Ornellaia 2022 is a powerful yet remarkably refined Bolgheri Superiore, showcasing the estate’s signature balance of richness, elegance, and ageing potential. Crafted from 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Petit Verdot, this vintage opens with layered aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, tobacco, sweet spice, graphite, and Mediterranean herbs. The palate is full-bodied and structured, supported by fine-grained tannins, vibrant freshness, and impressive depth. Despite the warm 2022 growing season, Ornellaia retains exceptional precision and balance, with notes of dark fruit, cedar, vanilla, and savoury spice leading to a long, persistent finish.

James Suckling | JS 98
Published: May 9, 2025

A Mediterranean-style wine. Stunning elegance on the nose, with vibrant dried eucalyptus leaves, flowers, restrained brambleberries and hints of black cherries, dried bananas, milk chocolate, cloves and graphite. The palate is full-bodied with elegant tannins and a touch of dust. It’s savory and well packed, with integrated, brilliant freshness and a ripe, fruity finish with a toasty aftertaste of blond tobacco. Try from 2026.

The Wine Advocate | RP 97
Published: Feb 14, 2025
Drink: 2027-2050

Tasted a few months after it was bottled, the Ornellaia 2022 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia will be coming to market in March 2025. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. The wine sees 18 months of aging with up to 70% new oak, but the trick, proprietor Lamberto Frescobaldi tells me, is drawing from a large group of coopers with different toast levels and forests. "I don't want to make a wine of any one tonnellerie," he says. The oak element is crucial to the identity of this wine that reveals dark fruit, blackberry, sweet spice and cinnamon. Most of the vines were planted in the 1980s, and the average age of the plants is over 20 years old. Fruit comes from many parcels, including Bellaria, Bellaria Nuova, Bellaria Alta, Pero, Fosso, Vigna Vecchia and Stallina. Indeed, some 80 wines are made before final blending. The 2022 vintage will be remembered for its full-bodied appeal, concentrated fruit and generous oak renderings. Petit Verdot plays a slightly larger role in this vintage and was one of the surprise hits of 2022. It serves to elongate the wine and adds to its length. The wine's abundant fruit weight cedes to elegantly integrated tannins. This vintage will appeal to die-hard Ornellaia enthusiasts.

The 2022 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is coming to market in March 2025, but the 2022 Masseto will not be released until September 2025. Today, Ornellaia counts 134 hectares of vines, including 11 hectares in Castagneto Carducci (with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Vermentino) that were added in 2022. Masseto covers 11 hectares of vines surrounded by forests. I tasted these wines with proprietor Lamberto Frescobaldi at the estate. We were joined by the new Director of Production Marco Balsimelli, who worked in Bordeaux at the Laboratoire Oenologique Boissenot for 18 years before returning to his native Italy. He is joined by Ornellaia Winemaker Denise Cosentino and Vineyard Manager Giuliano Tarchi.

Decanter | D 96
Published: Jun 4, 2025
Drink: 2026-2038

Featuring a hefty 10% of Petit Verdot this year for an injection of freshness and structure, Ornellaia 2022 is rich, deep and tightly coiled, with some pretty red fruits and floral notes overlaying dark, juicy berries. It's a dense style which reflects the vintage but looks towards harmony and poise: the woody frame and fine, structural tannins are countered by very good acidity and a bright fruit profile, with some breezy herbs helping to lift the long, fresh finish. Give this some more time in the bottle before enjoying.
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14.50%
Body: Full
Oak: Oaked
Grapes: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon 25% Merlot 10% Petit Verdot

Jancis Robinson | JR 17.5
Published: Nov 21, 2025
Drink: 2030-2047

55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot. Aged for 18 months in French oak. (70% new).
Tasted blind. Mushroom, blackcurrant, forest floor – lots of early complexity here. Firm and tannic on the palate – austere, unyielding style. Surely a bordeaux with that fearsome structure? (RH)

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.

Winemaker's notes
Ornellaia 2022 shows an expressive bouquet of black fruit, with a touch of vanilla and tobacco. Such aromatic complexity shows on the palate where the wine proves expansive and generous. A powerful tannic structure carries it towards a savoury and enduring finish. Although the 2022 vintage was marked by long hot spells, Ornellaia is once again marked by elegance and vibrancy.