2014 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Ornellaia Tenuta dell'Ornellaia L'Essenza Bolgheri Superiore

A solid and structured red with tile, dark berry and black tea character and some cloves, too. Full body, tannic and rich. Needs time to soften. Well done for a 2014. Ornellaia shows its pedigree here. Review Date: August 2017

From a cooler, more challenging vintage, the 2014 Ornellaia is nevertheless a beautiful wine. Based on 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc brought up in 70% new oak, it has classy cassis and black cherry fruits as well as notes of saddle leather, dried flowers, and spicy oak. While it doesn't have the wealth of material found in the 2015 and 2016, it has solid mid-palate depth, beautiful balance, and a great finish. It's a classy, seamless Ornellaia to enjoy over the coming 15+ years or more Review Date: May 2019

To be released in May 2017, the 2014 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia reverts to a style and personality that we have not seen in a long while. The wine shows a tight, silky and determined approach that reminds us of the Ornellaias made under the estate's previous ownership with the Marchese Lodovico Antinori in the mid-1990s. More than anything else, this has to do with the very unique characteristics of the 2014 growing season. The wine opens to a beautifully saturated and dark appearance. Thanks to the advanced age of the vines and their extensive root systems, fruit quality was well preserved despite the cool summer and late harvest. The wine shows sweet fruit nuances with blackberry and dark currant. Spice, leather and tobacco fill in the rear. The finish reveals just enough of that acidic prickle to assure an easy ten or fifteen year drinking window. Review Date: April 2017