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Producer Description 

Maria de Maria Rigol Ordi Gran Reserva Brut Nature is made from 100% Xarello grapes from 40-year-old goblet vines in the Penedès depression, 300 meters above sea level, yielding 8000 kg/ha. Crafted using the traditional method.

Aromas of stone fruits and dried apricots, mediterranean herbs and balsamic touches. On the palate, dry, sharp finish with vibrant acidity that ends with a touch of salinity.

Winemaker Description 

100% unoaked organic Cabernet Sauvignon from the Los Guindos vineyard in Maipo Valley, Chile. Made with naturally farmed grapes, it’s a pure and captivating low intervention wine.

Fermented with native yeasts and aging in stainless steel to preserve its freshness and fruit notes. Very low dosage of sulfites applied only before bottling. 

"Don´t be fooled by the apparent robustness of our bulldog Humphrey. Our Cabernet Sauvignon from the Los Guindos vineyard in Maipo Valley is friendly and easy to drink. Made with organic grapes hand-harvested from a carefully selected vineyard, this wine s pure and captivating.

It was fermented with its native yeasts, and we didn´t use any kind of oak during its aging to preserve its freshness and fruit notes."

Winemaker Description 

Their Criolla comes from one of the oldest vineyards they work with. The vines here are more than 80 years old. Fermented partially with stems in concrete and aged in 2000L vats for eight months before bottling.

Winemaker Description 

One hundred per cent Listán Blanco (aka Palomino Fino) from ungrafted vines. These vines are pergola-trained and about one hundred years old on average and planted between 500 and 900 meters of altitude above sea-level. Vinification and aging is done in inox tanks.

Fresh, salty, mineral-driven and hugely refreshing; quintessential island wine.

Winemaker Description 

Deep ruby in color with bright streaks of purple and garnet. The bouquet opens up with bright cherry and plum aromas with accents of sweet spices, vanilla and licorice. In the mouth, the flavors harmonize joyfully with sweet, silky tannins and a long, pleasant finish.

Showing its age with grace and elegance, this is a wine that’s drinking perfectly now. Makes a great accompaniment to red meat, wild game, mature cheese and hearty pasta dishes.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

James Suckling 98 Points | Subtle and beautiful on the nose with currants, flowers and light sage aromas that follow through to a full body with ultra-fine tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Extremely polished and poised.

The Wine Spectator 97 Points | Dripping with black currant, blackberry, black cherry, iron and toasty oak flavors, this red is suave and polished. Features flashes of tobacco and wild herbs that add even more detail as this builds to a long, kaleidoscopic finish. Presents civilized tannins that are well-integrated and provide structure. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc.

The Wine Advocate 96 Points | Inky dark in appearance, the 2020 Solaia is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller percentages of Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese. This vintage unfolds to exuberant richness and thick layers of blackberry and plum. The tannins are sweet and expertly crafted, adding both depth and fruit weight. The 2020 vintage is quite bold, and it plays its best cards in terms of texture and mouthfeel. It’s a bigger, more accessible wine compared to the last two vintages on the market. Spice, toasted coffee bean and more dark fruit color this full-bodied Tuscan red.

The As Abeleiras “Viño branco de parcela” (Albariño) is released a year after the entry-level Albariño and comes from a single parcela planted in 1993 by a very young Pedro and his father. It sits at 100 meters altitude, also on granite soil. While the 2019 version was raised in steel, this year spent time in old French oak barrels. 

While the other two Albariños have a broad band of expressions and roundness due to the diversity of the many vineyard parcels in each wine, this single vineyard’s uniqueness offers a more vertical than horizontal experience. While the other two would be great for a bigger party of people because they jump into the mosh pit and start knocking people out on the first swing, As Abeleiras is initially more snug and better suited for a two-person tango. 

While the others are wonderful in their way, this is the thinker, the wine to observe and admire for its singularity, focused austerity, and tight, chalky and grippy texture. It’s a minerally beam of light. The others are mineral bombs.

