Latest Isole e Olena Releases

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  2019 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico

  Tuscany, ITALY

  $44. 99

  Bottle

  $539.88 Dozen

  Sold Out

  Cellar: Drink now - 8 Years (2022-2030)

  ABV: 14.5%

  Closure: Cork

  This iconic Tuscan Estate was established in the 1950’s when the father of current winemaker Paolo de Marchi purchased the adjoining estates of Isole and Olena.
  A blend of 83% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 2% Syrah with maturation taking place in large oak barrels for approximately 12 months. Deep dark red colour with black tinged edges and a dark red hue. Lifted red cherry and red currant aromas have a fresh herb overlay with subtle earthy graphite, tobacco and spicy cedar notes ensuing. The fresh, mid weighted palate features delicious red currant and red cherry fruit over a tense back drop of earthy graphite characters, subtle black olive, tobacco and spicy cedar. Vibrant acidity and fine grained tannins form an elegant framework. Lighter on its feet than the 2018 it finishes with an energetic, refined savouriness.
  Drink over the next 6-8 years.
  Alc. 14.5%

  Other Reviews….
  Made with 83% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 2% Syrah, this lovely, delicious red races out of the gate with enticing scents of perfumed berries, blue flowers, forest floor and baking spice. Smooth and savory, the juicy palate features ripe Morello cherry, crushed raspberry, white pepper and star anise alongside polished tannins. It's already drinking beautifully but will also offer several years of sheer pleasure. Drink through 2025.
  94 points
  Wine Enthusiast

  Perfumed nose of dried roses, wild mushrooms, sour cherries, raspberries, olives and spices. Medium-bodied with a firm yet supple tannin frame and a creamy core of red fruit. Delicious finish. Drink or hold.
  93 points
  JamesSuckling.com

  Owner Paolo di Marchi has not chased the current trend to increase the percentage of Sangiovese and continues to blend Canaiolo Nero and a small percentage of Syrah in his deliciously reliable Chianti Classico. Aromas reveal a warm stone flintiness along with baked Mediterranean herbs and scented purple flowers. Limpid and linear, the palate builds with black plum, rose and sweet earth. Full yet vivid, it's polished yet soulful with seductive truffle nuances to finish, all held together with fine, chalky tannins. Drinking Window 2023 – 2031.
  94 points
  Decanter.com

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  2016 Isole e Olena Cepparello

  Tuscany, ITALY

  $175. 00

  Bottle

  $2100.00 Dozen

  Sold Out

  Cellar: 8 - 10 Years (2028-2030)

  ABV: 15%

  Closure: Stelvin

  Totally opaque black dark red core with a deep dark red hue. Intense ripe red to blackcurrant and liquorice aromatics are complimented by vanillin cedar, earthy tobacco notes, dried herbs, leather and spice. The rich medium to full bodied palate is a powerhouse of ripe blackcurrant and dark cherry fruits which are set against a back drop of firm, grippy yet well integrated tannins and bright acidity which together forge a great framework for long term cellaring. Chiming in on the back half are aspects of dusty vanillin cedar, earthy tobacco characters, dried herb, old leather and spice. Dry muscular finish with a long rustic and tightly wound aftertaste.
  Cellar 8-10 years.
  Alc. 15%
  
  Other Reviews....
  The beautiful Isole e Olena 2016 Cepparello is a gorgeous and precise expression of Sangiovese. This is one of the icon wines of the vintage that shows a naked and transparent portrait of the grape on the one hand, with the complexity of the vintage and its territory on the other. Cepparello is like a crystal ball into the heart and soul of Sangiovese, Tuscany's mighty red grape. It is fermented in conical oak casks and later aged 20 months in 95% French and 5% American oak, of which only one-third is new wood. The wine delivers ample structure and contouring, with a firm and silky consistency at its core. Some 42,000 bottles were made. This wine should age over the better part of the next 20 years. Drink 2021-2045.
  97 points
  Monica Larner - Wine Advocate (Sep 2019)

