Tenuta dell´Ornellaia - Ornellaia VdT 2000

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Very, very ripe, heady, extremely attention-grabbing nose. Glorious opulence. Ink and satin on the palate and definite sweetness. There's lots of fine tannin but the wine has the fruit to carry it. Pretty damn good with a very slightly dry end."

WEINWISSER: "65 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 % Merlot and 5 % Cabernet Franc. Wunderschön gereiftes Bouquet mit edlen Tertiär- und Röstnoten, Eukalyptus, Tabak- und Palisandernoten, nasse Erde. Einem Pauillac aus warmem Jahr nicht unähnlich. Im dicht gewobenen Mund mit seiner intensiven Art und der gekonnt süßlichen Umrahmung und Tannintextur dann eher kalifornisch, ein top gereifter Ornellaia mit Reserven. - trinken"

FALSTAFF: "Kräftiges Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarter Ockertouch, breitere Randaufhellung. Zart balsamisch unterlegtes dunkles Beerenkonfit, ein Hauch von Dörrobst, kandierte Orangen, feiner animalischer Touch, Gewürzanklang. Saftig, elegant, schokoladig, etwas Soja, feine Würze, schokoladiger Anklang, sehr ausgewogen, bietet großes Trinkvergnügen, jetzt in absoluter Höchstform, reife Herzkirschen, süß und lange anhaltend."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Deep and delicious, with an earth-driven nose that conveys quality. Chunky plum pervades the chewy, dark palate, which offers a gorgeous mouthfeel and admirable depth. Only on the finish do you get a slight hint of oak. Overall it's entirely solid and very likable, but as good as it is, it's not quite on the level of the '98 or '99, which were amazing."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2000 Ornellaia is notably different than the 1999, less concentrated in color due to the high temperatures of the growing season, significantly more alcoholic, but with much sweet black currant fruit, velvety and balanced flavors, and a round, smooth finish. Rather forward for a wine of its type, it should nonetheless provide fine drinking until 2016-2018. Ornellaia has been through some significant changes over the past several years. First with the departure of Lodovico Antinori and the arrival of the new owners, Mondavi and Frescobaldi, then with a double changeover of winemakers, first Andrea Giovannini (now at Monsanto) from 1999 to 2001, then Thomas Duroux, trained at Bordeaux and then the oenologist for the unsuccessful Mondavi Languedoc project. High quality, however, has been a constant – these have been Bolgheri’s best wines, along with those of Le Macchiole, over the past five years, and there is no indication of any change in the level of ambition."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Lots of currant and spice, with hints of fresh herb. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins and a pretty balance. Delicate finish. Slightly austere. Give it time. A slightly held-back style for Ornellaia. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best after 2006. 12,980 cases made, 3,305 cases imported."