Ornellaia 2014

The wine in this vintage

2014 is remembered across much of Tuscany as a difficult, cool and rainy vintage, but the Bolgheri coast benefited from a drier, breezier September that allowed good ripening for those who selected rigorously. Ornellaia 2014 emerges with a lighter, more airy profile than in warm years: red and black currant, cherry, aromatic herbs, pepper and a pencil-lead note, on a taut, juicy palate. The tannins are fine and the wine flows easily. Robert Parker rated it 94 points and James Suckling 95. It is an Ornellaia to appreciate now for its elegance, though it can also be kept for a few more years.

The producer · Tenuta dell'Ornellaia

Founded in 1981 by Lodovico Antinori in Bolgheri, on the Livorno coast, Tenuta dell'Ornellaia became within a few decades one of the international symbols of Italian wine. The first vintage of Ornellaia was 1985; since 2005 the estate has been wholly owned by the Frescobaldi family, who have consolidated its style and global reputation. The vineyards spread across the hills and plain of Bolgheri, on a patchwork of alluvial, sandy and clay soils tempered by Tyrrhenian breezes and day-night temperature swings. Ornellaia is a blend of Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, marrying Mediterranean generosity with classic structure. Alongside it, Masseto, a pure Merlot from the hill of the same name with its Pliocene blue clays, is now run as a separate entity and complemented by Massetino, introduced with the 2017 vintage. Since 2009 the Vendemmia d'Artista project has paired each vintage with a contemporary artwork.

Critics' scores

• 95 James Suckling
• 94 Robert Parker
• 91 Wine Enthusiast
• 91 Antonio Galloni
• 90 Wine Spectator
• 16.5/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia

Region

Toscana

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2014

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

92.2/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0680214