8/01. Bought at auction Oct-98 for $150.
My first taste of this famous super-toscan wine. The vineyard is very close to Sassicaia near Bolgheri on the south-western corner of Toscana.
Ornellaia is a Bordeaux-like blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
COLOR: Medium dark violet-red. Some clearing towards the rim.
NOSE: Profound nose that delivers the typicity of each varietal, without any of the Bordeaux-ish cedar or pencil-tip hallmarks. Very clean and well delineated red forest fruits that have nice semi-mature sweetness to them.
TASTE: Very tasty and impressive on the palate. Plenty of fruit and winyness, excellent grip, very good acidity and soft tannins. Elegant and stylish. A pleasure to sip.
LENGTH: Really long and lasting aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied though not a blockbuster. Superb winemaking is clearly evident here. Wonderfully structured and focused, this wine is perfectly balanced and perfectly ready now.
OVERALL: Outstanding! A serious wine that will keep for many more years.

MARK: 19/20.

BUY MORE? Yes.

Reach Me? yak@yakshaya.com

Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.