  The 2016 Cepparello is dense, dark and also very closed in on itself. Those qualities bode well for the future, but readers will have to be patient, as the 2016 is going to need at least a few years to come into its own. Black cherry, plum, lavender, spice and new leather gradually open up in the glass, but the 2016 is not ready to show all of its cards. This fruit was brought in during the second week of October, which is pretty much optimal at Isole e Olena. The 2016 spent 20 months in French oak, with a bit less than 30% new oak, and a few months in cask prior to bottling. An explosion of floral and spice notes punctuates the super-refined finish. The 2016 is shaping up to be epic. Don't miss it! Drink 2024-2046.
  97+ points
  Antonio Galloni - Vinous

  This is a beautiful Cepparello with transparency and verve; it opens with dark cherries, blackberries, citrus, cumin, Thai basil and eucalyptus. What really strikes you about this wine are not the first sensations of muscular tannin, nor the plush fruit suspended above darker spices — though they are all impressive — but the sudden dart of acidity on the long finish that appears seemingly from nowhere and keeps you coming back for more.
  95 points
  James Suckling

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• • 96

  2008 Isole e Olena Vin Santo del Chianti Classico (375ml)

  Tuscany, ITALY

  $84. 99

  Bottle

  $1019.88 Dozen

  Sold Out

  ABV: 13%

  Closure: Cork

  Other Reviews....
  The 2008 Vin Santo del Chianti Classico is fabulous. Rich, deep and exotically beautiful, the 2008 has so much to offer. Ten years in small casks yielded a Vin Santo loaded with personality, complexity and character. Orange confit, burnt sugar, dried herbs, spice and caramel are some of the many notes that lift out of the glass. A touch of Petit Manseng (unusual in Vin Santo) helps brighten the acids. If I had to pick only one bottle to demonstrate what Vin Santo is all about, it might very well be Isole e Olena's 2008, as it is a real reference-point of both excellence and pedigree.
  96 points
  Antonio Galloni - Vinous

  Mid-deep amber with orange glints. Rich, fudgy, walnut marzipan aromatics, with dried, mixed citrus peel, cooked apricots and layers of Christmas cake spices. Fully sweet and rich, with cooked apricot and citrus that quickly gives way to Christmas spice, dark chocolate and some polished wood. Brisk acidity just about copes with the sweetness on the front palate, to allow the long, walnut finish to carry through.
  17/20 points
  Tim Jackson MW - jancisrobinson.com

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  2016 Isole e Olena Collezione Privata Syrah

  Tuscany, ITALY

  $115. 00

  Bottle

  $1380.00 Dozen

  Sold Out

  Cellar: Drink now - 10 Years (2021-2031)

  ABV: 14%

  Closure: Cork

  Dense black as night core with a deep dark red black tinged hue. Perfumed violet top notes are followed by fresh blackberry, dark cherry and liquorice scents which are complimented by peppered meats, earthy graphite and spicy black olive notes. Medium bodied, supremely fine and elegant, the palate is flooded with rich blackberry, fresh plum, dark cherry and liquorice fruits. Elements of scorched earth, dried meats, black olives and blackpepper sit underneath. Finishes with resounding freshness, the tannins smooth yet very structural. Long refined and slightly chewy conclusion with subtle notions of smoky leather making an appearance for added complexity.
  Drink over the next 8-10 years.
  Alc. 14%
  
  Other Reviews....
  I absolutely love this profound and beautiful Syrah from Tuscany. The 2016 Syrah Collezione Privata offers a unique interpretation of the grape that delivers much of the heft, power, smokiness and textural richness of the French grape, however it also shows purely Italian flares of grilled herb, blue flower, moist earth and Toscano cigar. Bold cherry fruit fills the core of this wine, and there is plenty of padding and extra richness at the edges. The wine is rich, velvety and long in terms of mouthfeel. It ages in oak for 18 months. Some 5,000 bottles were made. Drink 2020 - 2040.
  96 points
  Monica Larner - Wine Advocate (Sep 2019)

