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A superbly structured wine, with impressive aromas and flavors of violets, berries and mint. Its full body and super tannins set up well for the concentrated, fruity finish. Try after 1997.--Super Tuscan retrospective.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 1993 is a beguiling, graceful Saffredi laced with plums, prunes, wild herbs, spices and licorice. It possesses gorgeous inner perfume and freshness that frame the fruit through to the elegant, impeccable finish. The French oak confers a level of textural richness and sweetness, but is beautifully balanced in this vintage. At the same time, the 1993 could have been a truly great wine with a more restrained approach to cooperage.Antonio Galloni | 92 AGThe blend is very similar to the previous year: Cabernet Sauvignon dominating at 75% and just marginally more Merlot and Alicante. Climatically, it was an uneventful year and the wine is bigger and more concentrated than its predecessor - and higher in alcohol at 13.5% - but it’s a little less balanced and complete. There’s some spicy, meaty evolution on the nose and smoky black fruit intensity, but there’s both a slight woodiness and a slight woodenness on the palate. Drinking Window 2020 - 2023.Decanter | 91 DEC

Toasty, smoky, coffee aromas and dark black cherries on the nose and palate. The structure is impeccable, making it drinkable now and ageable, too. Not overly extracted, but concentrated and so complex it’s impossible to describe all the nuances.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEWonderful floral, berry and cocoa aromas. Full-bodied, with fine, polished tannins and a long finish with dark chocolate and berry on the aftertaste. A sleek, racy Merlot from a respected winery. Best after 2001.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

An intense, extremely well-structured Tuscan red, showing intense Cabernet character, with currant, spice and mint aromas and flavors. Full in body, with loads of silky tannins and a long, long finish. Finest Guado Al Tasso ever. Best after 2002. 4,000 cases made. — JSWine Spectator | 94 WSGood medium ruby, less saturated than the 1997. Expressive aromas of herbs and Mediterranean brush, with reasonably harmonious oak. Plenty of cassis and blackberry intensity and character, but slightly tough, with a grittiness of tannins. Far from ready today but offers plenty of potential for development.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Dark ruby red. Aromas of plum, milk chocolate and mandarin peel. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and lots of ripe fruit. Long and rich. Balanced and silky. Beautifully proportioned.--1997 Italian blind retrospective. Drink now through 2017. 2,500 cases made. — JSWine Spectator | 94 WSThe profound 1997 Solengo vino da tavola (a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon with a tiny dosage of Syrah) is spectacular. Opaque purple-colored, it displays a fabulously sweet nose of creme de cassis, new saddle leather, toasty new oak, licorice, and flowers. This wine boasts amazing richness, a huge, full-bodied impact on the palate (yet no sense of heaviness), low acidity, gorgeous ripeness, and a finish that lasts for 35+ seconds. I predict a brilliant future for this compelling proprietary red wine. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2016.Robert Parker | 94 RPull, deep ruby. Spicy blackberry and cassis nose shows a roasted torrefaction aspect. Lush, dense and quite primary; generous, full and deep. An exotic hint of mint brightens the dark berry flavors. Finishes very long and ripely tannic.Vinous Media | 91+ VM