Producer Description 

Aged in steel tanks at cold temperatures to maintain fruit aromas. A sweet wine Cherry with a pleasant mouth feel and a smooth aftertaste.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2019

Monica Larner of The Wine Advocate 100 Points | It's been a while, alas. The last vintage of this legendary wine was 2015. Skipping forward to a year of natural richness and concentration, the Giacomo Conterno 2019 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a magnificently executed wine. It carefully reins in the soaring power of Nebbiolo and whittles it down to extreme finesse and precision. This is the essence of the grape with no extra bells or whistles. Roberto Conterno tells me he chose not to make Monfortino in 2016 because he considered 2015 to be a superior vintage. (There is an image problem with 2015, he concedes, because 2016 was more consistent overall than 2015; however, his experience with 2015 is better.) The 2017 vintage was a contender for Monfortino, but the wine was not made. The 2018 vintage also came close to production, but a lack of diurnal temperature shifts at the end of the growing season disqualified it, Roberto Conterno explains. His heart settled on 2019, a vintage that reminds him of the tension and energy found in 2013. However, the DNA of the 2019 vintage is slightly different because this edition sees 27% fruit blended from Arione. This site adds finesse and elegance. The rest of the blend represents a special selection from Francia, and that is where this wine gets its power and age-worthy tannins.

Antonio Galloni of Vinous 99 Points | The 2019 Barolo Riserva Monfortino has closed down considerably since I last tasted it. Then again, the 2019 is a very serious Monfortino that includes the entirety of Conterno’s production from both Francia and Arione. Today, the tannins are pretty imposing, but modern Monfortinos have shown an ability to assimilate their tannin with much less time in bottle than was once required. Searing, powerful to the core, the 2019 is destined to thrill Monfortino lovers. Simply put, Conterno has very few peers when it comes to exceptionally high quality and consistency.

Audrey Frick of Jeb Dunnuck writes 98-100 Points | A jeweled ruby color, the 2019 Barolo Riserva Monfortino was tasted from botti and is the final blend. As of March 2024, it was still a few months away from being bottled and was scheduled to spend another year in bottle prior to its release. Having tasted this wine a year ago, it exceeded my expectations at this tasting and is really coming into its own now. Roberto Conterno says the vintage reminds him of 2013, but he thinks the addition of some Arione in the final blend of the 2019 may explains why it seems to have a touch more finesse than the 2013. It is a fantastically structured wine that offers a great deal of pure, compact richness in this vintage, with expressive floral aromas that unfold beautifully in the glass. It continues to build in intensity and focus through the palate, with precise tension and length. I anticipate this to be a wine with tremendous longevity in the coming decades.

James Suckling 98 Points | A complex and deep wine that’s as graceful as it is powerful. Aromas of earth, strawberries, dried cherries, restrained orange peel, sweet dried violets, potpourri and licorice root. Full-bodied and concentrated, with graphite flavors and thick, dusty, muscular yet ripe tannins. Still youthful and vibrant, with refreshing acidity. More impressive on the palate than on the nose, suggesting it needs time to fully evolve. Available in October. Drink from 2026.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022 

James Suckling 98 Points | Plenty of red currant, cedar, iron and terra cotta aromas follow through to a medium to full body with graphite, sandalwood, red currants and fresh Mediterranean herbs such as thyme and rosemary. The tannins are chewy but polished in texture. This is a Sassicaia that needs three or four years of bottle age to come together and soften. A structured wine for the cellar.

The Wine Advocate 97+ Points | The Tenuta San Guido 2022 Bolgheri Sassicaia reveals a beautiful fruit profile with fresh blackberry, tart cherry and Mediterranean tones of blue rosemary blooms and lavender sachet. I tasted this wine several times over the course of a few months, and it has already shown a happy evolution coming into slow focus like the faint colors that emerge from a Polaroid photograph. Indeed, the bouquet appeared more closed just a short while ago. The wine's strongest suit is its elegantly streamlined mouthfeel and its contained 13.5% alcohol content. These qualities add to the silky cleanness of the mouthfeel and the accessible freshness of this vintage. I am confident that this bottle will improve with time. It requires patience.

Jeb Dunnuck 97+ Points | The 2022 Sassicaia is a deeper, youthful magenta/red color with a slightly deeper aromatic profile of rosemary, gravelly earth, sage, mossy earth, and fresh black cherries. The palate has slightly broader shoulders but remains elegant. It has more plushness on the mid-palate, while its acidity shines through with the finish. It will need several years to shed its baby fat and show its full potential. Drink 2028-2058.

