Description
2018 is the first time that Merlot dominates the blend (51%) which is completed with Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), Cabernet Franc (7%) and Petit Verdot (2%). Winemaker Axel Heinz has chosen a nickname: La Grazia (Grace). He feels it reflects the harmonious nature of this vintage and describes it as “a rounded and silky wine in which all the elements blend together in an expression of grace and beauty”. It is a wine of dazzling complexity that will be highly coveted. The final finishing touch is a beautiful, limited edition ‘crown’ label that adorns one bottle in each case, created by Belgian artist Jan Fabre.
The 2018 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is complete and seamlessly stitched together with extreme care and precision. This is an almost technical blend of Merlot (at 50% of the blend for the first time), 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot that offers a true sense of wholeness and consistency that speaks to the blending expertise and experience of the winemaking team. Finding harmony among the various vinous components of the wine was especially important in this vintage that prized early-ripening grapes like Merlot over the others. Blackberry and dried cherry segue to spice, tar, campfire ash and more sweet fruit. We're off to a great start, and this vintage of Ornellaia is surely destined to flesh out and grow more complex with age.
95/100 RP