The 1997 I Sodi di San Niccolo is wonderfully elegant, pure and silky. It remains very young, but is so polished that opening a bottle today is far from a crime. Dark red cherries, flowers, mint, spices and new leather flow across the palate in this gracious, totally elegant wine. The 1997 boasts huge dry extract and a show-stopping personality to match. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022.Proprietor Paolo Panerai is adamant about it. Sangioveto is the correct name and spelling of Tuscany’s main indigenous red variety. Panerai is one of Italy’s most successful entrepreneurs. His publishing empire is vast and encompasses a number of journals running the gamut from Milano Finanza, an Italian version of Barron’s, to Class and other glossy lifestyle magazines. Since the late 1970s, Panerai has owned Castellare, one of the jewels of Chianti Classico. Castellare isn’t as well known as the trendiest estates in Tuscany, but the wines rarely fail to impress. The last few years have seen a marked increase in quality throughout the range, especially among the entry-level bottlings. Quality has never been an issue with the flagship I Sodi di San Niccolo, one of the true icons of Chianti Classico that remains under the radar. Fortunately for consumers, prices have yet to catch up with quality. Sodi is 85% Sangioveto and 15% Malvasia Nera from a vineyard in the heart of the estate, where the bunches are typically loose and naturally low in vigor. Today Sodi is fermented in stainless steel, then racked into concrete for the malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged 24 months in French oak barrels, roughly 50% new. Consulting oenologist Maurizio Castelli made the first vintages. Current winemaker Alessandro Cellai arrived in 1997. Readers who want to learn more about Castellare and I Sodi di San Niccolo may want to take a look at my recent video interview with Cellai.Castellare I Sodi di San Niccolo Key Points:1. 85% Sangioveto/15% Malvasia Nera aged in French oak barrels2. Made from a low-vigor vineyard in the heart of the property in Castellina3. Impeccable track record of consistency and excellence4. Aging potential: 20-30 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 1997 I Sodi di San Niccolo is wonderfully elegant, pure and silky. It remains very young, but is so polished that opening a bottle today is far from a crime. Dark red cherries, flowers, mint, spices and new leather flow across the palate in this gracious, totally elegant wine. The 1997 boasts huge dry extract and a show stopping personality to match.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGDark ruby red. Lots of blackberry and fresh cherry, with hints of chocolate and meat. Full-bodied, with tangy fruit, fresh tannins and a long finish. Balanced and rich. All there. Still very youthful. Sangiovese and Malvasia.--1997 Italian blind retrospective. Best from 2008 through 2018. 2,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSNo written review provided | 92 W&S

What a bottle. Off the charts! Full and velvety with spice and berry character and dark chocolate. Bright citrus acidity underneath. Intense. Wild fruit.James Suckling | 97 JSRich aromas of blackberry and raspberry jam, with hints of licorice. Full-bodied, with soft, round tannins and a clean, fresh finish. Balanced and refined. Perfect now, but will improve.--1997 Italian blind retrospective. Drink now through 2014. 3,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 1997 Sammarco is starting to show the early signs of oxidation in its bouquet, which suggests it is best enjoyed sooner rather than later. There is plenty of depth, but probably also limited potential from here on out. Like the 1998, the 1997 is giving all it has right now, and will continue to hold based on its huge core of fruit, but I wouldn’t push my luck too far.Antonio Galloni | 93 AG

Fruit and complexity as well as freshness and richness. Beautiful nose with extraordinary aromas of prunes, licorice, and dried flowers with rosemary undertones. Full-bodied and velvety textured. So beautiful to drink now, but obviously has a long future ahead.James Suckling | 97 JSDark ruby red. Shows intense blackberry, currant, fresh herb and mineral character on the nose. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a long, caressing finish. Still young and powerful.--1997 Italian blind retrospective. Best after 2009. 11,415 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSProbably the finest (and most sumptuous) Ornellaia yet produced, the 1997 has it all. A dense purple color offers up smoky espresso and jammy black cherry aromas wrapped in new oak. Full-bodied, opulent, thick, and juicy, this low acid, seamless classic can be drunk now and over the next 15+ years.Robert Parker | 94 RP The estate’s 1997 Ornellaia (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc) combines the large-framed opulence of the 1999 with the slightly more herbal notes found in the 1998. It is a big, plump wine packed with layers of fruit and well-integrated oak, showing outstanding length and the telltale note of sweetness on the finish that defines this vintage. Despite its approachable nature today, the 1997 appears to have enough structure to drink well for another decade. Both the 1997 Ornellaia and Masseto enjoyed a very strong showing in this tasting. Antonio Galloni | 93 AG

A wonderfully silky and seductive red. Intense aromas of ripe plums and cherries, with hints of vanilla. Full-bodied, with soft velvety tannins and a long, fruity finish. Best after 2003. 1,250 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSNew consultant Riccardo Cotarella’s first vintage saw the blend shift more to Merlot (40%), with 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Alicante. The colour is notably deeper than the 1995. A dark-fruit nose with a whiff of vanilla-oak is followed by an assertive, fruity palate with touches of chocolate and coffee. Initially it’s velvety, but the tannins begin to take over and it finishes on a dry, slightly grainy note. Drinking Window 2020 - 2021Decanter | 91 DECA blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot, this opens with aromas of red currant, clove and toast. The structured, elegant palate doles out plum, sage and tobacco alongside fine-grained tannins. Drink 2017–2022Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEThe 1998 impresses for its considerable richness. Like so many Italian wines of this period, the 1998 Saffredi shows a determined attempt to extract as much concentration as possible. There is no arguing the wine has aged exceptionally well, but in hindsight many of the subtler nuances Saffredi is capable of are buried under masses of fruit and excessive French oak.Antonio Galloni | 90 AG