James Button of Decanter 97 Points | The wine is tightly coiled and concentrated. It feels almost cinched at the waist, with a fascinating tension between the weight of raspberry, blackberry and strawberry coulis fruit and the wine's verticality, as if it's trying to burst out. Lovely mid-palate sapidity is allied to fresh acidity and fine but dense tannins, making for a dark horse of a Sassicaia that isn't giving much away today but will greatly reward those who can cellar it for 12 years and more. ‘What is sure is that 2022 will need a lot of time, but will also have a long life,’ said Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta. A hot vintage, 2022 caused the team to work in the newly completed refrigerated warehouses in San Guido, even moving the sorting table inside. Shorter macerations and 23 rather than the more typical 24 or 25 months of ageing in wood.

Kerin O'Keefe 97 Points | Opening with aromas of menthol, dark spice, blue flower and dark-skinned berry, the 2022 Sassicaia is impressive and defied my expectations. Hailing from what was a notoriously hot, dry year, the estate’s location, including its hillside vineyards, vicinity to the woods plus much-needed rain in August preserved freshness and aromas as did harvesting somewhat earlier than usual, shorter skin maceration and slightly less time in oak. Showing elegant restraint, it’s balanced and tense, delivering flavors of ripe blackberry, wild cherry, licorice and mint. It’s still quite tight and youthfully austere, with a backbone of firm, refined tannins and fresh acidity. Give it time to fully unwind. Drink 2030–2042.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2021 

James Suckling 100 Points | Firmly structured, age-worthy and so focused and deep in black fruit, this is an especially impressive wine from a highly rated year. Aromas of mint, cedar, star anise, charcoal and graphite, then blackberries, dark spices, blueberries and toast. Massive but fine-grained tannins that carry the intensity through to a lingering finish. Full bodied.

Jeb Dunnuck 98+ Points | Darker currants, smoked tobacco, crushed stone, and graphite notes all give the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon a Latour-like stature and regalness, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. One of the more inward and structured examples of this cuvée that I can remember, it's nevertheless flawlessly balanced, has everything in the right place, and is just a magical Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon that every reader would love to have in their cellar. It should have half a century of overall longevity.

The Wine Advocate 97+ Points | Tasted as the final blend, which was scheduled to be bottled in December 2023, Bryant's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon combines mint, sage, crushed stone, pencil shavings, cherries and cassis on the nose. Is it perhaps just a bit more complex than the Bettina? It's certainly just as powerful and concentrated, being full-bodied and richly tannic but ripe, silky and almost never-ending on the finish. Personal preference will play heavily into which of the two wines you enjoy more, but both are packed with pleasure.

Vinous 94+ Points | Tasted from a base blend, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most embryonic, young 2021s I have tasted. At this stage, this is dense and packed to the core, with notable fruit intensity and equally potent tannins. It's an exciting wine, but also incredibly youthful. I very much admire the energy here.

Winemaker Description 

The Gran Moraine Vineyard is the source for some of Oregon's finest Pinot Noirs, with this being no exception. Tucked into the foothills of the Coastal Range, the vineyard is cooler than most, and delivers Pinots with fresh pure red fruit, fine tannins and chalky acidity. Winemaker Shane Moore ages this Pinot Noir in large, mostly used oak barrels to lend subtle spice without overpowering the delicate fruit.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2021 

The Wine Spectator 93 Points | Precise and elegantly generous, this red shows detailed flavors of cherry and raspberry laced with rose petal, black tea and stony mineral notes as it builds richness and tension toward refined tannins.

James Suckling Points | This is a delicious wine with a lot of character. Dark and red fruit with hints of crushed stone and toffee on the nose. Fresh and crisp fruit with a tangy character. Smooth tannins with a crisp finish. Vines are on sandy soils at 400 to 500 feet altitude.

The Wine Advocate 92 Points | The 2021 Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton is bursting with pomegranate and cranberry fruit, plus accents of potpourri, licorice and autumn leaves. The medium-bodied palate is silky and bright with concentrated, layered flavors and a long, spicy finish.

Winemaker Description 

The 2021 vintage overall was very similar to 2018. July, August, and into September were warm and very humid with significant rain during the fall with some places receiving up to 9” of rain in 24-36 hour periods at several different times over the three months.

Rains and frequent cloud cover during September and October made the season challenging. however, the long fall season gave us bright acidity and a fresh palate. The fruit was hand harvested on October 7, being carefully sorted in the field to only select the most clean fruit. 

Winemaking: The fruit was hand harvested and gently destemmed. After pressing, the juice was cold settled for 48 hours before being racked to a combination of four French oak barrels made by Dargaud Jagle, all medium toast (one new, one once used, one twice used, and one neutral). The juice was inoculated with VIN13 yeast and went through a swift but healthy fermentation followed by full Malolactic fermentation.  

