1996 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Ornellaia

Proprietary Blend - 750ML
Reg: $224.94
$214.00
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REVIEWS

DC 96 WS 94 WE 92 JR 91
DC 96

Decanter, February 2019

1996 should be considered a classic vintage, as it is in Bordeaux. This wine is not rich and is in fact quite austere, yet delicious to drink now with rich dishes such as braised beef cheek. It's full of elegance, with a...
WS 94

Wine Spectator, November 1999

Ornellaia is superb this year. One of the best in years with currant and blackberry and hints of mint. Full-bodied with excellent tannin structure and a lovely sweet berry aftertaste. Best after 2000. 13750 cases made. -JS
WE 92

Wine Enthusiast, July 2000

Longtime fans of this wine as well as big-name bounty hunters should be happy enough with the '96 version if their expectations aren't too high. It's full of expressive black-currant smoke and earth notes. Plenty of...
JR 91

Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages, March 2006

Ornellaia 1996 Bolgheri Rosso Superiore 17.5 Drink 2008-15 Mid crimson. Surprising amount of development, slightly animal, on the nose. Supple and rather glorious. Pure pleasure. Tannins a little rustic. Very sweet start...

WINE DETAILS

Color & Type Red
Varietal Proprietary Blend
Country Italy
Region Tuscany
Sub-region Bolgheri
Vintage 1996
Size 750ML
Percent alcohol 13.5%
Closure Cork

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia is a Bolgheri estate which lies in the heart of Tuscany's coastal region, Maremma, also home to Sassicaia. The estate is one of the icon wineries of Italy, producing some of the finest Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc in Tuscany, grown in the alluvial, volcanic, and marine-based soils which comprise the region’s terroir.

Founded by Marchese Lodovico Antinori in 1981, Ornellaia’s first vineyard plantings were in 1982 and the new winery started operations with the 1985 vintage. Robert Mondavi and Marchesi de' Frescobaldi became co-owners of the estate in 2002, but since 2005, the estate has been exclusively owned by Marchesi de' Frescobaldi.

Grapes which are not designated for the winery’s flagship Bordeaux-styled release Ornellaia, one of the first Super Tuscans, are "declassified" to the production of Le Serre Nuove, which usually has more Merlot, and sees less oak influence. The winery produces several other labels, including Le Volte, a blend of Merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as a Sauvignon Blanc, Poggio alla Gazze, and Ornus, a sweet, late harvest wine from Petit Manseng.

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia also owns the Masseto winery and estate, which produces an equally world-renowned and lauded single-vineyard Merlot.

The desire to nurture the estate’s exceptional qualities has shaped Ornellaia’s philosophy since the beginning. The flagship wine Ornellaia is one of the first and finest Super Tuscans, a cuvee of Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.