1998 is most likely the best vintage ever for Ornellaia. Petit Verdot was not yet used in the blend. Evolved bramble fruits meld with forest floor, helichrysum and Mediterranean herb aromas. On the palate this wine dazzles with the vibrancy of the best Pomerol-like minerality, with a tight-knit structure of velvety yet lively tannins amongst the fruit, and delicate acidity pushing a slightly pyrazinic finish with long, dark notes of Marmite and cigar-box supported by some citrus notes. Drinking Window 2019 - 2030Decanter | 99 DECThis is just a baby with so much extract and density yet always polished and beautiful. Full body, velvety tannins with a dusty and gritty texture. Complex flavors of fruit, tar and smoked meat. Solid all around. Powerful still. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSA cool and sleek Tuscan red, with tarragon and fresh sage aromas, blackberry and cherry undertones. Full-bodied, with a wonderfully silky palate of fine tannins and a long, fruity finish. Very sophisticated and reserved. Best after 2004. 13,330 cases made, 3,165 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSOne of the highlights of the evening, the 1998 Ornellaia is not the most profound wine on the table, but it is among the most pleasing because it is in such a perfect place for current drinking. The aromatics are super-refined, but everything about the 1998 speaks to total polish. Hints of cedar, tobacco, licorice, mocha and savory herbs give the wine its nuanced personality. From magnum, the 1998 has another decade of fine drinking ahead of it.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGMade in a relatively structured style for the normally succulent Ornellaia, the dense saturated ruby/purple-colored 1998 offers up aromas of pain grille, spice, smoke, black fruits, and graphite. Full-bodied, concentrated, exceptionally pure, and long, it will be at its finest between 2005-2018. Very impressive, but it requires patience.Robert Parker | 93 RP

Although rain at the end of September produced good but by no means perfect ripeness, this wine is showing very well (in magnum). The blend is the same as the previous year (55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Alicante) and the colour is again lively. The nose is fragrant and sweet, with cherry and black fruit, spice and subtle chocolate. The palate has richness and intensity, with well-integrated, nutty oak and velvet-soft tannins that nonetheless still have some friendly grip on the finish. Drinking Window 2020 - 2024Decanter | 94 DECExtremely ripe, almost raisiny, with loads of raspberry and cherry character, yet there’s a sophistication, a subtlety, to the wine. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a silky, well-defined finish. A pure and pretty wine. Best after 2003. 1,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 1999 Saffredi is an immensely gratifying wine. It could almost be mistaken for a Burgundy, so pure and sweet is the bouquet. The 1999 is a decidedly understated, graceful Saffredi that impresses for its elegance and finesse rather than for its heft. Hints of French oak, smoke, autumn leaves, tar and tobacco add the final layers of complexity. I am not sure the 1999 has much upside from here, but it should continue to drink well for another decade.Antonio Galloni | 92 AG

Austere in its aromas but the flavors of black cherry, blackberry and dark chocolate build nicely from the beginning to the long aftertaste. Very tightly knit, with intensity, structure, loads of finesse and plenty to give overall. Non-blind Petrolo Galatrona vertical (November 2021). Drink now through 2033. 400 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe extremely concentrated, massive, full-bodied 1999 Galatrona takes Merlot to the limits of ripeness and intensity. This is "extreme" Merlot, but wow, what an impressive wine. Made from 100% Merlot aged in 100% new French oak, this opaque purple-colored 1999 exhibits phenomenally ripe notes of jammy blackberry and cherry fruit intermixed with roasted coffee and pain grille. Unctuously-textured and thick, with moderate tannin, this huge, viscous wine needs to settle down, but there is unbelievable upside potential to the raw materials present in the bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020.Robert Parker | 95 RPVery dark almost impenetrable ruby, this has no rim. Very deep aromas and flavors of smoky black plum, tar, shoe polish, smoky vanilla, and rosemary. Plush and palate-coating, becomes spicier with air and finishes with superb length, clarity and harmonious tannins.Vinous Media | 94 VM

