Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 2005

95 points Wine Spectator: "Displays beautiful aromas of ripe fruit, with currant, plum and blackberry. This complex and full-bodied Tuscan red has soft, polished tannins and a long, long finish. Shows a deft hand in the winemaking. Best after 2012. (10/31/08)"

95 points James Suckling: "Still very young. Shows complex aromas of ripe fruit, blackberries, plums and currants. Polished, with soft tannins, a full body and a very long finish. Drink or hold. (6/7/13)"

94 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2005 Ornellaia opens with striking, compelling aromatics that draw the taster in. Still deep, rich and intense throughout, the 2005 has held up beautifully. Sweet herbs, tobacco, spices, sage and plums add shades of dimension to a core of super-ripe, exotic fruit that is one of the vestiges of a late-ripening vintage in which the fruit was allowed to hang until the very end. The 2005 remains an infant. It should drink well for another 15+ years. Drink: 2015-2030. (Dec 2015)"

93 points Antonio Galloni (Wine Advocate): "The medium-bodied 2005 Ornellaia shows plenty of delineation in its dark cherries, blueberries, spices, minerals and crushed rocks. The 2005 doesn’t have the detail of the 2004 or the richness of the 2006, but it does offer notable finesse and clarity in an understated style for this wine. My impression is that this will be a relatively early-maturing vintage of Ornellaia, which is not a bad thing, considering the age-worthiness of the two vintages which surround it. In 2005 Ornellaia is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. It is a big success in this vintage. (Jun 2008)"

Three Glasses, Gambero Rosso: "The vintage was not one that allows every top wine to take home Three Glasses, which is what happened last year with the '04. But then again, this is Ornellaia, and even in the face of a difficult year, this is a winery that gives results. Top honours went to the Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia '05, from 60 per cent cabernet sauvignon, topped up with merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot. The nose of ripe fruit, with estery notes, hints of tobacco and hay, is followed up by close-knit structure on a palate whose tannins are still a shade over-assertive. This is a young wine that will continue to improve with age."