2001 Ornellaia
Buying options
Tasting notes
This super-restrained red shows aromas of earth, leather, cigar box and prunes. Firm, velvety tannins, extracted and powerful, with creamy weight, a full body, long refreshing acidity and a precise, earthy aftertaste. There is still a lot of ageability, but it’s outstanding to drink now.
Critic scores
Average Score
Daniel Thomases, Wine Advocate
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2001 Ornellaia is deep, unctuous and very ripe, with plenty of dark stone fruit, mocha, chocolate, licorice, black cherry and plum flavors. Exotic, rich and decidedly flamboyant, the 2001 is at its peak, where it is likely to remain for a number of years. (AG)
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Quite a lot of crop thinning early July, especially for the Merlot. Harvest early Sept to 5 Oct. Part fermented in wooden fermentors, part in tank. Transferred to barrel for malo (70% new). 18 months in barrel, blended after 12. Not very expressive at first but opens up to a light herbal note and plenty of savoury black olives and a slight touch of beef extract and cedar, then coffee later and some undergrowth. Highly complex. Deliciously dry tannins at first taste but they are perhaps almost too drying at this stage. Beautifully fresh. An awkward adolescence? But I think it would be great at the table. Powder fine. (JH)
Blackcurrant, red cherry, but also a green stalky tone that I'm not hugely enamoured by. Very lengthy, concentrated and with strong grainy tannic structure. The palate shows black fruit and a tangy cherry essence, but there is heat on the finish and a lack of true excitement. (RH)
About the producer
Based in the foothills of Bolgheri, Ornellaia is one of the original Super Tuscans, making some of Italy’s finest Cabernet blends. Created by Lodovico Antinori, today the estate is owned by the Frescobaldi family, which also owns sibling property Masseto.