Dark, ripe and spicy. Intense aromas of blackberries, raisins and spices. Full-bodied and thick, with lots of raisin, currant and green tobacco character. Long finish. A thick and velvety style of red. Cabernet Sauvignon. Best after 2004. 1,400 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Aromas and flavors of berries, earth and lightly toasted oak follow through to a full-bodied palate, with fine tannins and a long finish. Needs some bottle age to come together. Pure Cabernet Sauvignon. Best after 2006. 1,000 cases made, 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WSSaturated ruby. Bright aromas of blackcurrant, licorice and violet. Very rich, lush and chocolatey; seamless and mouthfilling. This shows the fleshiness of the vintage.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

The top wine of the estate has long been the Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2000 Pareto is impressive for the vintage, a full ruby in color with ample and expansive aromas of black currants, saddle leather, and game, ripe and rich on the palate with exemplary continuity, expressiveness, and size on the finish. Drink: 2005-2018.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPBig and chewy, with lots of currant, toasty oak and spice. Full-bodied, with large tannins and a long finish. A broad red. Cabernet Sauvignon. Best after 2006. 2,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Nothing in particular stands out about the 2000 Ornellaia, instead the whole is clearly greater than the sum of its parts. This blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc is a seamless beauty, showing exceptional purity with notable length on the palate and no hard edges. While the 2000 may not have the structure or complexity of the best vintages it will provide exceptional drinking now and to age 15, give or take.Vinous Media | 92 VMThe 2000 Ornellaia is notably different than the 1999, less concentrated in color due to the high temperatures of the growing season, significantly more alcoholic, but with much sweet black currant fruit, velvety and balanced flavors, and a round, smooth finish. Rather forward for a wine of its type, it should nonetheless provide fine drinking until 2016-2018.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPLots of currant and spice, with hints of fresh herb. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins and a pretty balance. Delicate finish. Slightly austere. Give it time. A slightly held-back style for Ornellaia. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best after 2006. 12,980 cases made, 3,305 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Lush oaky blackcurrant nose, forthright and assertive but not too charred. This has a sweet attack, its richness and concentration cut by sinewy tannins. This is in a muscular style but isn’t tough thanks to its underlying sucrosity, and fine acidity gives it persistence and drive.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2000 San Leonardo comes from a relatively uneventful vintage and displays classic characteristics of the wine, without extreme high or low points. In fact, this vintage will be remembered for its even-keeled nature and abundant fruit generosity. The wine still tastes young, despite its 15 years in the bottle. It opens to plush cherry, blackberry, Indian spice and tobacco. There’s a point of strong firmness to the tannins that suggest it needs a few more years in the bottle. Harvest was finished on time by mid-October. By the 2000 vintage, Tenuta San Leonardo had reached its current average production of 95,000 bottles per year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPDusty rose, a mix of dried cherries, black currant, plums and smoky minerality make the 2000 San Leonardo a total pleasure. Round textures give way to ripe red and black berry fruit, contrasted by a mix of stimulating acids and minerals. Fine tannins slowly mount toward the finale, which is long and spicy, leaning more toward the sour red fruit end of the spectrum. Peppery herbs linger, along with just a hint of heat that creates a warming effect, yet there’s no lack of balance. This warm and dry vintage created a larger-scale San Leonardo, which may not enjoy as long of a life as some of the surrounding years. Still, it is drinking beautifully right now and at no risk of decline in the immediate future.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Wild aromas of salt and pepper, with meat and fruit. Full-bodied and very rich, with amazing black pepper on the finish. I like this a lot. This could be a ringer for Syrah, but it is Sangiovese. Best after 2006. 2,215 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Immediately, you know you are before a great Brunello with bright fruit aromas backed by forest floor, balsam notes, bramble, blue flowers, red apple and mint. The presence of wood is all but invisible and the wine sings true to its territory and tradition. The wine’s natural acidity and intensity promise a long and glorious aging future before it.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe totally classic and remarkably youthful 2001 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva shows a dark garnet color in the glass with veins of amber and orange throughout. The bouquet is textbook high-elevation Montalcino purity, understated and refined, showing a dusting of autumnal spices and dried black cherries, evolving further with notes of flowery undergrowth and mineral tones. It’s silky and feminine in feel, “ethereal” comes to mind. A gorgeous display of red wild berries, savory herbs and spices coast across a core of bright acidity. There’s a structure here that remains unseen until the finale, as a coating of fine-grained tannin settles in under an air of sweet tobacco and roses that seem to go on and on and on. The 2001 Riserva is still making its slow progression toward its optimal drinking window, which I expect is still five to ten years away. What an unbelievably beautiful wine. Sampled from the winery cellar.Vinous Media | 95 VMBiondi-Santi’s 2001 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is just as terrific in bottle as it was when I tasted it from cask last year. A dark, translucent red, it reveals superb freshness in its aromatics, with notes of small red fruits, spices, flowers, mint and anise that you could get lost in. It is perhaps less rewarding on the palate today, but its class is amply evident in the purity of its fruit and silkiness of its tannins. This is a wine built for tertiary development that will occur over the following years and decades. Readers who appreciate classically built, age-worthy wines and have the time to wait will find much to admire. In the meantime, this Brunello is all about potential, and there is plenty of that here. It is a great effort. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2041.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPPure and elegant, offering cherry, floral, cedar and sage flavors, showing some heft on the palate, with dense tannins coupled to a silky texture. Focused on the primary Sangiovese fruit, this has not developed the complex bouquet of the older vintages. Tannins still rule the finish, with cherry, tobacco and mineral elements.—Biondi-Santi non-blind retrospective (July 2012). Best from 2025 through 2060. 611 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

