Isole e Olena Chianti Classico 2005 375ml
Another new vintage Chianti release. Isole e Olena would be my favourite Italian producer, they are well priced and are consistently of high quality. This wine is a step up from the Castellere di Castellina Chianti Classico. Like the 2004 Isole, it is quite fragrant with a really fragrant and perfumed nose. Medium bodied, with fragrant red cherries on the nose, together with spice, and rose petal. The palate lacks a smidgen of palate weight but it is not of serious concern as there is plenty of complexity and layers of fruit in there. 91 points Anthony D'Anna
Paolo di Marchi, widely acknowledged as one of Italy's finest wine makers, manage this famous family-owned wine estate situated in the heart of Chianti Classico. 2003 was a very good vintage in Chianti and that combined with one of the best producers in the region (Isole e Olena is rated as one of the star producers in the influential Gambero Rosso Italian wine guide) has resulted in Chianti of distinction
Any discussion of the wines of Tuscany has to begin with Chianti and especially Chianti Classico, the region's linchpin. The Chianti district is the land between Florence and Siena, Chianti Classico. Non-Classico Chianti covers a far wider and more variable area, about 75 miles (120 km) west to east from the coast to Arezzo, and a similar distance north to south, from Pistoia to south of Montalcino. Most of it falls into one of eight subzones including Chianti Colli Senesi, Chianti Montabano, Chianti Colli Aretini and Chianti Rufina. Paolo de Marchi is esteemed as a winemaker of talent and individuality. Self-taught, he has developed a particularly lively, fruit-forward style, allied with great depth and complexity. Clive Cotes
Isole e Olena is comprised of two farms, "Isole" and "Olena," purchased by the De Marchi family in the 1950s. The current manager, Paolo De Marchi (see photo), is the fourth generation of the De Marchi to make wine in Italy (the extended family also makes wine in Piedmonte). Paolo graduated from the University of Torino where he specialized in Oenology, and currently maintains relationships with the Oenology faculties of the Universities of Montpellier, Beaune, Torino, Geisenheim and UC Davis. He is among the most respected winemakers in the world. His early enthusiasm for "extra-Tuscan" grapes in Chianti has been tempered by his respect for the unique characteristics of Tuscany's indigenous Sangiovese. This is a demanding grape, difficult to ripen and requiring extraordinary work in the vineyards to insure high quality. Paolo still produces small amounts of wines from "international varieties," including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Chardonnay, but his Chianti Classico and Cepparello (100% Sangiovese), are his own, best contribution to Tuscan culture.
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