaia for my tasting, bottle was pristine with fill well into the neck and cork was nearly perfect as well. PNP and served along side the 2020 this did not disappoint. Great deep color with orange brown at meniscus. Aromas of dried dark fruits, leather, and earthy. Well balanced and quite delightful the palate was similar to the aromas. Nice long finish and a treat to try. At peak, but hokding well.
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5/11/2022 - sempervinum wrote:
Brownish colour. Pleasant aromas of dark berries, smoke, earth. Acidity is a bit strong. No aromatic depth in the mouth. Still drinking OK but not giving great pleasure. Had it with home made Burgers, sweet onions and fried zucchini which helped the wine a bit.
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12/19/2020 - jjagtap wrote:
Wow. Has aged well. Musky nose at first.
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1/4/2020 - pavel_p wrote: 89 Points
Pnp at home. Dark garnet not showing its age. Initially showing some forest floor and a bit thin fruit, this gains weight with some time in the open bottle. A fairly sombre style of wine with plenty of dark fruit, a touch of coffee but also green notes. Still fine to medium tannins. Rather short. Prefer the brighter and better balanced Sassicaia in the same vintage.
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2/27/2019 - cephomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank alongside a 1989 Barton. Similar styled wines, though the Italian was a bit more on the modern side. Coffee and cassis on the nose, elegant and silky smooth with deep black fruit. Hints of green pepper and some mocha notes. Good length and complexity. Lovely wine showing well.
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8/31/2016 - T.E.D. wrote: 92 Points
Perfectly aged BDX style wine. Elements of barn, green pepper, lead and graphite with touches of secondary berry fruit and cassis. Smooth with no tannin yet not syrupy. Tasted blind would be tough to distinguish between this and classic aged BDX.
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11/10/2014 - AWBryce wrote: 93 Points
Caramel, sweet candy fruit nose. Once again the green note that comes from well aged Bordeaux. This is exactly what you want aged wine to taste like. Wonderful.
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10/27/2014 - Ralph_ wrote: 83 Points
From a magnum at a Ornellaia tasting. 1985-2011 all from Magnum
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8/10/2013 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
1993 Horizontal - The Papies at year 20! (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): The wine needs time to develop post opening. The first notes had a sweet light cooked fruit which worried it us and thus avoided decanting but with the benefit of hindsight careful decanting would have helped the wine evolve. As time went by it relaxed in the glass, shed it heavy fruit notes and showed a more balanced side of it. The fruit is still there, a touch on the heavy side as expected but not dried and unlike the Ca’Martina 93 (Papies -90) that followed this didn’t have the lactic remnants of oak abuse in its elevage. Silky tannin, well round and one to enjoy sooner than later. 91-92
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5/25/2013 - UPL Likes this wine: 95 Points
wow, what a wine--from Magnum--blind decant--i thought it was a bordeaux--silky Tannins--great fruit--long finish--i tried many sassicaia and ornellaia--but my way home is always to ornellaia
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9/14/2012 - Bluespolo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great wine at its peak. Perfectly balanced, very smooth tannins, complex nose and long finish. Hard to believe that it's almost 20 years old. Elegant and subtle complex nose; layers of herbs, spices, dark fruit, tobacco, earth.
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3/27/2012 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
ANother good show fromt his wine. Again 30mins open before serving.
To add to earlier TN - a bit more of earth and some bordeaux hints on the nose, light minty, floral. Still some oak in the background but a quite elegant well aged result. 92-93
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11/8/2011 - Mingmong wrote: 94 Points
Fresh cabernet nose. Fresh luscious dark red fruit, cassis, tobacco, asparagus, orange peel. Smooth and silky. Excellent.
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11/8/2011 - Alex H wrote: 87 Points
Green peppers , sweet Bak kwa , sweet meats and leather. Ripe cherries and black morello cherries. Sweet love
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8/21/2011 - MPB54 wrote: 90 Points
Flavorful, soft, still life left
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6/25/2011 - Lord Rayas wrote: 94 Points
uncharacteristically soft and open. almost st julien in style. fragrant and seductive. lovely.
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3/13/2011 - costamalfitana wrote: 92 Points
very good color, intriguing nose of herbs, spices and leather, very subtle and gaining complexity after being opened for an hour or so. on the palate good grip, freshness, good acidity, medium bodied, excellent. really fine and at peak, but still seems to have something in reserve for several more years;
this bottle was kept under bad conditions for quite a number of years but presented itself still in good shape. (I have to confess that I had forgotten all about it, as it - there was just one bottle of this vintage- was tucked away somewhere; lucky find!)
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6/26/2010 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
A great find. Wine is drinking very well at the moment and requires maybe 30mins of decanting.
Still dark in colour and only close to the rim you can start to see its age. Open with lots of fine fruit, good earthy tones, well rounded and integrated. From the first sip you know this will be something special and indeed it was. Drink now.
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1/22/2010 - PatrikO wrote: 93 Points
Pure pleasure to drink this now, nice underlying notes of sweet chewing tobacco, cherries and plum.
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6/6/2009 - MPB54 wrote:
Still good nose, fruit. Remaining bottles good through at least next year.
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6/6/2009 - Philippe_C wrote: 89 Points
Nose of licorice and black fruit, ripe peperonis, tobacco... in the mounth, high acidity, a bit green, red fruit, average lenght
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3/7/2009 - grafstrb wrote:
Dinner at Gia Cucina: -- tasted non-blind --
I thought this was an excellent wine; had an enticing bouquet of chalky minerals, deep florals, and cool raspberry. Very smooth on the palate, with flavors of cigar, earth, black cherry, and a hint of funk. Well-integrated tannins and the 13% alc. not-at-all noticeable. Full palate. Powerful wine, but not in punch-you-in-the-face sort of way ... more in a kneading-bread-dough sort of way --- this wine leans on your palate with a genuine firmness. Fine tannins come through on the long finish; wonderful acid; drinking great now, but I would venture to guess another 5-10 years left in this wine.
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6/6/2008 - canan wrote: 92 Points
Tuscany tasting (my house): A descent effort in a quirky year. Hints of pine with blackberry fruit, a hint of vanilla and some oaky flavours. Drink now for maximum pleasure as it appears to be declining.
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6/6/2008 - Terkel wrote: 91 Points
Tuscan tasting (Canan's place): Dark red color with a slightly orange hue. Aromas of sweet fruit, tobaco and herbs. Tight blackcurrant and cherry on the palate, with leafs and stalks. Nice length and balance. All the parts are here, but the vegetable note seems to make this wine slightly disjoint.
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7/24/2006 - wmbar wrote: 92 Points
Right time to drink.
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8/18/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 84 Points
Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ lots of Italians (NYC): Cherry, earth. Light in style, but pleasant.
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