2020 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana 6pk 6x750ml

The Isole e Olena estate was founded in 1956, when Francesco De Marchi purchased two adjoining Chianti Classico hamlets — Isole and Olena — near Castellina in Chianti.

It was his son Paolo who set the estate on its path toward greatness, arriving in 1976 and bringing with him a laser-sharp focus on quality at a time when Chianti Classico was still struggling to define its own identity. Paolo overhauled vineyard practices from the ground up, pioneered massal selection of Sangiovese clones — a program so rigorous that vines needed at least five performance tags over ten years to make the cut — and in doing so, created a genetic library that now supplies replanting programs across the entire Chianti Classico denomination. In 1980, he bottled the first vintage of Cepparello, named after a small seasonal creek that originates in the highest point of the estate's vineyards.

Pure Sangiovese wines could not legally be called Chianti Classico at the time, so Cepparello was released as a Vino da Tavola — one of the original Super Tuscans.

In 2022, Isole e Olena was acquired by the French EPI Group, whose wine portfolio also includes Biondi-Santi and Charles Heidsieck. New estate director Emanuele Reolon worked alongside De Marchi for a full year before taking the reins, ensuring the estate's philosophy of authenticity and environmental stewardship continues uninterrupted.

Each year, Cepparello is produced from a selection of grapes from the best and oldest estate vineyards, located on the north-western flank of Chianti Classico, on mostly galestro soils at 400–480 meters above sea level, with south and southwest exposures. Vines range from 13 to 55 years of age.

The 2020 is 100% Sangiovese, fermented in conical French oak vats and aged for 18 months in barriques — 95% French, 5% American, one-third new — followed by a full year of bottle aging before release.

The 2020 vintage commenced with a mild, dry winter. Temperatures dropped significantly in March, requiring care in the vineyard to prevent frost damage. Summer was dry and mild with steady conditions through late August, when the region saw some rainfall — but weather calmed in September, and the harvest delivered excellent results in both quality and quantity.