Bolgheri’s Velvet Beast: 2005 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia

Tasting Notes
Deep ruby, almost inky at the edges. Nose offers ripe currant, plum, blackberry with tobacco spice, mocha, a whiff of cedar. On the palate: full-bodied but silky—dark cherries, exotic spice, crushed stone minerality, roasted coffee and fine oak. Long finish, polished tannins hanging on with balsamic echoes. Real Bolgheri finesse. 

Meet the Winemaker
Back in ’05, Axel Heinz (yes, from the Frescobaldi crew) led the charge—hand-harvesting each varietal, fermenting separately, aging 18 months in 70% new French oak, then a year in bottle before release. He nailed elegance on a cooler vintage.

Wine Specs

• Varietal: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot

• Vintage: 2005

• Region: Bolgheri Superiore DOC, Tuscany, Italy

• Aging: 18 months in barriques (70% new French oak), + 12 months bottle Vintage Grapes GmbH+14Angry Wine Merchant+14Angry Wine Merchant+14

• ABV: 14.5 %

• Size: 750 ml

• Serve: 16–18 °C, decant for max impact

Critic Reviews

• Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: 93 pts – “Medium-bodied…dark cherries, blueberries, spices, minerals and crushed rocks… finesse and clarity… early‑maturing vintage… a big success.” 

• Wine Spectator: 95 pts – “Beautiful aromas of ripe fruit… Complex and full-bodied… soft, polished tannins and a long, long finish.”

• Antonio Galloni (Vinous): 94 pts – “Striking aromatics… sweet herbs, tobacco, spices, sage and plums… remains an infant… drink well another 15+ years.” 

• James Suckling: 95 pts – “Still very young… ripe fruit… polished, with soft tannins… very long finish.” 

• Others: Natalie MacLean 96 pts “layers of blackcurrant and dark plums” 

Food Pairings

• Grilled rib‑eye with rosemary

• Venison stew with cherry reduction

• Aged Pecorino or Parmigiano

Why You Need This Bottle
This 2005 Ornellaia is velvet meets iron—luxurious fruit, killer structure, and still evolving. It’s the bold flex that whispers elegance, not shouts it. Open now for sexy complexity or stash it for cellaring glory.

Claim this Tuscan legend while stocks last. Free shipping and VIP club perk included—add to cart and slay dinner tonight.