Ornellaia is one of the icon wineries of Italy even though its first vintage was in 1985. Its Bordeaux-blend compares with the best cabernet sauvignon-based reds in the world while its pure merlot, Masseto, is on par with such legends as Petrus and Le Pin.

I tasted the recent vintages of both in Rome a few weeks ago and they were fantastic quality. The 2011 Masseto, which should be in the market later in the year, is a perfect wine and reminiscent of the legendary 100-point 2001. From the moment you put your nose in the glass, the wine shows phenomenal character of spices, ripe fruit and flowers with hints of citrus peel. The palate is full-bodied yet perfectly integrated with fine tannins that give the wine incredible definition.

A winery is now being planned for the seven-hectare vineyard, so that Masseto will be a separate wine estate from Ornellaia in the near future.

The 2011 Ornellaia is clearly an outstanding quality wine and one of the richest I have encountered for a number of years. This is obviously due to the extremely hot growing season that had a number of heat spikes in August. I found the wine very close in style to some of the top Napa Valley cabernets that I covered earlier this week in a report on the 2010 and 2011 vintages.

Don’t miss the chance to buy a bottle or two of the second wine of Ornellaia, Le Serre Nuove. The 2012 is one of the best I have tasted in a number of years and shows wonderful structure and richness. It’s almost too good to be the second wine.

Here are some of the most recent tasting notes of Masseto and Ornellaia as well as Le Serre Nuove.

My Article: Perfect Masseto, Excellent Ornellaia