This was a cooler year on Coastal Tuscany and the 2001 Messorio shows the signs of a slower and more prolonged evolution. The summer months were slightly cooler than average with more evident diurnal shifts towards the end of the growing season that helped to amplify the wine’s dark fruit aromas and its beautiful sense of grace and balanced power. A deep freeze during spring months naturally reduced yields in the vineyards. The wine’s slow and steady bottle evolution has established profound depth and silky persistence. The bouquet is highly distinctive thanks to the mineral notes and a touch of delicate herb (that reminded me of green clover) that lifts so delicately from the wine’s darkened core. The tannins are smooth and beautifully polished.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2001 Messorio is virtually impossible to fully appreciate in this setting because it is so many years away from maturity. The fruit is breathtaking in its beauty but remains quite primary, with only the subtlest hints of early tertiary nuance coming through from time to time. The finish is exceptionally polished, nuanced and silky. The 2001 is tough to resist today, but it will be even better in a few years’ time.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGLuscious blackberry and raspberry sauce aromas. Full-bodied, velvety and chewy tannins. Big and juicy wine. Long. Blockbuster style. Serious rock ’n’ roll red here. Pure Merlot. Best after 2007. 670 cases made, 30 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

This is a hopelessly gorgeous wine with so much energy, intensity, density and good cheer. The superb ensemble—Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot—delivers chocolate fudge, ripe cherry, rhubarb, cola, tobacco and cedar wood. It’s tight and supple, with seamless harmony and excellent succulence on the finish. But it’s that incredible intensity that truly sets this wine apart.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEDark ruby-purple in color, with complex aromas of dark chocolate, cola, vanilla, cedar and currant. Full-bodied yet ultrarefined, with dense, seamless, caressing tannins. Everything is in the right proportion. Superb. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best after 2009. 11,710 cases made, 2,450 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThis is a really balanced and beautiful year with chocolate, currant and walnut character. Medium body and fine and silky tannins. Shows autumnal and light mushroom undertones. Just moving into its maturity. A warm yet fresh vintage. Ready to drink.James Suckling | 96 JSThis strong series of 2004s continues with the gorgeous 2004 Ornellaia. A lively dark ruby, it is a vibrant effort bursting with expressive aromatics and layered, well-delineated fruit, showing much purity on the palate and closing with a long, finessed finish. Readers hoping to catch this wine’s full array of nuances will have to wait at least another few years as the wine remains quite primary today. This exquisite effort is not to be missed. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2019.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2004 Ornellaia (magnum) has always been a beautiful wine, but stylistically it stands out quite a bit from other vintages of this era, something that is particularly evident in this tasting. The 2004 is perhaps the most delicate, feminine Ornellaia ever made. Silky tannins frame a perfumed core of ripe fruit all the way through to the sublime finish. The wine’s inner fragrance, sweetness and balance are all impeccable. The 2004 remains one of my all-time favorite Ornellaias, and it is firing on all cylinders on this night. In 2004 the growing season was long and even, with a cool early summer and warmer late summer. Yields were on the high side, as the vines released the stored energy they had held in reserve from the previous year, which required the estate to aggressively green harvest in order to keep the plants in balance. The 2004 Ornellaia is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The relatively high percentage of Cabernet Franc may explain the 2004’s gorgeous, vivid bouquet. The wine spent a total of 18 months in oak (70% new) prior to being bottled.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGClosed at first behind a wall of tannin, this needs several hours to reveal its full potential. While those tannins remain strong, the flavor of the fruit-perfectly ripened to flavors of fig and black cherries during a long, even growing season-is what powers the wine. Elegantly composed of 60 percent cabernet sauvignon, 25 percent merlot and lesser amounts of franc and petit verdot, the 2004 is a classic vintage of Ornellaia. Cellar this and watch it develop over the next 10 to 20 years.Wine and Spirits | 93 W&S

