Chianti Classico DOCG 2023

Isole e Olena | Tuscany
Isole e Olena S.r.l. | Loc. Isole 1 | IT 50021 Barberino Val d'Elsa

09462223 · 0,75 l · 38,67 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shippingavailable immediately

1976 was Paolo De Marchis's first year at Isole e Olena. He was 25; at that time, Chianti Classico was a wine that hardly anyone thought had a future, and the two medieval hamlets – Isole and Olena – were what his father Francesco had bought in 1956: two dilapidated farmsteads in the hills west of Castellina. Paolo stayed. For almost fifty years. What he made of this estate changed the history of Chianti Classico. He was one of the first to vinify Sangiovese separately, one of the first to bring the hillside terraces back into cultivation, and one of the first to take Sangiovese seriously as a single variety. His Cepparello – first bottled in 1980 – became one of Italy's benchmark wines. Emanuele Reolon, the new technical director at Isole e Olena, sums it up as follows: "Paolo brought the Piedmontese style to Tuscany. He treated Sangiovese like Nebbiolo." Back then, it was revolutionary. Today, it is dogma.

In 2022, Paolo sold the estate to Groupe EPI. Emanuele Reolon joined the team in September 2023. The 2023 vintage was the first they harvested together – Reolon and De Marchi, shoulder to shoulder in the vineyards that Paolo had tended for half a century. In early 2024, Paolo travelled to Alto Piemonte to stay with his son Luca. The keys remained in Barberino Val d'Elsa. The 2023 vintage tells this story. 56 hectares of vineyards at altitudes of 300 to 500 metres, completely surrounded by woodland – no other Chianti Classico estate is so secluded. Sangiovese and Canaiolo, hand-harvested, fermented in stainless steel, aged in large oak barrels. The style that Paolo defined: freshness, elegance, purity of fruit. Reolon has changed nothing – because nothing needs changing.

A brilliant ruby red. On the nose, cherry, raspberry, redcurrant, violet, lavender and thyme – fresh, precise and with great aromatic purity. On the palate, it is pleasant and well-structured, supported by good body and lively acidity, with a long, seductive finish. The style of Paolo De Marchi – and Emanuele Reolon's first step. All in one glass, and very well done. SUPERIORE.DE

"Mature and complex, with notes of red cherry, raspberry, red liquorice, floral aromas, dried herbs and woody, spicy notes; good ageing potential." Decanter

"A spicy and smoky wine with assertive aromas of embers, graphite, dried cherries, violets and minerals. Medium- to full-bodied with a supple palate, velvety tannins and citrus flavors. A tight-knit structure with a refreshing finish." James Suckling