Surprisingly feisty on opening, this needed more than the quick double decant that I gave it on the way to Thanksgiving dinner. Aromatic wood notes of balsam and sandalwood dominated the nose, while the palate was quite different, showing bright, velvety red fruit, and continuing to add weight and sweetness until we finished the bottle. Based on this showing, this needs at least a two-hour decant to show its best now.
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Ornellaia Dinner (Stefani Prime - Lincolnwood IL): Double blind in what turned out to be an Ornellaia vertical, which I correctly identified as an Italian Bordeaux blend. Big and extroverted nose and palate, this was big and tannic from start-to-finish. It's not clear to me if age will be this wine's friend.
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65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Beautiful, deep Garnet colour. It doesn' t show the age of the wine. I would guess Bordeaux left bank on a blind tasting. Graphite, earthiness and dark fruits. Notes of plums, licorice and menthol. Complex and multi-layered. I would never guess this is pre-2010. Mefium-bodied, fresh and vibrant. Round and concentrated. Medium to long finish.
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Double magnum. Two hour decant. Color still great. Honestly, looks young. Blueberry, plum, maybe some tobacco and earthy nose. More juicy dark berry on the finish. Very nice. A cut below the better years but drinking really well. Maybe bottle size helps but this one feels should have a decade of peak left.
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Still excellent, doesn't really need a long decant at this point, lots of leather and darker, forest scents but still coupled with some nice fruit. Delicious!
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Secondary and tertiary nose of wood, burnt embers, tobacco, smokey cedar, dark blue fruit and tapenade. Palate is youthful, plush, quite long w multiple dimensions that leads to an extraordinarily long finish with slightly unfurled tannins.
In the strike zone here bud still quite youthful; drink or hold for a few years with neither being a bad decision. Excellent
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Needed a serious decant and airing Plum, tobacco, olives, on nose, follows through to palate. Excellent fruit & herbal notes, traces of cloves. Utterly integrated tannins and acidity providing excellent structure and follow through. Sadly the last bottle…
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Surprisingly youthfull, with a fresh, but noble and elegant nose of cedar, leather, roast aromas. Medium bodied, complex, elegant with mature red berries and cherries, leather, tobacco, plum, but also some floral and herbal tones. A surprising blip of macerated apple, not fitting the overall impression of a great wine, who always meets great expectations.
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;30 decant at Mozza, but needed more. Restaurant restricts prior opening and decanting. This has older earthy Bordeaux characteristics but with somewhat riper and sweeter dark fruit. The oak is pronounced, but the acidity, tannin and balance is good . This wine is still youthful at 21.
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After many months of COVID restrictions in Italy, restaurants are finally opened! For our celebration we selected this wonderful aged Italian classic. Within moments of opening, we enjoyed aromas of dark fruit, leather, and herbs. Full bodied, and still fresh. A spicy finish provided a nice surprise. Still years left in this bottle. Beautiful!
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From magnum. Decanted and drank over two hours, and the decant clearly helped the wine improve. Wonderful nose. I liked it a lot, but perhaps the 1997 vintage drunk a few weeks earlier was in some way more full and with greater cherry notes. Nonetheless, a great effort.
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From a magnum. Decanted a couple hours and it improved slightly, though was beautiful right out of the gate. Really lovely wine, layered with red cherry fruit, with tremendous elegance. Very similar to the 97’ I had recently. Drank alongside a magnum of 2001 d'armailhac which was equally as good and a great Bordeaux comparison. I’d give this Ornellaia the slight favorite even though the d'armailhac was more complex.
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Decanted from a magnum that sat in my uncles cellar since 2000 still nailed in the original box. Leather, raisin, mushroom, floral, black olives, milk chocolate. Silky mouthfeel. Great wine and drinking beautifully.
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Great wine, showing very well right now. Fruit has faded, but is still present so not in a negative way. Smooth tannins and powerful mid palate are at the fore. Just what one looks for in an aged ornellaia .
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Good+ showing. Dark fruits, loamy earth, tobacco notes mixed with black berries, a note of vanilla. Med+ body, rather flowing in nature, with gentle layers, and a med+ persistence. Not sure I'd be holding these too much longer as there's a lot to enjoy now. That said, it'll hold here for several more years. Really nice over 3 hours. recommended
Although the only fruit on the nose was black cherry, the wine still possessed a smooth, complex mouthfeel and no hint that the wine was past its prime.
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Upon opening charming developed notes of wet earth, some leather and tobacco. However, this behaved like Benjamin Button: with air, the wine got younger and younger, dark berries became much more prominent. Very broad but balanced, epic fruit and plenty of depth. Still with quite some tannins and enough acidity to keep this alive (and improving) for many years. Was it a great wine? Certainly! Was it an unforgettable experience? Rather not.
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Gleich nach dem Öffnen erste Alterstöne in der Nase. Sind nach einer halben Stunde in der Karaffe verschwunden. Nach einer Stunde hat der Wein dann angefangen zu singen. Hat Charakter, feine Tannine, laaaaanger Abgang. Was für eine Freude. Letzte Flasche vom 99, mir gehen so langsam die Weine aus dem letzten Jahrtausend aus, was für ein Jammer... dieser gehört m.E. jetzt aber sowieso langsam getrunken
Somewhat disappointing, slightly musty taste, not corked but not entirely clean. In many ways still young: fruit and tannin still good, though tertiary notes beginning to creep in. Some tobacco, leather and forest floor. were it not for the mustiness this would be a great bottle with a much higher score and I think would develop easily for another decade... however I don't think the mustiness will pass.
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This bottle was stuuuuuupid good. Like amazing good. Took a while to open, but when it did. Holy moly. Blew our minds. Had with Sassicaia '99, Solaia '86, and this one. All were good, this was the most opulent of the bunch. Not in a hurry to open the rest of them.
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From Magnum. Evolved beautifully over four hours. Full body with study, integrated tannins. Tobacco, leather, a touch of chocolate late in the evening, some tart sweetness on the finish. In a great place now.
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Fully mature and evolved. Eucalyptus and some green notes. Tannins still pretty firm and a bit drying. Some nice complexity in the background but this was probably more enjoyable 5-10 years ago.
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Decanted for a few hours and placed back into the bottle. Big/full bodied with plenty of brooding dark fruit mixed with sweet oak, anise and green bean. Texturally more rustic and grainy than expected. Still plenty more life here. Drink in the next 5 years.
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still closed and primary. After a decant of 1 hr 30 min the dark rich fruits really came out with a nice touch of mentol. The nose of the wine really changed as time went by with spice and sandlewood, to cough syrup, to more forest floor aromas. This still needs a good amount of time to get more teritary flavors. Try drinking it in 5 - 10 years later.
Drank alongside Sassicaia 1986, Solaia 1986
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Rich nose of blackcurrant and stewed fruit. Almost port like. In the mouth rich, sweet and full with hints of raisins, black cherries and stewed plums. Probably too powerful to drink on it's own. Hint of astringency on the finish. Overall very good but a little bit too over the top in style for me.
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Perfect fill and cork. Decanted for two hours; heavy sediment. Deep crimson red with some bricking. Glorious nose of cherries, graphite, and licorice. On the palate, a full-bodied powerhouse of ripe and slightly sweet dark fruit, chocolate and coffee. Abundant fruit and great structure that will sustain this wine at least until its 25th birthday.
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Much better bottle than the last one (from a different source). This still has a slight green note in the background but not nearly as intrusive as the last bottle. This has lots of chocolate and mint and tar on the palate. Tannins are a bit coarse but are mellowing with more time in the glass. Good saturation and medium length. Didn't give this much time to breathe.
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Cork in pristine shape. The underlying flavors were appealing but unfortunately they were overwhelmed by a green herbaceousness which made the wine unattractive.
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This bottle was slow ox'ed for 4 hours, which seemed adequate. Excellent nose of mostly blackcurrant, very well structured and oh so elegant. My guests thought it was 10-12 years younger. So nice to experience a wine that's completely integrated.
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A deep colour, and quite forward on the nose with fruit and spice; the palate has dense, blackberry fruit, and is slightly smoky and with a thick texture. Tasting mature, but still a little tannic. Should keep for many years.
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Purple color. Brooding nose of black currant, damp cellar, faint floral notes, rich earth, pencil shavings. Even after 90 minutes the palate was deeply imploded, with eventual layers of blackberry, currant, licorice, and earth. Lower acidity, smoothed tannin. Longer finish of stone and black fruit. Needs more time in the cellar or a healthy decant. Powerful wine.
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A big, balanced wine that demanded to be finished. It had marvelous fruit but with enough structure structure to hold it together. Very big bouquet and and held together in the course of 4 hours.
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Un des plus beaux Ornellaia que j'ai eu la chance de boire jusqu'ici. On est près de la perfection autant par l'équilibre de ce vin que par son élégance. Puissant, noble, distingué sont les qualificatifs qui me sont venus en tête. Je ne crois pas qu'il s'améliorera encore beaucoup, mais il se maintiendra sûrement sur ce magnifique plateau pour un bon 5,6 ans sans problème. Cher, mais majestueux comme une Ferrari!
