Ornellaia 2022: 97 points from Wine Advocate

Released today is 2022 Ornellaia. This a classic vintage of Ornellaia which displays the opulence characteristic of the estate. The Wine Advocate‘s Monica Larner rates the 2022 highly. She calls it “a vintage for die-hard Ornellaia enthusiasts” and gives it 97 points.  

2022 was a notably dry year in Bolgheri, leading to high levels of concentration in the grapes. Rain in mid August refreshed the vines and enabled full ripening. Ornellaia has seen a subtle shift to greater restraint over the last few years, as a result of lower percentage of new oak and gentler extraction techniques. This has clearly paid off with the excellent 2022.

Ornellaia has always included the four classic Bordeaux varieties. The 2022 vintage is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot, with the higher than usual percentage of Petit Verdot giving particular freshness to the wine. As always at Ornellaia, the team picked and vinified each vineyard parcel separately in 2022. Fermentation took place in stainless steel and concrete vessels, followed by malolactic in barrel to give extra roundness and integration. The wine was matured in 70% new oak for 18 months, with a further 12 months’ maturation in bottle before release.

Ornellaia is offered alongside Le Volte dell’Ornellaia, the third wine of the estate. Made by the same winemaking team as the grand vin, Le Volte is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot, designed for earlier drinking. This is a wine we often buy to drink ourselves.

These are two outstanding wines from one of Italy’s most illustrious fine wine estates. Don’t miss them.

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