Ornellaia Masseto Merlot 2012

Lobenberg: Lobenberg: Schwarz. Massive, dichte Nase, schwarze Beeren, etwas erdige Würze. Im Mund viel Druck und Frucht, opulent, fast fett, konzentriertes Finish. 99/100

Suckling: Fantastic aromas of lavender, rosemary, violets and currants. Full body, a wonderful concentration of fruit yet tense and taunt energy. The new wood is exposed now but will become integrated and polished. Give it three or four years together. The pure merlot magic is there. The 2011 was a perfect wine, and this is very close indeed. 99/100 (2015)

Parker: The 2012 Masseto is seductive from the first sip. The 2011 edition of this wine was very successful, and not too different in character from this wine. What the 2012 vintage offers instead is a level of textural richness and creaminess that is absolutely outstanding. The very nature of the fruit feels velvety and silky smooth, without a single ripple. The bouquet reveals upfront aromas of dark cherry and spice that are contrasted perfectly against one another. Classic vintages of Masseto include 2001 and 2006. The 2012 vintage doesn't offer the same backbone firmness as those years, but it offers lots more exuberant richness instead. Some 32,000 bottles were produced. The wine should hold forward for many, many years. 95/100 (2015)

Jancis Robinson: After tasting the 1998 and 2004, this is in a much younger phase, with intense primary black fruit that is only just starting to shake its tailfeathers. But the palate is already ahead of the game with layers of chocolate, vanilla, cedar, tobacco and a touch of vegetal complexity. Blossoming, with the exuberance of youth and the first signs of the greatness that will accumulate in bottle. 19+/20 (2025)

Falstaff: Funkelndes, dichtes Rubin-Violett. Satte und einprägsame Nase, zeigt Noten von Holunderbeeren, Brombeeren und Cassis, dazu Tabak und Zedernholz. Am Gaumen wie aus einem Guss, viel satte und präsente Frucht, vor allem Brombeere, auch etwas Lakritze, öffnet sich dann mit mächtigem, dichtmaschigem Tannin, vielschichtig, im Finale sehr langer Nachhall mit dezenten Kakaonoten. 98/100 (2015)