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Blind. Guessed cab/Merlot blend and picked Bordeaux.
This had a touch of wet newspaper on the nose so we decided to let it sit for 30 minutes. That was a waste, had to ask the somm to remove the glasses as it really started to pour out of the stem. Bummer because I like this wine, a lot.
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Sublime. Where to start? A near perfect balance of colour, density, aromas, fruit, acidity, tannins and many more exotic layers. Where to end? Sadly just one bottle remaining... Truly a great & satisfying wine.
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A beautiful vintage for Ornellaia that shows great class and restraint. Classic medium-mature Cab flavors of black fruit and cassis with a fine opulence and firm but supple tannins. This is class in a glass and shows what can be done here when fruit is picked at the right time. This is so much better than the overripe '01 which is considered the better vintage. It just goes to show how misguided general opinion and critics can be. Out of magnum and should continue to age beautifully.
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Dark Crimson core with some very gentle fading starting towards the rim. Prune, raisin, dark fruit, cedar, very balanced and long. This bottle wasn't stored optimally, glad I opened now.
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Superb wine. Wish I had more. Full bodied, long finish, integrated tannins. This is what a super Tuscan should be. Cherries, currant and other red berries.
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Medium plus maroon color. Aromas of are lightly toasted wood, resin, and a whiff of heat. Also some perfume. Palate is incense, cassis and dark fruit, dried oak, and medium acidity. Very good wine but needs more time for the oak to integrate for my liking.
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I don't recall have any Ornellaia before so I approached this wine with no bias, and because it was served blind, my reaction to it has to be seen as pure. For me, this was a wow experience. Dark, intense with a black cherry purity. Some cedar here, plenty of dusty dark fruit into the finish. A real classy wine and at just over 15 years of age, I didn't see or note any fade in this wine. Excellent.
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Fantastic wine. Hard to fathom there was no sangiovese in the blend. Dark purple in color with no bricking at all. Tasted young. Wait 5 years before opening the next bottle!
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nose - complex, fruit punchy mouth - great. complex bold yet restained fruit, with loads of dark cherry. considerably tannic and lovely acidity. lacks, however, the flesh of the '98 masseto.
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Carpe Vino!; 11/9/2014-11/15/2014 (Tuscany (Florence, Montalcino, Siena)): This wine was in clear competition for WOTN/trip/etc. for me. It was just stunning. It's amazing what some years can do for an Ornellaia (I was also blown away by the '97 a few months ago). Really great black fruit, really great structure, lots of flavors going on and a full evolution in the mouth. I thought this could go for some more years, but it is certainly drinking very well now. Just beautiful wine.
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An outstanding wine for sure but the most disappointing of the eight Ornellaia's tasted tonight. (98-99-2004-06-07-08-10-11). Either still not yet ready and tannins will resolve before the fruit fades or perhaps plain and simply drying out. Very enjoyable still, if you can live with a bit of astringency.
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Clearly an excellent wine but not my style - too big and rich for my palate. Textbook cab nose of leafiness, leather, and tobacco. The palate is big and bawdy....like the Bard said from hour to hour it is ripe and ripe...with plummy black fruit, a deep loaminess, and plenty of minerality. By this point the tannins have smoothed out. There's a definite glycerol quality to the mouthfeel.
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Smelt of rotting leaves for sometime in the glass, albeit with more interesting taste (long and lingering savoury). Guess would have been appealing with longer decanting time - anyway, good valued bottling.
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This may be a flawed bottle. Originally some funk and balsamic on the nose. I decanted for 2.5 hours and it has opened up a bit but still a little off.
Highly extracted dark purple color - ink like. Cinnamon stick, dark cherries, dark chocolate, powdered black licorice (necco wafer) and orange bitters on the nose. BIG, RIPE, sweet extracted fruit - red and dark berries, cherries, plums with some coffee and dark chocolate on the palate.
Just seems overly ripe for Ornellaia. I will give it overnight vacuum sealed to see if it corrects.
It did improve overnight. Much softer after a night in the fridge. I discussed with a very knowledgeable friend of mine, who visited Ornellaia a couple of years ago, and came to the conclusion that there is much more bottle variation with Ornellaia post the sale/takeover of Piero from Ludovico. I did not mention that I had to pour a newly opened, decanted and even cellophane resuscitated bottle of the same OWC '99 down the drain last night. I previously raved about a bottle from the same OWC about a year or so ago. So, I have experienced as dramatic a bottle variation from the same OWC as can be seen. Beware!
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The intensity of this wine overcomes my cold, which has dulled my sense of smell. There is a bouquet of blackcurrant, bramble and smoke, and the palate is dense, concentrated and long. Excellent now, but with plenty of life yet.
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This seemed much more evolved than I would have guessed with a very gamey nose and barnyard notes. Not much fruit but just enough to keep it interesting. Towards the end of the glass it bordered on unpleasant with heavy brett-like/horsey fumes and overly bitter cherries on the palate with a short finish. Judging by the generally high scores perhaps it was a slightly off bottle so I decline to score it.
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Best Bottle Dinner at my place. My wine of the night. We drank the Ornellaia 1999 next to a bottle of Castello dei Rampolla Vigna d'Alceo 1999. The Ornellaia was dark ruby in colour and offered floral notes, cherry, blackberry, cucumber, turpentine, menthol and mineral notes on the nose. On the concentrated palate the medium- to full-bodied wine showed cherry, blackberry, black currant, liqueur, some dark chocolate and mineral notes, paired with medium- to medium-plus acidity, medium-plus smooth, chocolaty tannin, a great, smooth mouthfeel and incredible length. A very concentrated yet very smooth, balanced and elegant wine. It drank so well that we finished the bottle in no time. A truly great wine!
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Deep, rich, smoky fruit, quite dry and noticeably oaky. An intense and still quite youthful wine. So very good to drink now, but will surely last for years.
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An excellent, stylish, silky wine that is more Bordeaux than Tuscany. Creamy floral nose, smoky and black-fruity on the palate with a velvety smooth finish. Am a big fan of this estate and this vintage
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Opened at january 18 th, 2013, in the ocasion of the 70th year birthday of my father in law, dear Mr. Sebastian, and decanted only for 30 minutes. I believe this wine has hit its peak a couple of years ago and is descending. Still quite a good wine, but not spectacular anymore. I am not sure if ornellaia bolgheri superiore has a great aging potential, even tough its a bordeaux like wine. In its youth, and i mean their first ten years from the vintage, this wine is gorgeous, always corresponding its great expectations! But, i dont know if this was a bad stored bottle, or what, but its clear that this wine is on the last part of its life. I dont believe that it is only in a dumb phase and will be awake and showing all his pottential in 5 years from now. In my opinion, it is fading. Medium red colour, and not total clean look ( some sediments, therefore, needed to be decanted to separate it) nose is earthy, spicy and jammy, with sense of very ripe berries. Tastes good but i think is becoming a little unbalanced with accidity prevalescent over the alcohol, or maybe the opposite! In fact, the tannins are all resolved and this wine is silky, but should be drunk now. If you have it on your cellar, its definatelly time to open it, i insist. Still very ok, but not a blockbuster, as always expected. The problem is that, when you open a bottle of bolgheri super tuscan as ornellaia, you always have the highest expectations, and, sometimes, the liquid does not correspond to what you were thinking of...
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Aerated to decanter 3 hours. Served a little warmer than I prefer, this was nonetheless still quite full of class and complexity. Medium toward full bodied, the nose is very seductive, the palate, even more so. While I enjoy the style, I find it can be one-dimensional at times. At the 5 hr mark after the cork was removed, I began to see some really interesting complexity, but it was at the tail end of the last glass. Another few years in the cellar and this should be even better.
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Friday Afternoon at Domaine (Domaine Wine Storage - Chicago, IL): This was a complex wine from start to finish. Nose had deep, dark fruit; blackberries, cherry, and plum. Complementing the dark fruit was nice minerality and herbal tones that gave the wine a nice freshness. Would have liked to spend more time with the wine, but I got the sense that while this was showing some secondary characteristics, there are still a solid 20+ years ahead of this wine. Very nice showing.
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Ornellaia has always been one of my favorites. I have found that the 1999 vintage in Bordeaux was completely under-rated as a pleasurable drinking vintage. I opened this bottle tonight because I am both thin on 1999 Bordeaux and bullish on Ornellaia.
Wow! What a beautiful presentation of Bolgheri Cabernet. This wine has all of the characteristiche di espresso, chocalato scuro and ripe dark cherry that you would crave in an Italian first growth. Beautiful texture, perfect balance and a finish that says, "un piu, per favore".
Mille gracie, seniore Antinori!
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Wow. Popped and poared. Wine is absolutely ready, thpugh shows lot of development in the glass. Nose of cherry, blackberries. Pepper , dark fruits and chocolate in the mouth. Long new world finish.