  The 2016 Syrah is a fascinating contrast to the 2015. The cooler vintage (vis-à-vis) 2015 yielded a perfumed, silky wine that dazzled with finesse. Silky tannins wrap around a core of dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and licorice. Vivid and finely sculpted, with tremendous nuance, the 2016 has it all. Paolo De Marchi did five vinifications and used a touch of whole clusters in all the lots, which really seems to bring out an extra dimension of aromatic complexity. Drink 2023-2036.
  98 points
  Antonio Galloni - Vinous

  This screams syrah when you taste it blind, and for all the right reasons — lamb, steak and charcuterie are all there in abundance. Behind that are more herbal nuances, such as blackberry leaf and juniper berries and, of course, blackberries and blackcurrants. On the palate, this toes a fine line between overt ripeness, raw muscle and resounding mineral freshness. Full-bodied and very long and chewy. Even better than the 2015.
  96 points
  James Suckling

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  2010 Proprieta Sperino Lessona

  Piedmont, ITALY

  $99. 99

  Bottle

  $1199.88 Dozen

  Sold Out

  Cellar: Drink now - 4 Years (2020-2024)

  ABV: 14%

  Closure: Cork

  Tuscan superstar Paolo de Marchi from Isole e Olena took over the Sperino estate in 1999 with dreams of revitalising the property which had been owned by the Di Marchi family since the early-1900s and realising the dream of returning to his family’s origins. Located in the small town of Lessona in Northern Piedmont, Paolo farms his vines from the regions Pliocene marine sands at around 300 metres above sea level. The varieties are of course Nebbiolo for the Lessona DOC, with the addition of Vespolina and Croatina for the Uvaggio Costa della Sesia DOC. These are beautifully crafted wines from one of Italy’s great winemakers.
  
  Very deep dark red colour with black tinged edges and a dark brick red hue. Stemming from the glass are pronounced ripe blackcurrant and dark cherry aromas which intermingle with dried herb, spicy tobacco, earth and old leather notes along the way. Bold and rich with a supple entry, the mouth is awash with blackcurrant and dark cherry fruits which are quite ripe and fleshy for Nebbiolo. Complexing elements of earthy dried herb characters, tobacco, spicy old cedar and leather also drift across the back half. Whilst still bright, time has softened the acidity and tannins to the extent that there’s almost a velvet like feel to the wine. Slightly robust on the finish yet long and rather luxurious.
  Drink over the next 3-4 years.
  Alc. 14%

  Other Reviews....
  Here is an older vintage that bursts open from the glass with a delicate, almost Burgundian personality. The 2010 Lessona comes from granite-rich and sandy soils at the base of the Italian Alps. The wine opens to a pretty garnet color and a brilliant ruby hue. Nebbiolo from Alto Piemonte tends to show a lower threshold of tannic astringency, and this wine is silky, graceful and finely textured as a result. Open-casks fermentation shapes an accessible and generous bouquet with wild berry, moist earthy tones and anise seed. Drink 2017-2028.
  94 points
  Monica Larner - Wine Advocate (Sep 2017)

  A total knockout, the 2010 Lessona is laced with freshly cut flowers, sweet red berries, mint, anise and new leather, all supported by fine, silky tannins that convey an impression of weightless elegance. The flavors are bright, precise and very nicely sculpted in this mid-weight Lessona from Sperino, yet there is plenty of depth in the fruit to balance out the tannins. The 2010 is already quite pretty and should continue to drink well for another 10-15 years, if not longer. The 2010 is 100% Nebbiolo that spent 3 years in a combination of 5 and 15HL casks. Readers seeking to understand how magical Nebbiolo can be in the northern reaches of Piedmont should start here; this is a fabulous showing from Sperino. Drink 2016-2030.
  94+ points
  Antonio Galloni - Vinous

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