2002 Ornellaia
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Tasting notes
The 2002 Ornellaia (magnum) is a modern-day equivalent of the 1994, which is to say a very pretty wine where all of the elements are beautifully-balanced within the context of small vintage. Still, the wine’s sheer concentration and sense of harmony are truly remarkable, especially considering the cool, rainy conditions that affected Tuscany that year. In the magnum format, the 2002 Ornellaia is particularly impressive. There can be little doubt that much of this wine’s success, as well as that of the other lesser vintages that followed in this flight (2003 and 2005) can be attributed to the stringent selection of fruit and wine that the estate introduced in the late 1990s. In 2002 Ornellaia is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The component wines spent six months in French oak, 70% new. The final blend was assembled and the wine was racked back into barrique for a further six months of aging prior to being bottled.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2002 Ornellaia (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot) is an astoundingly good wine considering the vintage. A vibrant dark ruby/violet, it offers suggestions of herbs, tobacco, earthiness and dark red fruit with excellent length and notable structure. Although it doesn’t have the concentration or length of the best vintages, it displays terrific overall balance and is undoubtedly a huge overachiever for which General Manager/Agronomist Leonardo Raspini and his entire team deserve much credit. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2017. Importer: Folio Fine Wine Partners, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 256-2700
Very dark. Good lift on the nose. Very sweet overall – those black cherries again – and without quite the structure of the 2001. There’s just a very slight hole on the mid palate – presumably a vintage deficiency despite the strict selection. Stoniness on the finish. But a noble attempt to include some of the terroir effect. 14.5% CS:M:CF 65:30:5 110,000 bottles (JR)
Deeper colour than the Sassicaia. Gentle texture again, easy to drink – that seaside mildness. A relative bargain at £240 in bond for six bottles! Not quite as dramatic as the exceptional 2001 but an extremely good effort that is correct, deep-flavoured, vigorous, almost explosive on the palate with a bit of heat on the finish. This wine has a real beginning, middle and end with no doubt whatsoever about whether the fruit was fully ripe. (JR)
About the producer
Based in the foothills of Bolgheri, Ornellaia is one of the original Super Tuscans, making some of Italy’s finest Cabernet blends. Created by Lodovico Antinori, today the estate is owned by the Frescobaldi family, which also owns sibling property Masseto.