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I opened this wine at 3pm and consumed at 8pm. Slow ox method. On opening I took a small taste and you could tell this is just a perfectly aged wine. Still showing primary fruit but starting to develop a floral note that is just amazing. The color was deep red with no bricking at the edge. For me this is a wonderful mix of new world power (more so than the 98') and old world finesse. The nose was pure lavendar and the palate was sure balanced. Tasty juice. Drink or hold.
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Decanted two hours. Wonderful nose, great balance of fruit and tanin. Wonderful colour. IMHO lots of life let, but certainly ready to enjoy. My first Ornellaia very memorable, also because we had 85 Haut Brion as well. Wow.
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National Day dinner Chez Jada: Colour was deep purple with tinge of ruby -- had all the appearance of a young wine. A few enjoyable gulps reinforced the impression that this wine is still in the later stages of infancy. With notes of cassis, blackberry and gravel, the nose is almost classic Bordeaux of the left bank persuasion. Medium to heavy bodied, but subtle, almost gentle on the palate, this is a beautiful wine indeed. Not yielding a lot right now, though the stuffing is definitely all there. In no hurry to open my remaining two bottles.
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because i'm a knucklehead, not blind. not decanted, but you can. a half hour would do it. not a blockbuster ornellaia but a solid drink that has a firm, modern, backbone of mostly integrated tannin and chocolate cherries. call this a guilty pleasure with no apologies. drink now, it should have a long plateau, but i don't see any compelling reason to purposely lay it down for another ten years.
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Very earthy nose with underbrush, iron and vegital notes mixed with a touch of ovaltine. The palate shows solid fruit intensity of current, plum and blackberry. Notes of old chest, gravel, cocoa, anise and tomato leaf give this a complex rustic flavor while the mouthfeel is quite silky. Soft earthy finish goes on and on. I opened two bottles and surprisingly they didn't throw much sediment at all...
Outstanding Quality. 92 pts Drink now - 2020
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Decanted for three hours and enjoyed over the next two.
Deep garnet core with a hazy ruby red rim and flecks of orange. Fairly intense aromas of blackberry, cherry, vanilla bean, forest floor, and raspberry. The palate is elegant but rich with a core of candied cherry (sense memory of Kool-Aid here), sage, milk chocolate, strawberry coulis, a good dose of well-integrated wood tannins, and bright acidity tying it all together.
Beautiful wine with a measured elegance and superb texture. Really showing well right now. Upon opening it seemed to scream Tuscany with sharp strawberry and big oak, but it really matured with air to show a great and unique expression of the Bordeaux varietals.
My first Ornellaia and if I can scrape up the money I would definitely go back for more.
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Très fermé au départ, après 3-4 heures il s'est finalement ouvert. Encore dans son enfance, il aurait été meilleur dans 5 ans. Très concentré et large en bouche mais ne lui manque que la finesse de son rival Sassicaia. Ceci étant dit, c'est un super vin.
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Rich, sweet, plenty of earth in the nose and on the palate. Quite long and with a beautiful balance to it. It's pretty good right now, so no reason to not try it right away.
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I really enjoyed this side by side the 97 which just popped it at the post for overall quality, but this wine can still evolve in a couple of years when likely to be fully mature. Great wines here.
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First impressions are of wine that is quite oaky, with a big blast of vitamin B and sweet cedar. It has oodles of dense, ripe Satsuma plum fruit but the whole package feels just a little forced and over-extracted.
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Kemp's 65th including some 1945 wines.: Good showing for this wine. Classic Bordeaux nose. Funk, cassis, leather and green pepper. Slightly green notes on the palate along with nice cassis and forest floor. Starting to enter maturity. No hurry but drinking well today. Still could use some cellaring.
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Short decant. Sweet creamy nose with bags of red fruit. Great concentration on the attack with some beautiful velvet tannins that are still a little firm. A little more backwards than previous bottles, should benefit from some air time. Will revisit shortly.
EDIT : +1 hour. Still a little austere but starting to open to reveal some depth. This is going through a bit of a metamorphosis at the moment - the youthful exuberance of the (quality) fruit is transforming into a drier, more complex and elegant depth of flavour. Very grippy dry finish of good length. Perhaps not as flashy or immediately impressive as in its youth, this should continue to evolve into something more Bordelais over the next 5-10 years. Drink or hold.
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Pop and pour. intense smokey bacon nose backed by some high octane fruit. Slightly vegetal attack, almost like a vegetable bouillion but extremely concentrated and backed by a big mineral lift. Fully mature bottle this one and no mistake. Lovely grip and plenty of secondary notes - carrob, anise/celeriac and crunchy iced cola. Almost too ready here as some of the zingy mineral sweetess of Ornellaia is absent in this bottle but a beautful, hedonistic and almost intellectual drink. Long coca-cola finish. Lush and full. great stuff, now-2015?
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This was drinking like a champ. Very impressive. Effusive deep and floral nose that drew several gushing comments. Surprisingly smooth palate, despite the material in the wine and the fact that it is clearly early in its life. Exceptional mouthfeel - very round and smooth, with superfine tannins that come through on the long finish. Gorgeous ripe fruit with a hint of minerality/earth. I might be under-rating this wine - truly excellent.
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wow!...syrupy, raisinated, a pucker that feels sinful. We tasted roasted beets, and the pairing with lamb chops was more than delightful. An outstanding bottle.
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2 hour decant. Hedonistic nose of dark fruit, licorice and creamy rather than smoky oak. Merlot really dominant in this one although the soft, rich character is given a sturdy backbone by the cab sauv. Intensely rich and concentrated with port-like characteristics blooming mid-palate. Finish is long with a great minty/anise flourish. Tremendously smooth, rich and completely balanced. A 5* wine drinking tremendously but another few years to let those secondaries peek out will do no harm.
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tasting very well now. Should decant atleast an hour. Not a lot of fruit, but it's been in the cellar for 10... Wonderful mouth feel, great tannins and very well integrated. Acids have mellowed. Great with nice steak.
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Part of Khamen's birthday booze up. Nose - lovely asian spices, restrained, oozes quality - in the mouth this is chock full of quality - fine tannins, medium weight, long long finish - dances on the tongue. Feathery and light to the touch, but with years and years ahead of it. Class
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Several days later from memory so notes will not be very specific. Just a beautiful wine in what I would describe as a regal state. Clearly still a crown prince with another 5-10 years to go before approaching anything like a peak, my one regret was it was too young. Beautiful balance, with ripe fruit and still tight tannins in a compelling dance. What I remember most are the obvious breed and finesse, and while indisputably international, totally convincing. Wish I remembered more, or even better, had more.
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Very nice, yet a bit on the unremarkable side. I think this is drinking well now but I don't think it has as much complexity as I would expect from this label. Very nice overall but not worth the money.
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Intense, powerful, still quite raw fruit, with a rich, complex, spicy range of flavours: brambles, coffee, pepper etc. This is a profound wine, still quite tannic, and Grange-like in its intensity. Still very young, so keep for a few more years.
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Notes of candied cherry and underbrush. Very restrained. Later, notes of pencil lead, graphite and faint cedar. The palate is full bodied and open. Less apparent structure than the '97 but nuch more harmonious. All the parts seem to work together. Very smooth. Can see some sweetness developing on the entry. Dark chocolate and espresso notes dominate the finish...also tend to show up in the mid-palate where I was hoping for more fruit. A little less fruit than I was hoping for. 92-93
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This is a fantastic effort, most appealing is its very fruity nose, though the mouth and feel was good, the wine is a bit on the austere side regarding fruitiness. We compared this wine to the 2004 vintage and found the 2004 to be a bit more revealing and generous. Still feels great in the mouth with some complexity that evolved with time. Great lasting finish highlighting some fruit that was difficult to taste.
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Somewhat restrained nose of graphite and black fruits. Medium bodied and soft in the mouth with a lively burst of more black fruits. Finish was smooth and somewhat clipped but this is drinking nicely right now.
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Great perfumed nose. The wine was slightly astringent dry and not as polished as it could be. Otherwise the fruit was alive fresh and finish lengthy. Not sure if it would improve with age as tannins were not as refined to begin with.
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A bit of bottle stink greats the nose folowd by a leather nose with hints of eucalyptus, earth, lead pencil shavings, some soft red bell pepper and a hint of brett. Cool mulberry fruit and tobacco creep into the nose. Round and rich in the mouth showing early maturity with soft tannins and gentle acidity. Quite minty up front with a core of ripe fruit that looses steam on the mid-palate before drying somewhat on the finish. This may improve slightly with time but, again, has a better nose than palate and seems restrained new worldy. 2008-2014
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Had the nose of a california cabernet, however inthe mouth, very italian, very rich and elegent, similar to a first growth bordeaux. Dense sweet fruit, with a amazing finiish that lingers.
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After close inspection, schmutz at the edge of the capsule. Wine on top of the cork and stain up the side. Probably got cooked along the way. Wish like hell I'd seen that before I ponied up a buck fifty for it locally. Good but not better; would be unfair to score it.