Still very young. Shows complex aromas of ripe fruit, blackberries, plums and currants. Polished, with soft tannins, a full body and a very long finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSDisplays beautiful aromas of ripe fruit, with currant, plum and blackberry. This complex and full-bodied Tuscan red has soft, polished tannins and a long, long finish. Shows a deft hand in the winemaking. Best after 2012. 11,660 cases made, 2,440 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 2005 Ornellaia opens with striking, compelling aromatics that draw the taster in. Still deep, rich and intense throughout, the 2005 has held up beautifully. Sweet herbs, tobacco, spices, sage and plums add shades of dimension to a core of super-ripe, exotic fruit that is one of the vestiges of a late-ripening vintage in which the fruit was allowed to hang until the very end. The 2005 remains an infant. It should drink well for another 15+ years.Vinous Media | 94 VMThe medium-bodied 2005 Ornellaia shows plenty of delineation in its dark cherries, blueberries, spices, minerals and crushed rocks. The 2005 doesn’t have the detail of the 2004 or the richness of the 2006, but it does offer notable finesse and clarity in an understated style for this wine. My impression is that this will be a relatively early-maturing vintage of Ornellaia, which is not a bad thing, considering the age-worthiness of the two vintages which surround it. In 2005 Ornellaia is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. It is a big success in this vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

This is a Masseto that is its own now with balance and harmony. It shows delicate chocolate and berry character with hints of hazelnut. Medium to full body. Long silky finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 96 JSTasted next to the 2002, the 2005 Masseto is perhaps a bit edgier, with an extra kick of tannic intensity that gives the wine its sense of direction and a good kick of energy too. I very much admire the tension in the 2005, a wine built on freshness, aromatic depth and mid-weight structure. Cool, rainy weather towards the end of the season resulted in a late harvest that took place between September 14 and 30.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGFruit was picked later than normal and the Masseto Merlot does indeed show mature aromas of black cherry, ripe blackberry, earthy iron and polished stone. The intensity and purity are amazing and the wine is sophisticated, soft and very rich on the finish. It is already showing beautiful evolution in the glass.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2005 Masseto (Merlot) is simply gorgeous. A wine of extraordinary class and personality, it remains very primary in its dark fruit, licorice, cassis and toasted oak. It offers notable concentration and well-integrated tannins, all of which convey an impression of awesome harmony, finesse and balance. The tricky growing season seems to have been less of an issue for the Merlot, particularly in the old-vine Masseto Centrale vineyard. The 2005 Masseto has been superb every time I have tasted it thus far. As is often the case, the wine requires at least a few years of bottle age before it becomes approachable. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPAn exotic bouquet reveals floral, spice, cherry compote and truffle elements. A Masseto that’s all about elegance, with a silky texture, wild berry fruit, firm tannins and bright acidity. This still has some tannins to give, but is delicious now. Fine length. Merlot.—Non-blind Masseto vertical (October 2017). Drink now through 2033. 2,660 cases made, 550 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS