Isole e Olena Chianti Classico 2020

Isole e Olena Chianti Classico

Region: Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy

Vintage: 2020

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: 90% Sangiovese 5% Canaiolo 5% Other red varieties

ABV: 14%

This Chianti Classico is bright ruby red in colour. The nose shows red fruit aromas with typical sour cherry and bramble notes, followed by tobacco, warm vanilla, leather, sage and violet. The palate is bright and vibrant with a lengthy and intense finish.

The vineyards are located in the high San Donato in Poggio area, at an altitude of 350-480 metres above sea level and face South/South-West. Vines are 54/58 years old and planted with 3,000 (older vineyards) – 7,350/6,500 (new vineyards) with spur-pruned cordon and guyot system. Here soil is a mixture of limestone, clay slates, marls and sandstone.Paolo De Marchi was one of the first producers in Chianti Classico to plant high density vineyards with new lower yielding clones of Sangiovese in the 1980s. In many cases he returned to the poor soils on hillside sites that had been abandoned when quantity took precedent over quality. As a result of these changes, Paolo gets better grapes, and hence better wines.

The name 'Isole e Olena' came about in the 1950s when two adjoining estates, 'Isole' and 'Olena', were purchased by the De Marchi family and combined to form one. The history of both estates dates back many hundreds of years, and the earliest documentation of the village of Olena goes as far back as the 12th century. During the 1950s, the De Marchi family planted specialised vineyards and expanded the cellars. Today, the estate is run by Paolo De Marchi and his wife Marta. Paolo comes from a family with three generations of winemaking experience in the northern part of Piemonte and his older son, Luca, now runs the family estate there, Proprietà Sperino.