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INCREDIBLE WINE, IF ONLY IT WASN'T PAIRED AGAINST THE '01 MASSETO BLACKBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, AND A TOUCH OF EARTHINESS IN THE NOSE, WITH A FLAVOR TO MATCH. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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What a contrast to the Gruaud Larose pair that preceeded it. It has none of the restraint of the Bordeaux. I don't think this means it lacks refinement; it's just big and powerful, with good acidity and fine tannic length. It has an "in your face" quality that I like. It's also slightly warm (14.5% alcohol.) vg
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This is still very young, big tannic blanket covering lots of dark fruit. Gave it 40 min. of air and it was a lovely wine, hinting big at what it will develop into with some more time. Smooth, elegant, wish we had another bottle that we could try in about five years.
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Dinner with the Nygaards (Rotisserie Jules, South Kensington, London): A gorgeous purple-ruby colour. This was very tight at first and took a good 30-45 minutes to open up (it was not decanted). When evolved enough, one could get pencil shavings, cedar, cassis and blackberry jam on the nose. On the palate it is very structured, with blackcurrant, a hint of rhubarb and fine tannins. Reminded me of a Lafite from a hot vintage. Excellent.
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It's quite silly to pour the '99 which is sold out when the '00 is being sold in the catalogue. Go LCBO. Dark ruby red, intense colour. Great legs. Nose of oak, blackberry, blueberry; expansive. Full-bodied, rich, fruit replays from nose but hiding slightly behind the oak. Lots of potential. Dry, dry finish. Needs a lot of cellar time.
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WS's wine of the year in 2001. This wine was not scheduled to be poured and will probably not be in Atlanta or LA. A huge improvement since the last time I had it a year ago. More open, richer and generous. Dry firm tannins, smoky cherry notes and a long finish. Left me wanting more. 93+.
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This wine was brought by CWG's friend (and lurker on this board) who happens to be the Mondavi rep for Chicago. WS just gave this wine a 94 rating in the most recent issue. This was a meaty tannic wine. It was only opened and decanted at the party. I waited an hour before trying it but that was not long enough. This needs time in the bottle and hours of decanting. It had cherry and raspberry notes on it's long finish. A bit harsh now but improving and it will come around and my score will increase. 89-91.
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Dark red with a slightly purple edge. Strong scents of dark berries and leaves. Also a perculiar rubber-scent. Over time developed some really wonderful mush-room scents - quite Bordeaux-like. Big and broad in structure. Very, very tannic. Should probably rest another 10 years at least as it is extremely tight. Densely packed with fruit. Tons of stuffing here. But is there a slightly un-ripe, green, character underneath? And perhaps not as multi-dimensional as could be wished for. Very long aftertaste that seems to balance the elements nicely, but does contain some slightly un-pleasant iodine and grass-notes.
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11/23/2023 - WILDFANG Likes this wine: 92 Points
Surprisingly feisty on opening, this needed more than the quick double decant that I gave it on the way to Thanksgiving dinner. Aromatic wood notes of balsam and sandalwood dominated the nose, while the palate was quite different, showing bright, velvety red fruit, and continuing to add weight and sweetness until we finished the bottle. Based on this showing, this needs at least a two-hour decant to show its best now.
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8/1/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Ornellaia Dinner (Stefani Prime - Lincolnwood IL): Double blind in what turned out to be an Ornellaia vertical, which I correctly identified as an Italian Bordeaux blend. Big and extroverted nose and palate, this was big and tannic from start-to-finish. It's not clear to me if age will be this wine's friend.
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1/13/2023 - hargy wrote:
very sadly, spoiled - I did not buy this en primeur and suspect the case was badly stored at some stage as several bottles have been in poor condition
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1/4/2023 - nnektarios Likes this wine: 95 Points
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Beautiful, deep Garnet colour. It doesn' t show the age of the wine. I would guess Bordeaux left bank on a blind tasting. Graphite, earthiness and dark fruits. Notes of plums, licorice and menthol. Complex and multi-layered. I would never guess this is pre-2010. Mefium-bodied, fresh and vibrant. Round and concentrated. Medium to long finish.
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12/25/2022 - rcg62 wrote: 94 Points
Double magnum. Two hour decant. Color still great. Honestly, looks young. Blueberry, plum, maybe some tobacco and earthy nose. More juicy dark berry on the finish. Very nice. A cut below the better years but drinking really well. Maybe bottle size helps but this one feels should have a decade of peak left.
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12/14/2022 - tcarter Likes this wine: 97 Points
Powerhouse. Awesome juice.
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9/22/2022 - Rbtrage wrote: 94 Points
From Magnum. Not a big fan of Italian wines normally but this wine tonight was superb.
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7/24/2022 - rraaffaa Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still excellent, doesn't really need a long decant at this point, lots of leather and darker, forest scents but still coupled with some nice fruit. Delicious!
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5/2/2022 - jmoon wrote: flawed
Ox has set in. Bretty Betty. Could be poor storage from previous owner as bought this secondary.
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4/16/2022 - mchern02 wrote: 94 Points
2 hour decant
Secondary and tertiary nose of wood, burnt embers, tobacco, smokey cedar, dark blue fruit and tapenade. Palate is youthful, plush, quite long w multiple dimensions that leads to an extraordinarily long finish with slightly unfurled tannins.
In the strike zone here bud still quite youthful; drink or hold for a few years with neither being a bad decision. Excellent
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2/20/2022 - gazinho Likes this wine: 96 Points
Needed a serious decant and airing
Plum, tobacco, olives, on nose, follows through to palate.
Excellent fruit & herbal notes, traces of cloves.
Utterly integrated tannins and acidity providing excellent structure and follow through.
Sadly the last bottle…
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1/8/2022 - CarpeDiem! Likes this wine: 93 Points
Surprisingly youthfull, with a fresh, but noble and elegant nose of cedar, leather, roast aromas. Medium bodied, complex, elegant with mature red berries and cherries, leather, tobacco, plum, but also some floral and herbal tones. A surprising blip of macerated apple, not fitting the overall impression of a great wine, who always meets great expectations.
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6/7/2021 - Kevnzworld wrote: 95 Points
;30 decant at Mozza, but needed more. Restaurant restricts prior opening and decanting.
This has older earthy Bordeaux characteristics but with somewhat riper and sweeter dark fruit.
The oak is pronounced, but the acidity, tannin and balance is good .
This wine is still youthful at 21.
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4/30/2021 - Jimswinecellar Likes this wine:
After many months of COVID restrictions in Italy, restaurants are finally opened! For our celebration we selected this wonderful aged Italian classic.
Within moments of opening, we enjoyed aromas of dark fruit, leather, and herbs. Full bodied, and still fresh. A spicy finish provided a nice surprise. Still years left in this bottle. Beautiful!
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2/13/2021 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 94 Points
From magnum. Decanted and drank over two hours, and the decant clearly helped the wine improve. Wonderful nose. I liked it a lot, but perhaps the 1997 vintage drunk a few weeks earlier was in some way more full and with greater cherry notes. Nonetheless, a great effort.
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2/12/2021 - SonnyChiba wrote: 95 Points
From a magnum. Decanted a couple hours and it improved slightly, though was beautiful right out of the gate. Really lovely wine, layered with red cherry fruit, with tremendous elegance. Very similar to the 97’ I had recently. Drank alongside a magnum of 2001 d'armailhac which was equally as good and a great Bordeaux comparison. I’d give this Ornellaia the slight favorite even though the d'armailhac was more complex.
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1/31/2021 - wurzel68 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Leder, Schokolade, tiefe Beerenfrucht, Rosinen, leichte Zedernnote, Veilchen, etwas Rosenduft; weiche, abgeschmolzene Tannine, sehr langer Abgang, komplex, vielschichtig.
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12/25/2020 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted from a magnum that sat in my uncles cellar since 2000 still nailed in the original box. Leather, raisin, mushroom, floral, black olives, milk chocolate. Silky mouthfeel. Great wine and drinking beautifully.
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6/9/2020 - pdemaio wrote: 95 Points
Great wine, showing very well right now. Fruit has faded, but is still present so not in a negative way. Smooth tannins and powerful mid palate are at the fore. Just what one looks for in an aged ornellaia .
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6/7/2020 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Good+ showing. Dark fruits, loamy earth, tobacco notes mixed with black berries, a note of vanilla. Med+ body, rather flowing in nature, with gentle layers, and a med+ persistence. Not sure I'd be holding these too much longer as there's a lot to enjoy now. That said, it'll hold here for several more years. Really nice over 3 hours. recommended
https://www.ItalianWine.blog
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6/4/2020 - Tim Heaton wrote: flawed
TCA
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5/30/2020 - Vandy1983 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Although the only fruit on the nose was black cherry, the wine still possessed a smooth, complex mouthfeel and no hint that the wine was past its prime.
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4/30/2020 - Clube wrote: 98 Points
Wonderful !
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3/26/2020 - ChâteauneufDuPfaff Likes this wine: 93 Points
Upon opening charming developed notes of wet earth, some leather and tobacco. However, this behaved like Benjamin Button: with air, the wine got younger and younger, dark berries became much more prominent. Very broad but balanced, epic fruit and plenty of depth. Still with quite some tannins and enough acidity to keep this alive (and improving) for many years. Was it a great wine? Certainly! Was it an unforgettable experience? Rather not.
