Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 2020

98 points James Suckling: "Alluring aromas of lead pencil and currants with crushed stone and iodine. Full-bodied with hemmed in tannins that are tight and focused. Very fresh and energetic with wonderful length and intensity for this vintage. Needs four or five years to come together. Better in 2028 and onwards. (6/26/23)"

98 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot). Rich plum in colour, this has heady fruit-filled aromatics, where you are taken straight to the heart of the action. Plenty of classic balsamic notes of Ornellaia, along with oange zest, fennel, damson, black cherry, damson. Juice runs through the muscular frame, with tannins that are plentiful but supple, and freshly cut herbs studded throughout draw out the flavours. A long harvest from end of August to beginning October. 70% new oak, with the blend taking place after 12 months ageing, then left for a further six months in barrel, and 12 months in bottle before release. Axel Heinz's final full vintage at the property, and it's a stormer. The pandemic vintage also, with a dramatic start in Italy, but as with all wine estates, the upside was the focus on the vineyards, with the whole team in place throughout the growing season. Drink: 2026-2044. (9/21/23)"

97 points Decanter: "Aromas of ripe blackcurrants with layers of wood spice and smoke. Dense in the mouth with great viscosity, rich in texture with a good depth of fruit concentration. The alcohol is well integrated and balanced with fresh acidity; the tannins provide grip and structure. The oak is still sitting on top, but will blend with further time in bottle. Hold. Drinking Window: 2024-2040. -Michelle Cherutti-Kowal (11/11/23)"

96 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2020 Ornellaia is a gorgeous, elegant wine. Seamless and wonderfully deep on the palate, the 2020 is super-refined from the outset. Even with all of its depth, the 2020 retains terrific freshness and cut to play off its soft, succulent fruit. Overall, the 2020 looks to be a relatively accessible Ornellaia that will drink well with minimal cellaring. I especially admire the precision and understated finesse here. Drink: 2027-2045. (Aug 2023)"

96 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2020 Ornellaia is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, raised in 70% new French oak for 18 months, with another 12 months in bottle prior to release. Flush with herbs and menthol, blackberry, and cedar, it is full bodied and fills the sides of the mouth with rounded fruit of luxurious plum, black cherry, and toast, with supple and velvety tannins. Drink: 2026-2046. (1/26/23)"

96 points Falstaff: "Rich, vibrant ruby with purple hues. Very open and approachable nose, clearly defined fruit of dark ripe currant, blueberry and cardamom, then subtle balsamic notes. Shows lush dark berry fruit on the palate, then dense tannin, a bit bold on the back end, finishing with tobacco and vanilla. Alcohol 14.5%. (9/8/23)"

95+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2020 Ornellaia is crafted this year from a cépages of fifty percent cabernet sauvignon, thirty-two percent merlot, thirteen percent cabernet franc and five percent petit verdot. The various varietal components were fermented separately and underwent malolactic fermentation in barriques, seventy percent of which were new and thirty percent which were “one wine” barrels. The wine was then given eighteen months of cask aging, bottled and allowed an additional year of bottle aging prior to release. It comes in at 14.5 percent octane in this vintage and delivers a deep and ripe bouquet of cassis, sweet dark berries, espresso, cigar wrapper, dark soil tones, woodsmoke and a lovely framing of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, ripe and beautifully balanced, with a full-bodied format, a sappy core of fruit, good soil undertow and grip, fine-grained tannins and a long, youthfully complex and very refined finish. This will need plenty of cellaring to soften up its chassis of tannins, but in due course, it will be a stellar bottle. 2035-2085. (Sep/Oct 2023)"

95 points Monica Larner (Wine Advocate): "[$260 list] The 2020 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is made with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with small percentages of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It opens to an impenetrable, full-bodied approach with dark fruit, pencil shaving, toasted oak, Spanish cedar, campfire ash and iron ore. For sure, this is an especially concentrated and oak-driven vintage of this iconic wine. It absolutely requires more aging time. It feels quite tight and firm in its youth. The concentration is abundant. Drink: 2026-2045. (5/31/23)"