4th March 2008
Jebsen Fine Wines had organized a special tasting held at the newly opened Ritz Carlton Hotel in Beijing’s Chaoyang District - the second Ritz Carlton in the city, in fact, the other being on Financial Street - of the wines of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, the great Tuscan producer based in Bolgheri and responsible for the legendary Ornellaia.
On tasting were:
2005 Le Volte, Toscana IGT
Appearance: medium red-purple, slight orange rim.
Nose: bright red cherry fruit, possible unoaked (on first nose). Certainly no evidence of new oak treatment.
Palate: nice acidity here, soft red fruits, low-medium silky tannins. Nice length.
Conclusion: this wine is a blend of Sangiovese 50%, Merlot 30% and Cabernet Sauvignon 20%, vinified separately with the blended wine then being aged in 2-4 year old barrels for some 10 months. In other words, not much oak flavour is imparted, if any, as desired. We expected a bit more structure to come through from the Cabernet Sauvignon, but it’s clearly well-made. Drink now or over the next couple of years. Retail RMB255.
Rating: 16/20
2002 Le Serre Nuove Bolgheri DOC
Appearance: medium purple with red tints, slight orange rim.
Nose: bright red and black fruits, noticeable oak, savoury and relatively complex for the vintage.
Palate: nice acidity again here (as you’d expect), angular medium-high chewy tannins, but only medium-bodied throughout. Nice length too.
Conclusion: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, this wine’s malolactic fermentation began in stainless steel but was finished in barrique (25% new oak, the remaining 75% in once-used barrels). It was then aged in barrique for some 18 months. It’s impressive they were able to produce such a nice wine in the rain-prone 2002 vintage, a bit of a wash-out in Tuscany. Strict selection would have had to be necessary. We preferred this to the Le Volte 2005, however. Jebsen currently offers other vintages of the Le Serre Nuove (2004 and 2005) for RMB616 and RMB633. We’d hope the 2002 is cheaper, if they still have it.
Rating: 17/20
2005 Ornellaia (1985-2005 anniversary bottle)
Appearance: dark purple-red.
Nose: very elegant nose of myriad red and black fruits, toasty oak prevalent at present as well.
Palate: medium-high chunky tannins, lovely acidity, complex fruits gradually revealing themselves. Long.
Conclusion: this must be a special blend for the occasion, as we couldn’t find anything on the Ornellaia website about the constituents or vinification of the 2005. This wine has some of the restraint and elegance of fine Pomerol or other Right Bank Bordeaux, but with more vibrant acidity. Will age for many years, but is approachable now. Retail RMB1915.
Rating: 18/20 [but should get better]
1995 Ornellaia
Appearance: medium red, marked orange rim.
Nose: fading red and black fruits, leaves, decaying oak and other complex savoury smells (mushrooms etc.).
Palate: complex palate which is more youthful than the nose suggests, lovely acidity and great length. Tannins have precipitated out and it’s very smooth and very appealing!
Conclusion: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, this wine was aged for about 16 months in French oak barriques (39% new, 61% once-used), bottled without filtration and matured a further 14 months before release. It’s clearly fine wine and drinking well now. We cannot put a retail price on this wine for the Chinese market, however. The cheapest we’ve seen it on Wine Searcher is around £55 (UK pounds) or $100 (USD). It is likely to be much more expensive in China, if it is available at all.
Rating: 18.5/20
Jebsen Fine Wines had organized a special tasting held at the newly opened Ritz Carlton Hotel in Beijing’s Chaoyang District - the second Ritz Carlton in the city, in fact, the other being on Financial Street - of the wines of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, the great Tuscan producer based in Bolgheri and responsible for the legendary Ornellaia.
On tasting were:
2005 Le Volte, Toscana IGT
Appearance: medium red-purple, slight orange rim.
Nose: bright red cherry fruit, possible unoaked (on first nose). Certainly no evidence of new oak treatment.
Palate: nice acidity here, soft red fruits, low-medium silky tannins. Nice length.
Conclusion: this wine is a blend of Sangiovese 50%, Merlot 30% and Cabernet Sauvignon 20%, vinified separately with the blended wine then being aged in 2-4 year old barrels for some 10 months. In other words, not much oak flavour is imparted, if any, as desired. We expected a bit more structure to come through from the Cabernet Sauvignon, but it’s clearly well-made. Drink now or over the next couple of years. Retail RMB255.
Rating: 16/20
2002 Le Serre Nuove Bolgheri DOC
Appearance: medium purple with red tints, slight orange rim.
Nose: bright red and black fruits, noticeable oak, savoury and relatively complex for the vintage.
Palate: nice acidity again here (as you’d expect), angular medium-high chewy tannins, but only medium-bodied throughout. Nice length too.
Conclusion: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, this wine’s malolactic fermentation began in stainless steel but was finished in barrique (25% new oak, the remaining 75% in once-used barrels). It was then aged in barrique for some 18 months. It’s impressive they were able to produce such a nice wine in the rain-prone 2002 vintage, a bit of a wash-out in Tuscany. Strict selection would have had to be necessary. We preferred this to the Le Volte 2005, however. Jebsen currently offers other vintages of the Le Serre Nuove (2004 and 2005) for RMB616 and RMB633. We’d hope the 2002 is cheaper, if they still have it.
Rating: 17/20
2005 Ornellaia (1985-2005 anniversary bottle)
Appearance: dark purple-red.
Nose: very elegant nose of myriad red and black fruits, toasty oak prevalent at present as well.
Palate: medium-high chunky tannins, lovely acidity, complex fruits gradually revealing themselves. Long.
Conclusion: this must be a special blend for the occasion, as we couldn’t find anything on the Ornellaia website about the constituents or vinification of the 2005. This wine has some of the restraint and elegance of fine Pomerol or other Right Bank Bordeaux, but with more vibrant acidity. Will age for many years, but is approachable now. Retail RMB1915.
Rating: 18/20 [but should get better]
1995 Ornellaia
Appearance: medium red, marked orange rim.
Nose: fading red and black fruits, leaves, decaying oak and other complex savoury smells (mushrooms etc.).
Palate: complex palate which is more youthful than the nose suggests, lovely acidity and great length. Tannins have precipitated out and it’s very smooth and very appealing!
Conclusion: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, this wine was aged for about 16 months in French oak barriques (39% new, 61% once-used), bottled without filtration and matured a further 14 months before release. It’s clearly fine wine and drinking well now. We cannot put a retail price on this wine for the Chinese market, however. The cheapest we’ve seen it on Wine Searcher is around £55 (UK pounds) or $100 (USD). It is likely to be much more expensive in China, if it is available at all.
Rating: 18.5/20
Labels: 1995, 2002, 2005, Bolgheri, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Featured Tastings, Italy, Jebsen, Le Serre Nuove, Le Volte, Merlot, Ornellaia, red, Sangiovese, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Tuscany
posted by Wine Dragon
at
16:46