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11/22/2019 - greedy wrote:
Corked.
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7/27/2019 - MM29 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Gleich nach dem Öffnen erste Alterstöne in der Nase. Sind nach einer halben Stunde in der Karaffe verschwunden. Nach einer Stunde hat der Wein dann angefangen zu singen. Hat Charakter, feine Tannine, laaaaanger Abgang. Was für eine Freude. Letzte Flasche vom 99, mir gehen so langsam die Weine aus dem letzten Jahrtausend aus, was für ein Jammer... dieser gehört m.E. jetzt aber sowieso langsam getrunken
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6/7/2019 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Somewhat disappointing, slightly musty taste, not corked but not entirely clean. In many ways still young: fruit and tannin still good, though tertiary notes beginning to creep in. Some tobacco, leather and forest floor. were it not for the mustiness this would be a great bottle with a much higher score and I think would develop easily for another decade... however I don't think the mustiness will pass.
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5/25/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful earthy secondary notes on the nose. Blackberries and black tea flavors. Tannins are a bit dry.
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5/24/2019 - zerbphlatz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Outstanding. Decanted for 2 hours. Wish I had more in our cellar
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3/17/2019 - TXRhoneRanger wrote: 94 Points
This bottle was stuuuuuupid good. Like amazing good. Took a while to open, but when it did. Holy moly. Blew our minds. Had with Sassicaia '99, Solaia '86, and this one. All were good, this was the most opulent of the bunch. Not in a hurry to open the rest of them.
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2/22/2019 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points
From Magnum. Evolved beautifully over four hours. Full body with study, integrated tannins. Tobacco, leather, a touch of chocolate late in the evening, some tart sweetness on the finish. In a great place now.
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2/21/2019 - rraaffaa wrote: 96 Points
Delicious, perfect drinking window, nice fruit, beautiful nose, leather
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2/3/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Good Wine with a Boring Super Bowl (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL): Social walk-around tasting, brief note. Lots of powerful and ripe black fruit, still fleshy and big with nuanced hints that are barely starting to emerge. Very good now, with upside?
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1/9/2019 - devraj Likes this wine: 94 Points
2019 Jan annual tasting hosted my me. Detailed notes later
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12/22/2018 - nywine68 wrote: 90 Points
Fully mature and evolved. Eucalyptus and some green notes. Tannins still pretty firm and a bit drying. Some nice complexity in the background but this was probably more enjoyable 5-10 years ago.
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11/27/2018 - jpscellar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for an hour. very good right now. but can also wait 5 years
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11/23/2018 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for a few hours and placed back into the bottle. Big/full bodied with plenty of brooding dark fruit mixed with sweet oak, anise and green bean. Texturally more rustic and grainy than expected. Still plenty more life here. Drink in the next 5 years.
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8/11/2018 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 94 Points
A deep colour; deep, rich, smoky, brambly fruit, well structured, elegant and long. A profound wine, reaching its peak but with plenty of life ahead.
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6/29/2018 - nywine68 wrote: 90 Points
Nice earthy nose and secondary flavors. The tannins remain pretty harsh and unresolved, though, and I don’t think they will ever full dissolve
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5/31/2018 - sung251 Likes this wine: 92 Points
still closed and primary. After a decant of 1 hr 30 min the dark rich fruits really came out with a nice touch of mentol. The nose of the wine really changed as time went by with spice and sandlewood, to cough syrup, to more forest floor aromas. This still needs a good amount of time to get more teritary flavors. Try drinking it in 5 - 10 years later.
Drank alongside Sassicaia 1986, Solaia 1986
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3/5/2018 - darren81 Likes this wine:
8.5/10 - Enjoyable! Drinking well now. No formal tasting note given the event, but glad I have a few more of these to go through.
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8/31/2017 - Sozzled-Me Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rich nose of blackcurrant and stewed fruit. Almost port like. In the mouth rich, sweet and full with hints of raisins, black cherries and stewed plums. Probably too powerful to drink on it's own. Hint of astringency on the finish. Overall very good but a little bit too over the top in style for me.
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8/27/2017 - wculpepper Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perfect fill and cork. Decanted for two hours; heavy sediment. Deep crimson red with some bricking. Glorious nose of cherries, graphite, and licorice. On the palate, a full-bodied powerhouse of ripe and slightly sweet dark fruit, chocolate and coffee. Abundant fruit and great structure that will sustain this wine at least until its 25th birthday.
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8/4/2017 - nywine68 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Much better bottle than the last one (from a different source). This still has a slight green note in the background but not nearly as intrusive as the last bottle. This has lots of chocolate and mint and tar on the palate. Tannins are a bit coarse but are mellowing with more time in the glass. Good saturation and medium length. Didn't give this much time to breathe.
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7/17/2017 - nywine68 wrote: 85 Points
Cork in pristine shape. The underlying flavors were appealing but unfortunately they were overwhelmed by a green herbaceousness which made the wine unattractive.
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5/5/2017 - Lype Likes this wine: 91 Points
Needs a couple of hours to open, salty liquorice, syrup, dark berries, porter/stout style features, good but does not reach the heights of -98 or -97.
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5/4/2017 - Mikipajuk Likes this wine: 95 Points
This bottle was slow ox'ed for 4 hours, which seemed adequate.
Excellent nose of mostly blackcurrant, very well structured and oh so elegant. My guests thought it was 10-12 years younger.
So nice to experience a wine that's completely integrated.
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1/20/2017 - champussi Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sehr schön! Einfach rund und lecker! Jetzt wohl auf dem Höhepunkt!? Aber kein Grund zur Eile. Dekantieren!!
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1/14/2017 - La Grappe wrote: 94 Points
A deep colour, and quite forward on the nose with fruit and spice; the palate has dense, blackberry fruit, and is slightly smoky and with a thick texture. Tasting mature, but still a little tannic. Should keep for many years.
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10/30/2016 - DougLee wrote: 92 Points
Purple color. Brooding nose of black currant, damp cellar, faint floral notes, rich earth, pencil shavings. Even after 90 minutes the palate was deeply imploded, with eventual layers of blackberry, currant, licorice, and earth. Lower acidity, smoothed tannin. Longer finish of stone and black fruit. Needs more time in the cellar or a healthy decant. Powerful wine.
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8/26/2016 - sababa1022 wrote: 95 Points
Deep, rich and structured. I don't think there is much reason to wait but there is no need to rush. It will be great for many years to come.
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7/31/2016 - Bcraddock wrote:
Very strong Tuscan. Reasonable price($75)
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6/23/2016 - bobvictor Likes this wine: 94 Points
See my last note! Still fantastic. Couldn't wait 5 years to open the last bottle. Buy more!!! Will drink well for at least another 10 years!!!
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6/6/2016 - S-C-S Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drink now
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5/22/2016 - blackdog wrote: 95 Points
A big, balanced wine that demanded to be finished. It had marvelous fruit but with enough structure structure to hold it together. Very big bouquet and and held together in the course of 4 hours.
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4/17/2016 - poste244 wrote: 93 Points
Un des plus beaux Ornellaia que j'ai eu la chance de boire jusqu'ici.
On est près de la perfection autant par l'équilibre de ce vin que par son élégance. Puissant, noble, distingué sont les qualificatifs qui me sont venus en tête. Je ne crois pas qu'il s'améliorera encore beaucoup, mais il se maintiendra sûrement sur ce magnifique plateau pour un bon 5,6 ans sans problème. Cher, mais majestueux comme une Ferrari!
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4/13/2016 - Frank Murray III wrote: flawed
Damn TCA. Corked. And I would have dug tasting this again, having really enjoyed it this past July. Frigging TCA.
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4/13/2016 - brigcampbell wrote: flawed
Blind. Guessed cab/Merlot blend and picked Bordeaux.
This had a touch of wet newspaper on the nose so we decided to let it sit for 30 minutes. That was a waste, had to ask the somm to remove the glasses as it really started to pour out of the stem. Bummer because I like this wine, a lot.
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2/19/2016 - gazinho Likes this wine: 96 Points
Sublime.
Where to start?
A near perfect balance of colour, density, aromas, fruit, acidity, tannins and many more exotic layers.
Where to end?
Sadly just one bottle remaining...
Truly a great & satisfying wine.
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12/13/2015 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
A beautiful vintage for Ornellaia that shows great class and restraint. Classic medium-mature Cab flavors of black fruit and cassis with a fine opulence and firm but supple tannins. This is class in a glass and shows what can be done here when fruit is picked at the right time. This is so much better than the overripe '01 which is considered the better vintage. It just goes to show how misguided general opinion and critics can be. Out of magnum and should continue to age beautifully.
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11/15/2015 - tb76 wrote:
Dark Crimson core with some very gentle fading starting towards the rim. Prune, raisin, dark fruit, cedar, very balanced and long. This bottle wasn't stored optimally, glad I opened now.
