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.
Following a very productive 17 years at Masseto and Ornellaia, Estate Director Axel Heinz announced in March of this year that he was leaving his position. He will join Château Lascombes in Bordeaux as CEO. Axel was born in Germany, raised in France and established a brilliant winemaking career in Italy. "It makes it difficult to know which national soccer team to root for," he once joked with me. Under his time at Masseto and Ornellaia, the two brands grew in respective strength with individual identities. His new releases command some of the highest prices in Italian wine and are sought after by collectors worldwide. Axel oversaw the construction of the new Masseto winery, and he launched a second wine called Massetino (new vintages of both are reviewed here). Axel was quoted in the Italian press as saying, "Italy will stay in my heart forever, but it's time to go back to France."
95 Points, Monica Larner
Boccaccio Cellars offers real time shipping rates at checkout. These are heavily subsidised rates directly from Australia Post and will vary depending on your postcode.
Unfortunately, due to the ever increasing costs of postage we are unable to offer free shipping any longer. Postal increases have seen the average box of wine range from $30-$60, which can represent up to 500% of the cost of the average bottle of wine.
Your postal costs are calculated on the following factors:
- Where in Australia you are shipping to (Where rural postcodes obviously attract a higher charge)
- What in Australia you are shipping (Beer and water for example, are calculated in real time without any additional subsidy. This is because the margins for these products are minimal). Dry goods attract a discounted flat fee of $12 per carton (Calculated by gross weight).
Pickups on all items are encouraged.