Wine Advisor
Isole e Olena, Cepparello Toscana 2022
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Restrained at the first sniff, this vintage shines with smoky and straw aromas, together with intense violets, bright red cherries and cherry stones. Cedar wood in depth. Full-bodied and extracted, yet full of fruit sweetness, displaying velvety tannins and crisp integrated acidity which enhances and lengthens the cherry flavor. Super polished finish which is not always the case in this vintage. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
This is my first taste of Isole e Olena's landmark wine now that this historic estate has passed from the ownership of the De Marchi family to France's EPI Group (Société Européenne de Participations Industrielles). The 2022 Cepparello is all Sangiovese from this magnificent property that covers the rolling hills between two tiny hamlets, one named Isole and the other Olena. In between are vineyards on well-draining soils with galestro shale, open vistas and gentle breezes. These conditions contribute to the vibrancy of the fruit and its natural freshness. Winemaking for Cepparello follows a familiar pattern, starting with fermentation in cone-shaped vats and aging in a combination of barrique, tonneaux and botte grande for 18 months. I can't say that this is my favorite vintage of Cepparello, especially when I think back to 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2021. The 2022 offers sweeping flavors and good concentration, but it does not have the same depth or length. With dark cherry, blackcurrant, spice and iris root, this is an elegant wine with an accessible personality that makes it approachable without too much fuss. Production is 50,000 bottles.
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