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9/5/2015 - gew71walsh wrote: 95 Points
Superb wine. Wish I had more. Full bodied, long finish, integrated tannins. This is what a super Tuscan should be. Cherries, currant and other red berries.
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7/25/2015 - brigcampbell wrote:
Book Club (The Winery, Newport Beach, CA): Blind. Guessed super Tuscan and stretched it out and nailed the producer too. Luck.
Medium plus maroon color. Aromas of are lightly toasted wood, resin, and a whiff of heat. Also some perfume. Palate is incense, cassis and dark fruit, dried oak, and medium acidity. Very good wine but needs more time for the oak to integrate for my liking.
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7/25/2015 - Frank Murray III wrote:
I don't recall have any Ornellaia before so I approached this wine with no bias, and because it was served blind, my reaction to it has to be seen as pure. For me, this was a wow experience. Dark, intense with a black cherry purity. Some cedar here, plenty of dusty dark fruit into the finish. A real classy wine and at just over 15 years of age, I didn't see or note any fade in this wine. Excellent.
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5/30/2015 - Rani wrote: 88 Points
Tasted blind. Lots of coffee and cocoa. I thought it was Merlot-dominated- undoubtedly well made but rather one dimensional.
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5/24/2015 - bobvictor Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fantastic wine. Hard to fathom there was no sangiovese in the blend. Dark purple in color with no bricking at all. Tasted young. Wait 5 years before opening the next bottle!
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4/18/2015 - S-C-S Likes this wine: 91 Points
Over the top.
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3/10/2015 - S-C-S Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drink now !
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3/1/2015 - absolut wrote: 92 Points
Süßliche feine Tannine; sehr kräftige saftige Kirschfrucht, extraktreich. Strukturiert mit guter Länge. Sicher kein Schnäppchen ...
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2/28/2015 - soyhead wrote:
nose - complex, fruit punchy
mouth - great. complex bold yet restained fruit, with loads of dark cherry. considerably tannic and lovely acidity. lacks, however, the flesh of the '98 masseto.
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1/20/2015 - mwanasheria Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose of pencil shavings, leather, tobacco. On the palate fine texture, mint, leather. Very good.
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1/18/2015 - docdavid wrote:
outstanding full bodied wonderful on the tongue and palate- an outstanding wine from a great vintage. still has several lyears at peak. 95/100
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12/23/2014 - ceresnik Likes this wine: 96 Points
great complexity with lots of dark fruit. aging very nicely!!!
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11/14/2014 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine: 96 Points
Carpe Vino!; 11/9/2014-11/15/2014 (Tuscany (Florence, Montalcino, Siena)): This wine was in clear competition for WOTN/trip/etc. for me. It was just stunning. It's amazing what some years can do for an Ornellaia (I was also blown away by the '97 a few months ago). Really great black fruit, really great structure, lots of flavors going on and a full evolution in the mouth. I thought this could go for some more years, but it is certainly drinking very well now. Just beautiful wine.
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11/13/2014 - SineQuaNon Likes this wine: 92 Points
An outstanding wine for sure but the most disappointing of the eight Ornellaia's tasted tonight. (98-99-2004-06-07-08-10-11). Either still not yet ready and tannins will resolve before the fruit fades or perhaps plain and simply drying out. Very enjoyable still, if you can live with a bit of astringency.
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10/4/2014 - diggydan wrote: 92 Points
Clearly an excellent wine but not my style - too big and rich for my palate. Textbook cab nose of leafiness, leather, and tobacco. The palate is big and bawdy....like the Bard said from hour to hour it is ripe and ripe...with plummy black fruit, a deep loaminess, and plenty of minerality. By this point the tannins have smoothed out. There's a definite glycerol quality to the mouthfeel.
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7/15/2014 - JulianSkeels wrote: 93 Points
Smelt of rotting leaves for sometime in the glass, albeit with more interesting taste (long and lingering savoury). Guess would have been appealing with longer decanting time - anyway, good valued bottling.
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6/17/2014 - roselieb@gmx.de wrote: 92 Points
Nice wine. However, we had the ornellaia 2008 before which had more power and elegance.
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6/6/2014 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dry fruit and med finish. Nice cab with a bit of acidity. Really expected a bit more.
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5/21/2014 - S-C-S Likes this wine: 93 Points
Don't decant.
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12/19/2013 - unionst wrote:
This may be a flawed bottle. Originally some funk and balsamic on the nose. I decanted for 2.5 hours and it has opened up a bit but still a little off.
Highly extracted dark purple color - ink like. Cinnamon stick, dark cherries, dark chocolate, powdered black licorice (necco wafer) and orange bitters on the nose. BIG, RIPE, sweet extracted fruit - red and dark berries, cherries, plums with some coffee and dark chocolate on the palate.
Just seems overly ripe for Ornellaia. I will give it overnight vacuum sealed to see if it corrects.
It did improve overnight. Much softer after a night in the fridge. I discussed with a very knowledgeable friend of mine, who visited Ornellaia a couple of years ago, and came to the conclusion that there is much more bottle variation with Ornellaia post the sale/takeover of Piero from Ludovico. I did not mention that I had to pour a newly opened, decanted and even cellophane resuscitated bottle of the same OWC '99 down the drain last night. I previously raved about a bottle from the same OWC about a year or so ago. So, I have experienced as dramatic a bottle variation from the same OWC as can be seen. Beware!
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12/7/2013 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 92 Points
The intensity of this wine overcomes my cold, which has dulled my sense of smell. There is a bouquet of blackcurrant, bramble and smoke, and the palate is dense, concentrated and long. Excellent now, but with plenty of life yet.
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11/30/2013 - S-C-S Likes this wine: 92 Points
Don't decant. Drink it now.
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11/28/2013 - Lord of the Bottles wrote:
This seemed much more evolved than I would have guessed with a very gamey nose and barnyard notes. Not much fruit but just enough to keep it interesting. Towards the end of the glass it bordered on unpleasant with heavy brett-like/horsey fumes and overly bitter cherries on the palate with a short finish. Judging by the generally high scores perhaps it was a slightly off bottle so I decline to score it.
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10/21/2013 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Intense blackcurrant and plum fruit, with smoke/tar overtones. Very concentrated, with good length and structure. Very fine.
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8/31/2013 - PSPatrick wrote: 95 Points
Best Bottle Dinner at my place. My wine of the night. We drank the Ornellaia 1999 next to a bottle of Castello dei Rampolla Vigna d'Alceo 1999. The Ornellaia was dark ruby in colour and offered floral notes, cherry, blackberry, cucumber, turpentine, menthol and mineral notes on the nose. On the concentrated palate the medium- to full-bodied wine showed cherry, blackberry, black currant, liqueur, some dark chocolate and mineral notes, paired with medium- to medium-plus acidity, medium-plus smooth, chocolaty tannin, a great, smooth mouthfeel and incredible length. A very concentrated yet very smooth, balanced and elegant wine. It drank so well that we finished the bottle in no time. A truly great wine!
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8/16/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 90 Points
no time to decant which didn't help. good backbone and structure but still somewhat tight. doubt it will ever become a charmer.
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8/8/2013 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep, rich, smoky fruit, quite dry and noticeably oaky. An intense and still quite youthful wine. So very good to drink now, but will surely last for years.
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4/4/2013 - ilee wrote: 95 Points
An excellent, stylish, silky wine that is more Bordeaux than Tuscany. Creamy floral nose, smoky and black-fruity on the palate with a velvety smooth finish. Am a big fan of this estate and this vintage
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1/27/2013 - Flamengo wrote: 89 Points
Opened at january 18 th, 2013, in the ocasion of the 70th year birthday of my father in law, dear Mr. Sebastian, and decanted only for 30 minutes. I believe this wine has hit its peak a couple of years ago and is descending. Still quite a good wine, but not spectacular anymore. I am not sure if ornellaia bolgheri superiore has a great aging potential, even tough its a bordeaux like wine. In its youth, and i mean their first ten years from the vintage, this wine is gorgeous, always corresponding its great expectations! But, i dont know if this was a bad stored bottle, or what, but its clear that this wine is on the last part of its life. I dont believe that it is only in a dumb phase and will be awake and showing all his pottential in 5 years from now. In my opinion, it is fading.
Medium red colour, and not total clean look ( some sediments, therefore, needed to be decanted to separate it) nose is earthy, spicy and jammy, with sense of very ripe berries. Tastes good but i think is becoming a little unbalanced with accidity prevalescent over the alcohol, or maybe the opposite! In fact, the tannins are all resolved and this wine is silky, but should be drunk now. If you have it on your cellar, its definatelly time to open it, i insist.
Still very ok, but not a blockbuster, as always expected.
The problem is that, when you open a bottle of bolgheri super tuscan as ornellaia, you always have the highest expectations, and, sometimes, the liquid does not correspond to what you were thinking of...
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12/21/2012 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Aerated to decanter 3 hours. Served a little warmer than I prefer, this was nonetheless still quite full of class and complexity. Medium toward full bodied, the nose is very seductive, the palate, even more so. While I enjoy the style, I find it can be one-dimensional at times. At the 5 hr mark after the cork was removed, I began to see some really interesting complexity, but it was at the tail end of the last glass. Another few years in the cellar and this should be even better.
