2018 Ornellaia DOC 1500ml

97 POINTS

James Suckling

So aromatic and complex with blackcurrants, blueberries, fresh violets and lavender on the nose. Some graphite and iodine, too. Medium to full body with firm, chewy tannins that are polished and refined, yet the palate is so long and refined. This is an Ornellaia with strength in elegance. Try after 2025.

97 POINTS

Huon Hooke - The Real Review

A wonderfully scented bouquet with flowers, especially violets, herbs and various red fruits, smoky-bacon from the oak, while the palate is very intense and focused, with terrific concentration and gravitas. It has tremendous vitality, line and seemingly endless length, as well as silky tannins. There's a litle of the cherry jam and eau de vie of the 2017, but a more Bordeaux-like shape. An outstanding wine. (51% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon, 7% cabernet franc, 2% petit verdot. Aged 18 months in Bordeaux barriques, 70% new, 30% one year old)

97 POINTS

Georgina Hindle - Decanter

This is such a charismatic wine, abundant and packed full of flavour while refined and precise. The palate has barely-there tannins that glide across the tongue underpinned by milk chocolate, leather, almost-sour cherries, blackcurrants and liquorice spicing. Freshness and persistence balanced by density and silkiness. Fermentation in oak barrels 70% new and 30% once used, then transferred to barriques for 18 months. After the first 12 months of maturation the wine is assembled and returned to barriques for an additional 6 months before being bottled and aged again for 12 months prior to release. A blend of 51% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

97 POINTS

Antonio Galloni MW - Vinous

The 2018 Ornellaia is an introvert at this stage. Medium in body, with terrific persistence and impeccable balance, the 2018 is not in any mood to show all its cards today. Hints of red berry fruit, mocha, spice, licorice and dried flowers emerge with a bit of coaxing. I won’t be surprised to see it put on weight with more time in bottle. There is certainly plenty to look forward to. Readers should expect a silky, aromatic Ornellaia in line with vintages such as 2004 that are more about finesse than raw power. This is the first time in which Merlot drives the blend in Ornellaia.

96 POINTS

Jane Anson - Decanter

Closed but rippled with character, the wet stones that speak of minerality and juice, and a ton of liquorice root and red berry fruits. This is sweet through the attack and savoury on the finish, with silky tannins, no question of its complexity. Aromatics of rosemary and sage by the handful alongside raspberry leaf and charred leather as it opens fully in the glass. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 70% new oak for ageing for 18 months, then a further 12 months in bottle before release.

96 POINTS

Aldo Fiordelli - Decanter

Often seen as one of the most powerful wines from Bolgheri, and possibly too muscular up until the first decade of the 2000s, Ornellaia 2018 is lighter than usual - a fact which is the result of both the cooler vintage and a thoughtful style. In this vintage, Merlot is the prominent grape, reaching 51% of the blend. The nose is intoxicatingly fresh and full of spice, with restrained cassis, citrus, clove and black pepper, most likely benefitting from lighter extraction. Graphite minerality dominates the palate, together with sweet blond tobacco and dark fruits. The mid-palate shows good concentration, with crunchy, ripe tannins and brilliant acidity. A really great expression of Bolgheri, more focused on elegance than powerful. It perhaps has slightly less ageing potential - 20 years instead of 30 - yet it’s full of complexity. A blend of 51% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

95 POINTS

Monica Larner - Wine Advocate

The 2018 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is complete and seamlessly stitched together with extreme care and precision. This is an almost technical blend of Merlot (at 50% of the blend for the first time), 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot that offers a true sense of wholeness and consistency that speaks to the blending expertise and experience of the winemaking team. Finding harmony among the various vinous components of the wine was especially important in this vintage that prized early-ripening grapes like Merlot over the others. Blackberry and dried cherry segue to spice, tar, campfire ash and more sweet fruit. We're off to a great start, and this vintage of Ornellaia is surely destined to flesh out and grow more complex with age.

95 POINTS

Aldo Fiordelli - Decanter

Always an example of powerful wine not without grace, this year Ornellaia seems to be a graceful wine not without power. Intensely floral, with buttery notes, restrained cassis and depth of helichrysum and myrtle. Open-knit yet with balsamic notes, this 2018 vintage is ripe and smooth, with lighter extraction (a trend started in 2013) and moderate acidity. The red grape harvest began on the 31st of August with the Merlot and ended on the 8th of October with the later-ripening varieties.