The wine aged sur lie for 11 months being stirred biweekly by rolling the barrels with special racks meant to agitate the lees without introducing oxygen. After racking, it was gently fined with a small amount of bentonite prior to bottling. It bottled in November and was aged in bottle for 9 months prior to release in August 2022.

Winemaker Description 

The 2023 vintage overall was a classic vintage for the Finger Lakes. Budbreak was early and a hard freeze on May 13th threatened many vineyards.  June and July were very wet with frequent rains and high disease pressure.  Finally, mid-August the region saw some sun although rains continued at regular intervals.  The long fall season dried out a bit to make the vintage a very classic style with bright acidity and cool climate fruit flavors. It also allowed us to fully ripen the Cabernet Franc that makes up most of this blend in this fresh style of Rose.

Winemaking: To produce our Rose, we used Cabernet Franc which was pressed quickly to ensure a delicate rose color and minimal skin tannins. We allowed the pressed juice to sit on gross lees for several days before racking to enhance the body and texture of the final wine. Then a long, cool fermentation in stainless steel maximized the intense aromas and flavors. For the final blend we added a small amount of our Chardonnay fermented in a neutral French Oak barrel to lengthen the finish and solidify the acid backbone of the wine. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022

James Suckling 98+ Points | So many beautiful primary fruit aromas. Al dente. Peaches. Very floral. Aromatic. Full-bodied and extremely fine tannins with length and beauty that show incredible depth. Superb brightness and reality. Exciting. Cabernet franc freshness and dynamics come through now, even though the blend is 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc.

The Wine Advocate 96+ Points | This estate's shift in the direction of gentler extraction and more reductive, less overtly oaky élevage continues, and this extreme vintage only underlines that. Fermented at cool temperatures (20 to 23 degrees Celsius), and with an increasing proportion of the wine's Cabernet Franc component matured in large wooden foudres, the 2022 Angélus wafts from the glass with deep aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of iris, licorice and pencil lead. Full-bodied, deep and seamless, with a layered core of cool, vibrant fruit, powdery tannins and a long, saline finish, it's a brilliant young wine in the making. The 2022 is a blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. 

Neal Martin of Vinous writes 95 Points | The 2022 Angélus was cropped at 40hL/ha. It is aged partly in foudres (around half the Cabernet Franc, to be exact) and the remainder in new barrels, the Grand Vin with 14.45% alcohol and 3.65 pH. This takes a few minutes to unfold in the glass. Blackberry, iris petals and crushed stone notes are focused and delineated. There's opulence locked into these aromatics, but that is contained. The palate is medium-bodied with a mineral opening. Graphite and fresh tobacco thread through the layered black fruit, perhaps spicier than recent vintages. A gentle grip on the finish has some wood tannins to resolve, which should be addressed during its élevage. This will need several years in bottle, probably a decade; then I envisage this Saint-Émilion soaring.

Expert Review - Vintage 2022

James Suckling 98+ Points | The Mouton-specific creme de cassis is all there. Al dente, too. The grapes must have been picked at near perfection. Depth and complexity. Black berries, earth, violets and other flowers. Full-bodied yet very hemmed-in with tight tannins, which are precise and polished. You can taste the grape skins and dust of the soil. The length is rather endless. 92% cabernet sauvignon.

Jeb Dunnuck 98+ | Moving to the flagship, the 2022 Château Mouton Rothschild is a massive, full-bodied, incredibly powerful 2022 that takes no prisoners with its ripe black and blue fruits, chocolate, graphite, and smoked tobacco-driven aromas and flavors. Deep, unctuous, and concentrated, with velvety tannins, this legendary Mouton is based on 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot that's still resting in new barrel. It will unquestionably play with the top wines in the vintage. Harvest here began the 1st of September and finished on the 26th, and the final wine hit 14% natural alcohol, with a pH of 3.89 and an IPT of 76.