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9/28/2012 - tooch wrote: 92 Points
Friday Afternoon at Domaine (Domaine Wine Storage - Chicago, IL): This was a complex wine from start to finish. Nose had deep, dark fruit; blackberries, cherry, and plum. Complementing the dark fruit was nice minerality and herbal tones that gave the wine a nice freshness. Would have liked to spend more time with the wine, but I got the sense that while this was showing some secondary characteristics, there are still a solid 20+ years ahead of this wine. Very nice showing.
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8/29/2012 - unionst wrote: 96 Points
Ornellaia has always been one of my favorites. I have found that the 1999 vintage in Bordeaux was completely under-rated as a pleasurable drinking vintage. I opened this bottle tonight because I am both thin on 1999 Bordeaux and bullish on Ornellaia.
Wow! What a beautiful presentation of Bolgheri Cabernet. This wine has all of the characteristiche di espresso, chocalato scuro and ripe dark cherry that you would crave in an Italian first growth. Beautiful texture, perfect balance and a finish that says, "un piu, per favore".
Mille gracie, seniore Antinori!
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8/27/2012 - dron_ap wrote: 97 Points
Wow. Popped and poared. Wine is absolutely ready, thpugh shows lot of development in the glass.
Nose of cherry, blackberries. Pepper , dark fruits and chocolate in the mouth. Long new world finish.
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7/12/2012 - fdub wrote: 95 Points
I opened this wine at 3pm and consumed at 8pm. Slow ox method. On opening I took a small taste and you could tell this is just a perfectly aged wine. Still showing primary fruit but starting to develop a floral note that is just amazing. The color was deep red with no bricking at the edge. For me this is a wonderful mix of new world power (more so than the 98') and old world finesse. The nose was pure lavendar and the palate was sure balanced. Tasty juice. Drink or hold.
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1/21/2012 - LWI wrote: 91 Points
A Weekend in Excess; 1/20/2012-1/21/2012 (Trondheim, Norway): Dark, a hint of blue; some spiciness on the nose, dark berries; pronounced tannins, very fine length and intensity, primary. Guessed Bordeaux 2008. 91+p
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12/8/2011 - stiang wrote: 93 Points
Fantastisk vin! Bordeaux, men likevel ikke bordeaux. St Julien-aktig. Enormt elegant, og pen eikebruk.
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12/1/2011 - bibendumrrb wrote:
Drank with Guy - just excellent
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11/5/2011 - pmravens wrote: 87 Points
Not much going on here on the nose or palate. Blind versus bordeaux, cali cabs and super tuscans. Off bottle, perhaps, or maybe in a dumb phase.
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10/15/2011 - stomini wrote: 91 Points
Decanted two hours. Wonderful nose, great balance of fruit and tanin. Wonderful colour. IMHO lots of life let, but certainly ready to enjoy. My first Ornellaia very memorable, also because we had 85 Haut Brion as well. Wow.
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10/1/2011 - ilee wrote: 94 Points
National Day dinner Chez Jada: Colour was deep purple with tinge of ruby -- had all the appearance of a young wine. A few enjoyable gulps reinforced the impression that this wine is still in the later stages of infancy. With notes of cassis, blackberry and gravel, the nose is almost classic Bordeaux of the left bank persuasion. Medium to heavy bodied, but subtle, almost gentle on the palate, this is a beautiful wine indeed. Not yielding a lot right now, though the stuffing is definitely all there. In no hurry to open my remaining two bottles.
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9/28/2011 - jeff nowak wrote: 92 Points
because i'm a knucklehead, not blind. not decanted, but you can. a half hour would do it. not a blockbuster ornellaia but a solid drink that has a firm, modern, backbone of mostly integrated tannin and chocolate cherries. call this a guilty pleasure with no apologies. drink now, it should have a long plateau, but i don't see any compelling reason to purposely lay it down for another ten years.
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7/25/2011 - dre wrote: 92 Points
Very earthy nose with underbrush, iron and vegital notes mixed with a touch of ovaltine.
The palate shows solid fruit intensity of current, plum and blackberry. Notes of old chest, gravel, cocoa, anise and tomato leaf give this a complex rustic flavor while the mouthfeel is quite silky. Soft earthy finish goes on and on.
I opened two bottles and surprisingly they didn't throw much sediment at all...
Outstanding Quality. 92 pts
Drink now - 2020
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6/25/2011 - Lord Rayas wrote: 91 Points
much more in character than the 93. a bit unyielding at this stage, even after a couple of hours in decanter. made for the long haul.
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6/22/2011 - barolo_99 wrote: 92 Points
Dunkle Früchte
Super
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6/4/2011 - SevenDayMile wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for three hours and enjoyed over the next two.
Deep garnet core with a hazy ruby red rim and flecks of orange. Fairly intense aromas of blackberry, cherry, vanilla bean, forest floor, and raspberry. The palate is elegant but rich with a core of candied cherry (sense memory of Kool-Aid here), sage, milk chocolate, strawberry coulis, a good dose of well-integrated wood tannins, and bright acidity tying it all together.
Beautiful wine with a measured elegance and superb texture. Really showing well right now. Upon opening it seemed to scream Tuscany with sharp strawberry and big oak, but it really matured with air to show a great and unique expression of the Bordeaux varietals.
My first Ornellaia and if I can scrape up the money I would definitely go back for more.
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5/22/2011 - millesime66 wrote: 93 Points
Très fermé au départ, après 3-4 heures il s'est finalement ouvert. Encore dans son enfance, il aurait été meilleur dans 5 ans. Très concentré et large en bouche mais ne lui manque que la finesse de son rival Sassicaia. Ceci étant dit, c'est un super vin.
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5/7/2011 - fhirsch wrote: 92 Points
Rich, sweet, plenty of earth in the nose and on the palate. Quite long and with a beautiful balance to it. It's pretty good right now, so no reason to not try it right away.
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4/21/2011 - mariolanza wrote: 91 Points
I really enjoyed this side by side the 97 which just popped it at the post for overall quality, but this wine can still evolve in a couple of years when likely to be fully mature. Great wines here.
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4/19/2011 - beezer6 wrote: 91 Points
Little muted. Dirt, cigar and a touch of wet sidewalk. A shorter finish that was totally acid driven.
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2/12/2011 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
First impressions are of wine that is quite oaky, with a big blast of vitamin B and sweet cedar. It has oodles of dense, ripe Satsuma plum fruit but the whole package feels just a little forced and over-extracted.
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12/13/2010 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
Kemp's 65th including some 1945 wines.: Good showing for this wine. Classic Bordeaux nose. Funk, cassis, leather and green pepper. Slightly green notes on the palate along with nice cassis and forest floor. Starting to enter maturity. No hurry but drinking well today. Still could use some cellaring.
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11/5/2010 - 2winelovers wrote: 95 Points
Very complex with layers of flavor
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7/3/2010 - Khamen wrote: 93 Points
Short decant. Sweet creamy nose with bags of red fruit. Great concentration on the attack with some beautiful velvet tannins that are still a little firm. A little more backwards than previous bottles, should benefit from some air time. Will revisit shortly.
EDIT : +1 hour. Still a little austere but starting to open to reveal some depth. This is going through a bit of a metamorphosis at the moment - the youthful exuberance of the (quality) fruit is transforming into a drier, more complex and elegant depth of flavour. Very grippy dry finish of good length. Perhaps not as flashy or immediately impressive as in its youth, this should continue to evolve into something more Bordelais over the next 5-10 years. Drink or hold.
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6/5/2010 - rherman wrote: 94 Points
blockbuster. long life ahead.
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4/24/2010 - Khamen wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour. intense smokey bacon nose backed by some high octane fruit. Slightly vegetal attack, almost like a vegetable bouillion but extremely concentrated and backed by a big mineral lift. Fully mature bottle this one and no mistake. Lovely grip and plenty of secondary notes - carrob, anise/celeriac and crunchy iced cola. Almost too ready here as some of the zingy mineral sweetess of Ornellaia is absent in this bottle but a beautful, hedonistic and almost intellectual drink. Long coca-cola finish. Lush and full. great stuff, now-2015?
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3/22/2010 - Blair Curtis wrote: 94 Points
This was drinking like a champ. Very impressive. Effusive deep and floral nose that drew several gushing comments. Surprisingly smooth palate, despite the material in the wine and the fact that it is clearly early in its life. Exceptional mouthfeel - very round and smooth, with superfine tannins that come through on the long finish. Gorgeous ripe fruit with a hint of minerality/earth. I might be under-rating this wine - truly excellent.
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1/12/2010 - samer wrote: 95 Points
wow!...syrupy, raisinated, a pucker that feels sinful. We tasted roasted beets, and the pairing with lamb chops was more than delightful. An outstanding bottle.
