Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri 2019

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri 2019 is a Super Tuscan red blend from Bolgheri, Tuscany, bottled at 14.5% ABV in a standard 750ml format. This vintage earned a perfect 100 points from Susan Hulme at The Wine Independent, alongside 98 points from Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux), 97+ from Antonio Galloni (Vinous), 97 from Monica Larner (Wine Advocate), and 97 from Jeb Dunnuck — a near-unanimous chorus of critical acclaim that places the 2019 among the estate's finest releases.

Quick Facts: ABV: 14.5%  |  Origin: Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy  |  Blend: 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc  |  Producer: Tenuta dell'Ornellaia

Production & Heritage

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, now under the ownership of the Frescobaldi family, has stood as one of Bolgheri's defining estates since its founding in 1981 by Marchese Lodovico Antinori. The 2019 vintage is notable for containing 62% Cabernet Sauvignon — the highest proportion since the 2002 vintage, described by the estate as "a return to the past." Fermentation took place in stainless steel and concrete tanks over roughly one week, followed by approximately 15 days of maceration. Malolactic fermentation occurred in barriques — 70% new oak and 30% once-used — where the wine then aged for 18 months before bottling.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens bold and bright, with layers of blackberry, dark plum, and mocha. Deeper inhalation reveals pressed blackberry, redcurrant, sweetly cured tobacco, dried herbs, and loamy earth, with sweet spice and clove threading through.

Taste: The palate enters with dense, ripe blackcurrant and dark berry fruit, moving into a fleshy mid-palate of considerable heft and density. Mulberry, liquorice root, and new leather emerge alongside beautifully teased-out fruit character. Tannins are grippy yet beautifully managed and perfectly integrated, delivering remarkable purity and depth without sacrificing finesse — what Galloni called the wine's most impressive quality.

Finish: The finish is long and layered, marked by dry stoniness, salinity, and lingering notes of liquorice, clove, and spice. There is a structural firmness here that promises significant aging potential, with the tannins building steadily rather than fading.

How to Drink Ornellaia 2019

This is a wine built for serious contemplation. Serve it at 16–18°C (60–65°F) and consider decanting for 60–90 minutes to allow the dense structure to open fully. A large-bowled Bordeaux glass will give the complex aromatics room to develop. While Ornellaia is not a cocktail wine by any measure, its Cabernet-dominant profile and firm tannic backbone make it an ideal candidate for extended cellaring — expect the 2019 to evolve gracefully over the next 15–25 years.

Best For

• Cellaring as a long-term investment-grade wine from a benchmark vintage
• Gifting a serious wine collector or Super Tuscan enthusiast
• Anchoring a tasting flight of top Bolgheri producers
• Pairing with a special dinner centered on premium cuts of beef or aged hard cheeses

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Ornellaia 2019 taste like? Ornellaia 2019 delivers dense dark fruit — blackberry, plum, blackcurrant — supported by firm yet refined tannins, with layers of mocha, leather, tobacco, liquorice, and spice. It is a wine of both power and exceptional finesse.

How does Ornellaia 2019 compare to Sassicaia? Both estates sit adjacent to each other in Bolgheri and produce full Bordeaux-style blends without Sangiovese, making them the two most famous Super Tuscan wines. Sassicaia tends to emphasize Cabernet Sauvignon even more heavily (typically 85%) and can lean slightly more austere and mineral-driven, whereas Ornellaia's Merlot component adds a fleshy, approachable density, particularly in the 2019 vintage.

Is Ornellaia 2019 good for drinking now or should it be cellared? The 2019 is approachable now with extended decanting, but its firmly structured tannins and layered complexity strongly suggest it will reward patience; most critics indicate a drinking window extending well into the 2040s.

Where is Ornellaia made? Ornellaia is produced at Tenuta dell'Ornellaia in Bolgheri, a DOC appellation on the Tuscan coast in western Italy. The estate's vineyards sit on the gentle slopes between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the coastal hills, benefiting from a warm maritime Mediterranean climate.

What foods pair well with Ornellaia 2019? Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a natural regional match, as the wine's tannins cut through the charred, fatty richness. Braised short ribs benefit from the wine's dark fruit density. Aged Parmigiano-Reggiano echoes the wine's earthy, savoury undertones. Roasted lamb with rosemary and garlic complements the herbal spice notes. Dark chocolate desserts with a high cocoa percentage mirror the mocha and liquorice character in the finish.

What sizes does Ornellaia 2019 come in? The standard format is 750ml, though Ornellaia is also typically released in half-bottles (375ml), magnums (1.5L), double magnums (3L), and other large formats depending on availability.

Is Ornellaia 2019 worth the price? Ornellaia positions firmly in the ultra-premium tier of Italian wine, and the 2019 vintage — with its perfect 100-point score and near-universal 97+ ratings — represents one of the most critically lauded releases in the estate's history, which supports its price point relative to peers like Sassicaia, Masseto, and top classified Bordeaux.

Why Ornellaia 2019?

The 2019 vintage stands apart within Ornellaia's modern history for two key reasons: it is the most Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend the estate has produced in nearly two decades, and it achieved a perfect 100-point score from The Wine Independent alongside 97+ marks from five other major critics. That Cabernet dominance gives the 2019 a structural spine and aging potential that set it apart from the more Merlot-inflected vintages of recent years. For collectors and serious drinkers, this is a defining expression of Bolgheri — a wine that channels both the power of its coastal Tuscan terroir and the precision of one of Italy's most meticulous estates.