Wine Advisor
Isole e Olena, Cepparello Toscana 2003
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2003 Cepparello is stunningly beautiful. Layers of dark red fruit, flowers, licorice and mint wrap around the palate in this dramatic, large-scaled Cepparello. The warmth of the vintage comes through just in the wine’s volume, otherwise this is a very classic Cepparello that never strays far from its roots. Impossibly fine, silky tannins wrap around the finish. There is a Pommard-like overtness that is quite attractive. Overall, though, this is a wine that handled the heat of the year with extraordinary grace. It remains one of the finest 2003s from Tuscany, as well as a poignant reminder that top growers often find a way to make wines that exceed expectations in smaller or more difficult years. The 2003 is one of the most pleasant surprises of this vertical. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022. Proprietor Paolo De Marchi has left an indelible and highly personal stamp on Isole e Olena, and all of Chianti Classico for that matter. Originally of Piedmontese descent, De Marchi stands apart from many of his colleagues for his vocal opinions and intense dedication to the vineyard above all else. Since taking over his family’s estate in the late 1970s, De Marchi has transformed Isole e Olena into a powerhouse. The flagship Cepparello is 100% Sangiovese aged in French oak barrels. This nearly complete vertical charts the history of one of Tuscany’s most compelling wines. The first Cepparellos were vinified in cement. The cellar was heated to induce malolactic fermentation and the wines were subsequently aged roughly equal parts Slavonian oak casks and smaller French oak barriques, with a dollop of chestnut barrels thrown into the mix. It was a time of enormous sacrifice, given that green harvesting was viewed as throwing money out of the window, and every purchase of new French oak barrels was accompanied by a stern reprimand from De Marchi’s father to pay attention to costs. But De Marchi persevered. The fruits of his hard labor and pricing are amply captured in these magnificent wines.Over the years Cepparello has acquired a level of finesse it rarely had at the outset. Some of the refinements include giving the wines more air in vinification and an increase in the period of elevage in oak from 12-14 months to 18-20 months, which is the norm today. De Marchi says he started getting better quality oak around 1993, but it is the increased age of the vineyards themselves that have given Cepparello its finesse. Isole e Olena Cepparello Key Points: 1. 100% Sangiovese aged in French oak barrels 2. The top selection of the estate’s best fruits from their vineyards in Barberino Val d’Elsa, in the northern part of Chianti Classico 3. A style that emphasizes finesse over power, especially with bottle age 4. Aging potential: 20+ years
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2003 Cepparello (100% Sangiovese aged in French oak, 1/3 new) opens with an intense nose of very ripe fruit and sweet toasted oak. Round and supple on the palate, it presents terrific balance in its expression of the hot vintage while preserving a surprising amount of freshness. It may not quite have the finesse of the 2004, but that is really splitting hairs at this high level of achievement. It is an awesome effort from the inspired Paolo De Marchi. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2018. Various American importers including: Petit Pois, Merion, PA; tel. (856) 608-9644; Carolina Wine Company, Norwood, MA; tel. (781) 278-2000; Giuliana Imports, Boulder, CO; tel. (303) 449-5477; The Country Vintner, Louisa, VA; tel. (804) 784-2886; Grape Expectation Inc., Richmond, CA; tel. (510) 412-5969; Bommarito Wines, Saint Louis, MO; tel. (314) 961-8996; Connoiseur Wines, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 561-8705
About the Producer
The Isola et Olena Estate, run by Paolo de Marchi, is yet another property that has seen a dramatic rise in quality over the last few decades. Paolo's family, originally from Piedmont, purchased the estate in the 1960s. His attention to detail in both the vineyard and the winery was the driving force that turned quality around. The wines have Cepparello at their head, a barrique-aged Sangiovese classified as an IGT - because at the time of its creation in the 1980s a wine comprising 100% Sangiovese could not legally be labelled as Chianti. There is a Chianti Classico and a Vin Santo, as well as some excellent wines from the Collezione de Marchi label, including a Syrah called Eremo, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chardonnay
