A blend of 74% Sauvignon Blanc, 13% Viognier and 13% Petit Manseng, this 2014 has aroma of beeswax, passionfruit and candied lemons. The oily, textured palate features pronounced flavours of melon, apricot, grapefruit peel and baking spices, all surrounded by fresh acidity and with a long, persistent finish. A fantastic wine to drink now, or age for five to seven years.
The 2014 Ornellaia Bianco checks in as a blend of 74% Sauvignon Blanc and the balance equal parts Viognier and Petit Manseng, all seeing the standard 30% new barrels. Despite the differences in the blend compared to the 2015 and 2016, it's not drastically different and has a pure, clean, medium-bodied style that builds with time in the glass. Beautiful notes of crisp melon, lime, and citrus pith as well as ample minerality all flow to a medium-bodied, beautifully balanced white that just glides over the palate with fabulous purity and poise. It's a thrilling wine to drink over the coming decade or more.
This is a more vibrant and fresh style of the Ornellaia. Medium to full body, sliced white peach and pineapple. Savory and minerally, even salty. Complex and vivid. All barrel fermented and aged 12 months but only 25% new. Drink now.
The 2014 Ornellaia Bianco is a real head-turner. A wine of tension, body and pure acid-driven energy, the 2014 bears more than a passing resemblance to the dry whites of winemaker Axel Heinz's native Bordeaux. Orchard fruit, lemon confit, mint and white flowers all develop in the glass, but the 2014 is above all else a wine of texture and intensity. The Ornellaia Bianco sets a new standard for what is possible for dry whites on the Tuscan coast. The Bianco is a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Viognier and 15% Petit Manseng. (Vinous)
To be released in October 2016, the 2014 Bianco Ornellaia is a beautifully luminous and brilliant white wine. Last year's inaugural edition was 70/30 Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier, but this year's release sees only 15% Viognier and a small percentage (from 5-7%) of Petit Manseng. I want to point out that I'm noticing a very interesting upswing of Petit Manseng in Coastal Tuscany. This new composition results in a wine with a rich and broad approach and a less pointed or floral bouquet. Instead of those more common and banal tropical fruit aromas, this wine offers a fascinating medley of stone fruit, viennoiserie pastry and crushed mineral. Only 4,000 bottles are produced.
TWI
93pts
The Wine Independent
2014 was a more challenging vintage for Ornellaia Bianco. There was a mild, warm winter but a cold and rainy August. The 2014 Ornellaia Bianco is much lighter in colour than the 2013, a pale, white gold and the nose is much fresher and brighter with delicate cream and grassy, green fruit notes. The aromas are purer and more limpid. On the palate there is a lovely texture, which is balanced by mouth-watering acidity. This is a fresh, lively wine, if a little uncomplicated in terms of flavor, but with zesty, green flavors, green apple-skins, and no bitter phenolic twist. In 2014 the team experimented by using a little plot of Verdicchio and Petit Manseng, but Axel Heinz is not convinced that they are necessarily great for dry wines. “Verdicchio is not so much of a team player” he says. Personally, I prefer the crispness and vibrancy of the 2014 to the richness and maturity of the 2013 at this stage in its life.
This is fully mature, exhibiting aromas and flavors of beeswax, lanolin, honey and salted butter, with grace notes of wild thyme and rosemary. Solid and distinctive. Drink now. 75 cases imported.
Winery Notes
Ornellaia Bianco was crafted alongside Ornellaia’s flagship wine and translates the essence of the estate’s terroir into a light-filled interpretation of the sun and sea of Bolgheri. Vineyard parcels secretly mind the balance until the time comes to harvest the grapes before challenging time with taut and elegant complexity.
Pre-arrival
Case Only
