2021 Ornellaia, Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy

Full bottle 1,325 g. A vintage known as La Generosità by the Ornellaia team, including winemaker Axel Heinz for the last time).

Lustrous, shaded blackish crimson. Sweet, opulent, but fresh nose with great appeal, the merest hint of top-quality oak, and just a little Cabernet leafiness. Refreshing top notes. On the savoury finish, there is just a suggestion of that high alcohol level, but overall, it leaves an appetising, persistent impression. Very well made. 

Drink 2024 - 2036

The Ornellaia 2021 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia offers an extra layer of richness, generosity and plushness that shapes a very open-knit and exuberant Tuscan red. The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. You feel the fruit and oak weight of the wine, the extract and the 15% alcohol content. All of these elements come together to big effect. From that power, you get black cherry, dark fruit, sweet spice and barbecue smoke. The fruit tannins are young, and this edition of Ornellaia proves worthy for medium or long-term drinking, especially as it softens up with more bottle age.

Drink 2026 - 2050

The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon up from 50% in 2020), 25% Merlot down from 32%), 15% Cabernet Franc up from 13%) and 7% Petit Verdot up from 5%), a carefully considered response from the winemaking team to the increasingly warm summers in the region.

While the summer was hot and dry, with three months of drought, the vines’ roots could tap water reserves, which had been topped up by rainfall the previous winter and spring. Despite the warm growing season, Ornellaia 2021 feels less dense and muscular than old vintages, offering floral and wild herb perfumes alongside ripe red and black fruit scents. It’s intense, fresh and vertical in character, with fine, ripe, round tannins that seem to be a trademark of the vintage – it’s a gorgeous, breezy iteration of the Bolgheri benchmark that is already drinking well.

Drink 2024 - 2048

The blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot works so well. New oak was 70%.

The 2021 Ornellaia captures all the magic of this sensational vintage on the Tuscan Coast. Rich, ample, and expansive, with tremendous polish, the 2021 is pure class. Dark-toned fruit, mocha, espresso, licorice, plum, and dried herbs abound. The tannins are present but also beautifully integrated, as is the French oak. Not too long ago, young wines here needed years in bottle to drink well. That’s not at all the case with the 2021.

Drink 2027 - 2051

Aromas of blackcurrants, iodine, crushed stone, hints of mint and sage. Blue fruits. Full-bodied with chewy tannins that open with air. It’s racy and very long. Very tannin-driven and energetic with power and focus. Muscular and very toned. This is the best Ornellaia for the cellar in years.

Try after 2030