A benchmark producer that can deliver consistently quality wines. Also, one of the few producers that grows a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% Syrah and 100% in his lineup. Not common to see in the Chianti area. That is good news though, Isole e Olena’s Chianti is awesome since it is one of the few that blend Sangiovese and Syrah. And the quality of Syrah in this estate is exceptional. This results in an awesome colored Chianti that will shine in your glass. This is a chianti with a bold structure and the Syrah brings a touch of spiciness to this wine. It is just a great chianti that really become a staple around the world. Red cherries are dominant here, but everything comes along with this beautiful hint of cedar, spice and crushed earth. I love it.
2021 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico
Though recently sold to the EPI group, Isole e Olena remains the legacy of Paolo De Marchi, one of the most important figures in Italian wine. In the western part of Chianti Classico, the estate was instrumental in removing white grapes from the Chianti blend and championing 100% Sangiovese. Its wines are celebrated for elegance, high-toned aromatics and polished tannins.
The flagship, “Cepparello”, first made in 1980, was De Marchi’s statement that Sangiovese deserved to stand on its own, outside the appellation rules of the time. It became a legend at once and remains a benchmark for the grape. The 2021 combines power and finesse: dark cherry, violets, leather and sweet spice, graphite and balsamic herbs, aged in French oak, about a third of it new.
The estate is also unusual in Chianti for growing Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, and its Chianti Classico includes a touch of Syrah, which adds colour and spice to red cherry, cedar and crushed earth.