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12/19/2009 - Khamen wrote: 95 Points
2 hour decant. Hedonistic nose of dark fruit, licorice and creamy rather than smoky oak. Merlot really dominant in this one although the soft, rich character is given a sturdy backbone by the cab sauv. Intensely rich and concentrated with port-like characteristics blooming mid-palate. Finish is long with a great minty/anise flourish. Tremendously smooth, rich and completely balanced. A 5* wine drinking tremendously but another few years to let those secondaries peek out will do no harm.
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12/9/2009 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
tasting very well now. Should decant atleast an hour. Not a lot of fruit, but it's been in the cellar for 10... Wonderful mouth feel, great tannins and very well integrated. Acids have mellowed. Great with nice steak.
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11/11/2009 - pjaines wrote:
Part of Khamen's birthday booze up. Nose - lovely asian spices, restrained, oozes quality - in the mouth this is chock full of quality - fine tannins, medium weight, long long finish - dances on the tongue. Feathery and light to the touch, but with years and years ahead of it. Class
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11/9/2009 - bevetroppo wrote: 93 Points
Several days later from memory so notes will not be very specific. Just a beautiful wine in what I would describe as a regal state. Clearly still a crown prince with another 5-10 years to go before approaching anything like a peak, my one regret was it was too young. Beautiful balance, with ripe fruit and still tight tannins in a compelling dance. What I remember most are the obvious breed and finesse, and while indisputably international, totally convincing. Wish I remembered more, or even better, had more.
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11/5/2009 - pakabear Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice, yet a bit on the unremarkable side. I think this is drinking well now but I don't think it has as much complexity as I would expect from this label. Very nice overall but not worth the money.
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8/5/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: flawed
corked. my bottle from 750 ml
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8/5/2009 - goofy Yno wrote: flawed
corked
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8/5/2009 - kstoddard wrote: flawed
Blind Night (Mark): Sadly corked. Brought by Jeff.
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4/22/2009 - La Grappe wrote: 93 Points
Intense, powerful, still quite raw fruit, with a rich, complex, spicy range of flavours: brambles, coffee, pepper etc. This is a profound wine, still quite tannic, and Grange-like in its intensity. Still very young, so keep for a few more years.
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4/11/2009 - psmith wrote:
Red fruits and graphite notes. Softer palate, with a nice mineral component. Medium bodied; well balanced. Still young. Very enjoyable.
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4/3/2009 - Kevin_C wrote: 92 Points
Notes of candied cherry and underbrush. Very restrained. Later, notes of pencil lead, graphite and faint cedar. The palate is full bodied and open. Less apparent structure than the '97 but nuch more harmonious. All the parts seem to work together. Very smooth. Can see some sweetness developing on the entry. Dark chocolate and espresso notes dominate the finish...also tend to show up in the mid-palate where I was hoping for more fruit. A little less fruit than I was hoping for. 92-93
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2/21/2009 - royalscam wrote: 92 Points
This is a fantastic effort, most appealing is its very fruity nose, though the mouth and feel was good, the wine is a bit on the austere side regarding fruitiness. We compared this wine to the 2004 vintage and found the 2004 to be a bit more revealing and generous. Still feels great in the mouth with some complexity that evolved with time. Great lasting finish highlighting some fruit that was difficult to taste.
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1/5/2009 - WineForRob wrote: 91 Points
Somewhat restrained nose of graphite and black fruits. Medium bodied and soft in the mouth with a lively burst of more black fruits. Finish was smooth and somewhat clipped but this is drinking nicely right now.
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12/3/2008 - jhngo wrote: 91 Points
Great perfumed nose. The wine was slightly astringent dry and not as polished as it could be. Otherwise the fruit was alive fresh and finish lengthy. Not sure if it would improve with age as tannins were not as refined to begin with.
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11/30/2008 - MPF wrote: 92 Points
A true highlight of boys' golf outing in October. More French than American in character, with restrained flavors of cherry and little oak
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4/16/2008 - Bressler wrote:
needs more time
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11/18/2007 - Gregory Dal Piaz wrote: 89 Points
A bit of bottle stink greats the nose folowd by a leather nose with hints of eucalyptus, earth, lead pencil shavings, some soft red bell pepper and a hint of brett. Cool mulberry fruit and tobacco creep into the nose. Round and rich in the mouth showing early maturity with soft tannins and gentle acidity. Quite minty up front with a core of ripe fruit that looses steam on the mid-palate before drying somewhat on the finish. This may improve slightly with time but, again, has a better nose than palate and seems restrained new worldy. 2008-2014
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7/9/2007 - bluevespa wrote: 94 Points
Had the nose of a california cabernet, however inthe mouth, very italian, very rich and elegent, similar to a first growth bordeaux. Dense sweet fruit, with a amazing finiish that lingers.
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5/8/2007 - staglin wrote: 94 Points
Excellent dark cherry, ruby color characterstics. Took 1+ hour to fully open. Complex and lengthly finish.
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4/28/2007 - JScott wrote: flawed
After close inspection, schmutz at the edge of the capsule. Wine on top of the cork and stain up the side. Probably got cooked along the way. Wish like hell I'd seen that before I ponied up a buck fifty for it locally. Good but not better; would be unfair to score it.
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12/3/2006 - buckeye76 wrote: 95 Points
INCREDIBLE WINE, IF ONLY IT WASN'T PAIRED AGAINST THE '01 MASSETO BLACKBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, AND A TOUCH OF EARTHINESS IN THE NOSE, WITH A FLAVOR TO MATCH. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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11/22/2005 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 92 Points
Very vibrant violet colour, a tiny hint of brett, lovelly perfumed blackcurrent and wood on nose, high acid and smooth tannin.
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11/21/2005 - Jeff W wrote:
What a contrast to the Gruaud Larose pair that preceeded it. It has none of the restraint of the Bordeaux. I don't think this means it lacks refinement; it's just big and powerful, with good acidity and fine tannic length. It has an "in your face" quality that I like. It's also slightly warm (14.5% alcohol.) vg
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11/20/2005 - BonnieM wrote:
This is still very young, big tannic blanket covering lots of dark fruit. Gave it 40 min. of air and it was a lovely wine, hinting big at what it will develop into with some more time. Smooth, elegant, wish we had another bottle that we could try in about five years.
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11/18/2005 - Rani wrote: 94 Points
Dinner with the Nygaards (Rotisserie Jules, South Kensington, London): A gorgeous purple-ruby colour. This was very tight at first and took a good 30-45 minutes to open up (it was not decanted). When evolved enough, one could get pencil shavings, cedar, cassis and blackberry jam on the nose. On the palate it is very structured, with blackcurrant, a hint of rhubarb and fine tannins. Reminded me of a Lafite from a hot vintage. Excellent.
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8/27/2004 - futronic wrote: 90 Points
It's quite silly to pour the '99 which is sold out when the '00 is being sold in the catalogue. Go LCBO. Dark ruby red, intense colour. Great legs. Nose of oak, blackberry, blueberry; expansive. Full-bodied, rich, fruit replays from nose but hiding slightly behind the oak. Lots of potential. Dry, dry finish. Needs a lot of cellar time.
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5/7/2003 - Vino Me wrote: 93 Points
WS's wine of the year in 2001. This wine was not scheduled to be poured and will probably not be in Atlanta or LA. A huge improvement since the last time I had it a year ago. More open, richer and generous. Dry firm tannins, smoky cherry notes and a long finish. Left me wanting more. 93+.
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11/15/2002 - peternelson wrote: 97 Points
Red Carpet: Dark espresso w/purple; rich cigar, intense, pepper; dry berries follow behind; extremely silky & big t’s; a great, intense wine!
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8/26/2002 - R2-D2 wrote:
No notes
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8/11/2002 - Vino Me wrote: 90 Points
This wine was brought by CWG's friend (and lurker on this board) who happens to be the Mondavi rep for Chicago. WS just gave this wine a 94 rating in the most recent issue. This was a meaty tannic wine. It was only opened and decanted at the party. I waited an hour before trying it but that was not long enough. This needs time in the bottle and hours of decanting. It had cherry and raspberry notes on it's long finish. A bit harsh now but improving and it will come around and my score will increase. 89-91.
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8/2/2002 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Red Carpet: Opaque purple; leather, oak, subtle dark stuff--berries; big nice mouth, heavy t’s; very nicely bal.w/good flavors. Maybe a little closed?
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7/13/2002 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 90 Points
Dark red with a slightly purple edge. Strong scents of dark berries and leaves. Also a perculiar rubber-scent. Over time developed some really wonderful mush-room scents - quite Bordeaux-like. Big and broad in structure. Very, very tannic. Should probably rest another 10 years at least as it is extremely tight. Densely packed with fruit. Tons of stuffing here. But is there a slightly un-ripe, green, character underneath? And perhaps not as multi-dimensional as could be wished for. Very long aftertaste that seems to balance the elements nicely, but does contain some slightly un-pleasant iodine and grass-notes.
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4/20/2002 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Mondavi (and Friends) Tasting (Chicago IL): Tasting. Great black cherry, plum aromas with modest spice. Bold flavors on palate with a long, textured finish. Excellent balance. 65% Cabernet, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc.
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