Ornellaia le Serre Nuove 2002

Rating: 4/5 - As reviewed by Decanter Despite the difficult vintage, this Bordeaux blend is packed with character. Fresh, pure red cherry with a hint of chocolate on the nose. Finely structured palate, well supported by oak and soft tannins. Drink up to 2010.

Rating: 4/5 - As reviewed by Decanter The second wine of Ornellaia from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Expressive red cherry and plum aromas with some creamy oak. On the palate, fresh cherry fruit and soft tannins. Drink 2007-10.

90 pts from Wine Spectator! - Aromas of currants, plums and hints of fresh herbs, rosemary in particular. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a subtle, refined finish. Very nice indeed for the vintage. Best after 2006. 9,640 cases made. ûJS OCT 05 Issue - 92 pts from The Wine Advocate! - The estateÆs 2002s show why Tenuta dellÆOrnellaia is one of ItalyÆs premier properties. Those obsessed with points will chase the higher rated 2003s and 2004s, but consumers who buy wines to drink them would do well to consider these 2002s especially given that pricing should be favorable. The 2002s are by no read more...means the equal of the estateÆs top wines but they will offer useful drinking while the more important vintages reach maturity. The 2002 Ornellaia (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot) is an astoundingly good wine considering the vintage. A vibrant dark ruby/violet, it offers suggestions of herbs, tobacco, earthiness and dark red fruit with excellent length and notable structure. Although it doesnÆt have the concentration or length of the best vintages, it displays terrific overall balance and is undoubtedly a huge overachiever for which General Manager/Agronomist Leonardo Raspini and his entire team deserve much credit. 92/Anticipated maturity: 2008-2017. - Tenuta dellÆOrnellaia is without question one of ItalyÆs blue-chip properties. The gorgeous, sprawling estate is located in Bolgheri in TuscanyÆs Maremma. On a recent visit I had the opportunity to taste a number of the estateÆs wines with General Manager/Agronomist Leonardo Raspini and Oenologist Axel Heinz, including verticals of the estateÆs top bottlings Ornellaia and Masseto. - Ornellaia is a Bordeaux-inspired blend consisting principally of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. In 2003 a small percentage of Petit Verdot was introduced. The use of several varietals gives the winemaking team the luxury of being able to tailor the exact proportion of the blend to the specific strengths of a given vintage. Because the blend tends to vary from year to year in a vertical tasting Ornellaia shows many different facets of its personality. - After harvest the varietals are vinified separately. Fermentation and maceration lasts between 25-30 days after which the wines are moved into French oak barrels where they age for 12 months. The wines are then racked and assembled into the final blend, which spends an additional six months in barrel prior to being bottled. The percentage of new oak has risen from 50%, which was used for vintages 1997 and 1998, to 60% used in 1999, to the 70% the estate has employed since 2000. AG APRIL 07    (hide)

August 2009

In stock limited

January 2009

Rating: 17/20 - As reviewed by Jancis Robinson Very dark. Good lift on the nose. Very sweet overall - those black cherries again - and without quite the structure of the 2001. There's just a very slight hole on the mid palate - presumably a vintage deficiency despite the strict selection. Stoniness on the finish. But a noble attempt to include some of the terroir effect. 14.5% CS:M:CF 65:30:5 110,000 bottles

This 63 acre vineyard consists of various clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with a small amount of Cabernet Franc. The wines are separately aged for one year in French barrels before being blended to achieve an elegant yet firm style balancing fruit, acidity, oak and tannic backbone. Spicy and full of cassis, tobacco and coffee aromas. Texture and mouthfeel are what this wine is all about; it is plush like velvet carpet. Deep, satisfying flavors of plum, black currant and vanilla lead into an ultrasmooth finish that is as clean as a hospital emergency room.