Wine Advisor
Isole e Olena, Cepparello Toscana 2014
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A firm and silky red with plum and chocolate character throughout. Lean and fine textured. Give the wine a year or two to soften the acidity. Drink in 2019.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This vintage is dominate by leafy lightness, offering lemon leaves, red cherries, raspberries and licorice. Full-bodied, with fully condensed, velvety tannins, zesty acidity and a super tense, lifted aftertaste. Drink or hold.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
The 2014 Cepparello is truly beautiful, and it absolutely transcends the expectation of the vintage. This beautiful Sangiovese is full and generous on all levels. It offers an upfront presentation with opulent fruit, deep layering and fine elegance. This is a special kind of magic. The wine opens to an inky dark appearance followed by generous flavors of dark cherry, black currant, red rose and cured tobacco. I just love the way this wine integrates with the palate, becoming one in soul and substance. This is a wine to put in your cellar.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Here is another big surprise from an underdog vintage. The 2014 Cepparello had recently been bottled when I preview tasted it, but it is far from its release date. Paolo De Marchi sold off any finished wine that did not live up to his standards and picked the very best results for this edition. Production this vintage is down by almost a quarter. This is a beauty. It flaunts a deep, dark appearance with succulent fruit, savory spice, leather and grilled herb. The oak element needs additional time to integrate and it surely will as the wine continues its slow bottle evolution. Only a third of the blend is aged in new oak. This upcoming Cepparello is a wine of substance and distinction.
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