Decanter 98 Points | One of my favourite 2022s, technically very brilliant but it’s the texture that wows, generous, fruity, sleek, supple, it gives stone and graphite touches putting the terroir in the glass and overall this just screams elegance and finesse and above all drinkability! Smooth and shiny, silky, sleek, delicious from the first sip Mouthwatering acidity combined with tannins that have the perfect balance of flinty grip, fleshy fruit and cool minerality. Certainly not shouting, they haven't pushed too far at all, more restrained and refined while still delivering a gorgeous mouthful of wine. Classy and refreshing. Concentrated but clean, pure and vibrant. Wonderful, magical - giving the concentration of the hot vintage which is want you want, but this is moreish and so succulent. One you'll want to finish the glass and then have more immediately. 16.4% press - 4% above normal, usually at 12-13%. 49% grand vin. 3.89pH. 76 IPT. Aged 100% in new barrels.

The Wine Advociate 96+ Points | A brilliant wine that likely sits somewhere between the 2019 and 2020 in quality, the 2022 Mouton Rothschild is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot. Unwinding in the glass with complex aromas of minty cassis, cigar wrapper, violets and subtle hints of loamy soil, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered core of fruit and a fleshy, elegantly muscular profile. Broad-shouldered and seamless, it concludes with a long, resonant finish. This year the grand vin represents some 49% of the estate's production. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2021

Antonio Galloni of Vinous writes 99 Points | The 2021 Barolo Francia is a vertical, explosive Barolo endowed with tons of energy. Bright acids and fine beams of tannin provide the framework for this striking young Barolo. All the elements are so well balanced. Time in the glass brings out an interplay of mineral-drenched energy, persistence and textural breadth. There's a lot of structure, and yet the tannins feel fine-grained and finessed. I especially admire its translucent energy. Magnificent.

Michaela Morris of Decanter Magazine writes 98 Points | As with 2020, Roberto Conterno made all three single-MGA wines in 2021: Cerretta, Arione and Francia. Bottled in May of 2024, the latter is subtlety demonstrative on the nose, albeit with some coaxing. Traces of pressed violet, pomegranate, iron and sage blossom are all detectable. The palate is appropriately taut and strict, though not in complete rigidity. Dark, pristine fruit is densely packed, intricately woven with the refined yet steely tannins which bend back around to the front of the palate, hemming it all in. Savoury, mineral and spicy on the finish. The estate will also release a 2021 Monfortino Riserva – though it is difficult to imagine how it will top this Francia.

Audrey Frick writes:  Tasted from bottle, the 2021 Barolo Francia is a jeweled ruby color, while the nose is very pure, inviting, and perhaps a touch shy, offering notes of pure red berries, cherry liqueur, sweet herbs, and rocky earth. The structure is quite energetic and eclectic in energy, and the palate is just stunning now, with lovely sweetness, although it’s fully dry.  - Jeb Dunnuck 97

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2016

Allen Meadows of Burghound writes 90 - 92 Points | A whiff of oak toast can be found on the ripe, fresh and beautifully layered nose of red cherry, raspberry, earth and lovely spice wisps. There is excellent concentration to the solidly powerful broad-shouldered flavors that possess evident underlying material that buffers well the firm and somewhat grippy tannins on the youthfully austere, serious and built-to-age finale. This is a big 2017 and patience will definitely be required.

Our Professional Review

Rand of 67Wine.com writes | This is is a light, peppery, floral wine with flavors of wild, ripe bramble fruit.  Tannins are soft and pleasant.

Expert Review - Vintage 2023

Decanter 91 Points | Peach and fresh strawberry on the nose with touches of blossom. Crisp and light on the palate, beautifully refreshing.

Winemaker Description 

BACA’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is an adventurous take on a classic—sourced from top Napa Valley vineyards, including some of the most prized sub-appellations. 

The wine has a dense hue of violet, and aromas of ripe cassis, lavender and warm blackberry pastries. The palate offers dense briar fruit, fine accessible tannins, and a touch of oak from aging lending a fresh expression of the varietal. This is a wine crafted to be enjoyed and cherished early in its life.

Winemaker Description 

Arenisca is 100% Tinta de Toro from the Paraje Los Panaderos vineyard in neighboring Benialbo (within D.O. Toro), which is among the highest elevation sites in the appellation. Grapes were hand-harvested, wild yeast fermented with 40% stem inclusion in open vats with 30 days of maceration, then raised for 11 months in used French oak barrels.

The finished wine is bottled unfiltered, and just a touch of sulfur is added at bottling. 

Producer Description

Askos is the name of our project dedicated to the research, selection and cultivation of local heritage native varieties.The symbol is an askos, a Greek “decanter” dating from the 1st century B.C.

