Isole e Olena - Cepparello Red 2003

Isole e Olena - Cepparello Red 2003 (93 TSW)

Two weeks ago we tasted this beautiful 100% Sangiovese wine at @andrewinereviews

Paolo uses the most beautiful and last harvested selection of his Sangiovese grapes for the Ceparello (which takes its name from the stream that flows through Isole e Olena). The sticks are planted on galestro (a mix of schist and clay) in vineyards at an altitude of about 400 meters. The vineyards are located in the Barberino Tavarnelle sub-region, one of the top terroirs in Chianti Classico (Grand Cru Classifica A according to Jancis Robinson's Italy expert Walter Speller).

After harvest and soaking, the wine is fermented in wooden vats. It is trained for 18 months in new and used barriques of French and American oak. The end result is a beautiful wine expressing the very best of the Sangiovese grape and Chianti Classico terroir. Paolo’s signature is evident in the sophisticated balance and enormous finesse. Without a doubt one of the greatest wines in Italy.

My tasting notes:

In the glass a bright ruby red color with garnet reflections.
On the medium(+) nose aromas of ripe red currants, dried berries and cherries with hints of leather, tobacco, earth and vanilla.
On the palate dry, medium(+) bodied with medium acidity and tannins. Perfect in balance showing flavours that are a recall of the nose. Long and persistent finish.

In recent years Paolo de Marchi has worked hard to create and refine the conditions for the production of top-quality wines. The trained oenologist, who settled in 1976 in the west of Chianti Classico near the hamlets of Isole and Olena in the then still unprofitable parental estate, studied among other things at the Research Institute for Horticulture and Viticulture in Geisenheim and at the famous Research Institute in Montpellier.

In cooperation with several universities, De Marchi has sought out and planted the best clones for its sites. The unswerving winemaker has revived old wine terraces or abandoned them in poorer locations and changed the cultivation and cultivation of the soil.