Chateau Branaire Ducru
$82.00
Second Wine of Chateau Branaire Ducru
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC Superiore 2015
- Vintage
- 2015
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Tuscany
- Size
- 750ml
- Grapes
- 53% Cabernet Sauvignon,23% Merlot,17% Cabernet Franc
- Rating
- WA93,WS97,JS98
$382.00
SKU:
W-112-0030-QT-215
The blackberry and blueberry aromas with fresh sage and bay-leaf character are impressive. Stone, graphite and mineral undertones. Full-bodied and silky and refined tannins. Dusty. Elegance and polish. Shows greatness in strength and refinement. A dialed-in, dialed-back Ornellaia. Drink in 2022. - JS98
A big, brooding red, packed with blackberry, plum and earth flavors, all wrapped in spicy oak. Monolithic now, finishing with saline mineral elements, a leafy tobacco edge and dense, mouthcoating tannins. Terrific potential. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2038. 2,300 cases imported. - WS97
The 2015 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is a dark, exuberant and opulent wine that is teeming with flavor, ripeness and extract. That said, there is also a note of impurity that I only really locked in on when I went back to taste the wine at different time intervals later in the day and the next. To be clear, it was there upon first examination, but then it blew off. And then it came back. That game of hide and seek proved distracting and puzzling. I wondered if it was cork or barrel, although it did not behave like any of those things, and my doubt is recorded by the question mark next to my score. Once you get past that little blemish, you are instantly aware of the beauty and depth of the vintage. The wine is savory in terms of aromas and sweet in terms of tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon flavors of dried blackberry, toasted espresso and cured tobacco play leading roles. - WA93
‘Like people of great ‘Carisma’ (Charisma), wines of great vintages know how to impose themselves naturally, without force, their balance allowing them to shine without having to flaunt themselves. The 2015 vintage perfectly expresses this behavioural trait. Born during a particularly balanced harvest season, 2015 is certainly one of the great Ornellaia vintages. The usual intense colour indicates a wine of great texture and intensity, followed by a fruity scent that is ripe and fresh at the same time, emphasized by classic balsamic and spicy hints. On the palate it is rich, dense, and full-bodied, with an exceptional tannic texture, dense and velvety, of great refinement, that extends throughout the mouth. The long finish concludes with a feeling of firmness and finely spiced hints.’ - Winemaker's Notes-Axel Heinz – May 2017
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia is one of the foremost producers in the Bolgheri appellation on the coast of Tuscany, particularly known for making one of Italy's most famous and expensive wines, Ornellaia. This Bordeaux-style blend is one of the original 'Super Tuscans', and is made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, instead of Tuscany's most famous variety, Sangiovese.
The vineyard, which neighbors Sassacaia in Tuscany's coastal Maremma region, enjoys gentle sea breezes which mitigate the summer heat, and is sheltered by neighboring hills from cold winter winds. The soils are a complex mix of alluvial, volcanic and marine elements, providing a good base for the Bordeaux varieties which are planted here. After hand picking and careful selection – firstly by bunch and secondly grape by grape – each variety and each vineyard block is vinified separately in stainless steel tanks. Ornellaia is aged for around 18 months in oak, 70 percent of which is new. Grapes which do not make the cut for the top wine are redirected to Le Serre Nuove, which usually has more Merlot, and less time in oak.
The Tenuta dell'Ornellaia portfolio also includes the second wine Le Volte, a blend of Merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, Poggio alla Gazze, a Sauvignon Blanc-based white and Ornus, a late harvest Petit Manseng. Tenuta dell'Ornellaia also owns Masseto, a single-vineyard Merlot with its own winery and an even higher price tag.
The company was founded in 1981 by Marchese Ludovico Antinori, with the first vintage in 1985. From 2002 to 2005 the estate was co-owned by Robert Mondavi and Marchesi di Frescobaldi, but since 2005 Frescobaldi has owned it outright. Michel Rolland has been engaged as consultant winemaker since 1991. – Information from Wine Searchers
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