Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. A vintage known as “L’Eleganza”, it combines dark fruit, spice, and floral notes with silky but firm tannins. Now showing hints of cigar, leather, and tobacco alongside its vibrant fruit, it offers both approachability and long aging potential.

James Suckling | JS 98
Published: Nov 9, 2016

Amazing graphite and violet aromas with dark fruits. Medium to full body, ultra-velvety tannins and a long and beautiful finish. Formed and tight. I love the fresh ginger underneath it all. This has a cool profile to the wine. So approachable yet this has wonderful length.

Decanter | D 98
Published: Nov 11, 2023
Drink: 2023-2035

What a difference 10 years makes! There are plenty of bottle age characteristics on both nose and palate (cigar, tobacco and leather), while the oak notes of clove and smoke have moved into a supporting position, letting the fruit take centre stage. The tannins are still firm and tight but balanced with the acidity. Could drink now but will also continue to age and develop over the next 8-12 years, and hold beyond that.
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14.00%
Body: Full
Oak: Oaked
Grapes: 15% Cabernet Franc 55% Cabernet Sauvignon 25% Merlot

The Wine Advocate | RP 96
Published: Oct 30, 2015
Drink: 2018-2038

This wine will be released in May 2016. The 2013 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is an integrated and seamless blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Alex Heinz tells me that 2013 was a difficult vintage especially towards the early part of the growing season. It balanced out during the summer and allowed for steady ripening of fruit before the harvest. But 2013 was not as hot as 2011 and 2012 overall, and this edition of Ornellaia is beautifully tonic and shapely as a result. The bouquet is very developed in terms of aromas this year with beautiful notes of dark fruit, tobacco and spice. Those perfumes are just gorgeous. The mouthfeel is similarly intense with tannins that are still young, but are already silky and linear in nature. This vintage promises a long aging future.

Of course the exciting news from Ornellaia this year is the introduction of a new white wine. Readers can learn more about this wine in the video I shot with winemaker Alex Heinz that is posted to www.erobertparker.com. The 2013 Ornellaia Bianco Toscana is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier that is released in limited production numbers. Only 4,000 bottles were made. The idea here was to craft a white wine with the same soaring ambition and lofty goals as the celebrated Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore that is, hands down, one of the best wines made in Italy. I enjoyed a terrific tasting of this venerated estate's new products.

Jancis Robinson | JR 18.5
Published: Jun 28, 2016

This is the vintage dubbed L'Eleganza by winemaker Axel Heinz. The word appears on the back label and there are some special bottlings with labels by the Japanese artist Yutaka Sone.
Dark crimson with purple notes. Very ripe but with lively, savoury topnotes and lifted freshness. Great balance and approachability already. Funny to think of how even the finest 2013 red bordeaux would taste alongside this luscious wine. Scented and savoury. Pure hedonism. Not sure 'elegant' is the word I'd choose in a global context, but maybe it is appropriate in an Ornellaia context.

Vivino | Vivino 4.6

Rich, silky and complex, Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore is a red wine made from Petit Verdot in the foothills of the Mediterranean coast, Bolgheri, Italy. Expect silky tannins, bold, oaky notes of tobacco and chocolate, black fruit notes of blackberry and plum and deep, earthy flavors of leather and smoke that come together to create a complex flavor profile.

Perfect for sharing with friends at a dinner party, Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore pairs beautifully with hearty dishes that include beef, lamb, game and veal, alongside rich, delicious pastas. Pop open and enjoy a compilation of indulgent flavors.

Ornellaia winery is located in Bolgheri, a wine region renowned for its ‘super Tuscan’ wines that include cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and syrah. Super Tuscan wines are typically characterized by their ripe berry flavors, firm tannins and lasting finishes, which can definitely be said for Bolgheri Superiore.

Ornellaia.com

Ornellaia is a blend of nature and musing. Complex ancient soils converse through human wisdom with a delicate microclimate that is echoed and reflected in the Mediterranean Sea. Prolonged ageing accompanies the estate’s fine wine in achieving its utmost expression, revealing finesse and generosity over time.

- 2013 -

“The slow yet full ripening bestowed a fascinating aromatic quality on Ornellaia 2013. The complex vibrant fruitiness is framed by a taut and dense body with tannins that achieve rare equilibrium.”  Axel Heinz – Estate Director - May 2015