2009 Ornellaia

Mid ruby. Interesting flavours – rhubarb, blueberry. Lovely open complexity with a little herbal element too. Smooth but high tannins on the finish. Dry, lengthy and savoury. Lovely quality of fruit sets this apart. (RH)

52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Hot dry summer, with hot winds hastening the ripening, especially for Merlot. Rain in mid September gave the later-ripening varieties a breathing spell. Harvest 26 Aug to 6 Oct. 20-25 days' post-ferment maceration. Malo mainly in barriques (70% new). Blended after 12 months in barrel, then another 6 months in oak. 12 months in bottle prior to release. Much sweeter and riper on the nose than the 2010, more opulent, more sweetly spiced, a lot more expressive than the 2010 but feels thicker in the mouth. Really Merlot fruit with dark plums and damsons but a touch of red fruit too, and not a hint of overripeness. Much more right bank than 2010's left-bank character. Dry, deep, thick but rounded tannins. Polished already though it is still very young. The alcohol shows in the finish but it is not hot thanks to the fine texture. (JH)

52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Very deep crimson. Rather more contained than previous vintages. More like a super-ripe claret than an exercise in extremes. Fresh and revitalising. But with no rough edges. Very easy to like. With good control of heat and sweetness and kid glove treatment of tannins. Gosh, what a lot of effort has gone into this! No chocolate. Just pleasure. Should be lovely with the calves liver and onions that await it. (JR)