2008 Cepparello, Isole e Olena, Tuscany, Italy
Critics reviews
Antonio Galloni - 30/06/2012
About this WINE
Isole e Olena
The Isole et Olena Estate, run by Paolo de Marchi for 45 years, is a Tuscan 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 estate was purchased by the EPI group recently, who have expertise in Tuscany, also owning the famed Montalcino estate Biondi-Santi.
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.
Sangiovese
A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.
It is a high yielding, late ripening grape that performs best on well-drained calcareous soils on south-facing hillsides. For years it was blighted by poor clonal selection and massive overcropping - however since the 1980s the quality of Sangiovese-based wines has rocketed upwards and they are now some of the most sought after in the world.
It produces wines with pronounced tannins and acidity, though not always with great depth of colour, and its character can vary from farmyard/leather nuances through to essence of red cherries and plums. In the 1960s the advent of Super Tuscans saw bottlings of 100% Sangiovese wines, as well as the introduction of Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blends, the most famous being Tignanello.
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Description
Good deep red. Aromas of redcurrant, plum, minerals and licorice are complicated by a gamey quality. Nicely delineated if a bit tight and ungiving, with a floral topnote contributing to the wine's high-pitched character.
Finishes with firm tannic grip and a strongly savory, aromatic edge. I wanted a bit more pliancy, but then that's the case with many other '08s. Drink 2016-2022
90+/100 points Ian D'Agata, vinous.com, July 2012 A dry but chilly end to summer 2008 resulted in a wine more austere in its youth than most recent vintages of Cepparello. Revisiting it after five years in bottle (which follows 20 months in a combination of new and older, French and American barrels), the acidity and elegant, angular frame remain; but the nose is far more expressive and, on the palate, crunch is giving way to succulence. As the aroma of grilled meat emerges to complement those of spice, earth and red and black cherries, this is becoming quite magical.
Not a blend and therefore a ‘Super Tuscan’ rather than Chianti, Cepparello makes an incontrovertible statement – if one were needed – about the nobility of Sangiovese.
Drink it over the next decade. Regularly if possible!
Will Heslop, Buying Team
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