Deep ruby red. A wine with great character on the nose: sensations of black and red berries are backed by spicy notes, hints of licorice and cocoa and notes of eucalyptus. It is a full-bodied but not heavy wine, extremely satisfying and easy to drink. The alcohol percentage is well-balanced. Delicious now, it will age well.  

Winemaker Description 

Bright fruit aromas of sour cherry and strawberry, along with attractive notes of flower and spice. With light-to medium body, this wonderfully drinkable Pinot Noir displays classic varietal character.

Winemaker Description 

This cuvée is the classic white wine of Montbourgeau. It is usually bottled after 24 to 30 months of élevage in barrel. 

The very special nature of the appellation of L’Etoile produces white wines of exceptional finesse and complexity.

The fermentation occurs in stainless steel but, after malolactic, the wine is racked into small barrel and demi-muids for two years. At that point, the entire production is assembled and left for several months in cuve before being bottled. 

Producer Description 

Varieties : 100% Palomino Fino. Vinification Method : This wine is sourced from a solera at bodegas Del Rio of Luis del Rio in Sanlúcar. Nick selected barrels on the warmer side of the bodega, giving the wine a fresher, more playful character.

Buelan Compañia de Sacas is a bottling project of barrel-selected sherries created by Nick Africano, musician and founder of En Rama Sherry Co.

Nick works with the wines of Ramiro Ibañez of Cota 45 and Willy Perez of Bodegas Luis Perez through his work with Spanish wine in New York City and with his experience working with José Pastor Selections. He was thrilled when he learned of Ramiro and Willy’s joint project, M. Ant. De La Riva, imported by José Pastor. After meeting Ramiro and Willy a few times in Spain, Nick immediately connected with their ethos, and knew he wanted to work with them in some capacity beyond selling their wine in NYC.

They are true modern masters, and will one day be legends of the category. For Nick, it felt like a dream come true to work with them for his first release: an idea Nick had to bottle a sherry to be co-released alongside a new song of the same name.

Buelan aims to bottle sherries that capture a depth of meaning and place, of metaphor and artistry, and, most importantly, they aim to capture the stories of the people who make the wines. Each bottling expresses a particular theme, be that a song, an idea, or just a certain style of sherry Nick wants to highlight. 

Producer Description 

100% Natural grape wine with natural flavors. Traditionally elaborated from Spanish red wine and natural fine fruit juices.

This ready-to-drink sangria features a harmonious blend of red wine with natural citrus flavors, offering notes of ripe oranges, lemons, and berries.

On the palate, it delivers a sweet and fruity taste with a hint of spice, making it a perfect choice for casual gatherings and warm weather enjoyment. 

Serve chilled. Pairs well with meat and pasta dishes or with dessert. 

KosherFest 2009 New Products Competition- Winner- Best New Wine, Beer, or Spirit!

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022

The Wine Advocate 97 Points | 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.

James Suckling 97 Points | 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.

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points | The 2022 Ornellaia is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 10% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. A deep but bright purple/red color, it has a fantastic nose of blackberries, polished cedar, lavender, sweet herbs, and dark cocoa. Full-bodied, it has a rich structure, with warming concentration but a very balanced feel. The tannins are ripe and frame the underlying mineral notes very nicely, its fruity richness fleshing it out harmoniously.

Vinous 96 Points | The 2022 Ornellaia is a terrific wine for the year. Dark red-toned fruit, mocha, new leather, licorice and spice all take shape in a mid-weight, pliant Ornellaia that is quite alluring, even in the early going. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot, unusual for the elevated presence of Petit Verdot, which did better than Franc in 2022. The higher percentage of Petit Verdot comes through in the wine’s dark-leaning personality and also in the quality of tannins. More than anything else, the 2022 is a reminder of how important a tool blending is, especially in challenging years. I can’t wait to see how this ages. The 2022 Ornellaia is clearly among the most successful wines of the vintage.

Decanter 95 Points | Ornellaia 2022 is bold, dark fruited and spicy at this early stage, reflecting the increased percentage of Petit Verdot used in the blend. Production director Marco Balsimelli settled on 10% Petit Verdot to lend more structure to the otherwise quite soft tannic profile. Not lacking in brooding complexity, it swirls with peppery and herbal nuances and some lovely fresh acidity which carries through to a bright finish. As is characteristic of the 2022s in Bolgheri, this is overall a more compact and dense style compared to the previous year. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot.