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.

Weather The 2015 vintage in Isole e Olena was excellent. A mild winter was followed by a sunny spring with a perfect climate, later on a warm summer with medium-high temperatures in July and August. Good rainy events for the grapes. In September, temperatures decreased rapidly, even though the harvest started earlier than the average, the ripeness ended slowly producing excellent premium wines with a great aromatic expression, good freshness and very soft tannins.

Vinification: Sangiovese and Petit Verdot were fermented in open-top oak vats for three weeks, with punch downs performed daily. A small faction of the grapes were not destemmed and only indigenous yeasts were used. The wine aged for two years in French barriques and six months in oak casks, followed by three years in bottles before release. Paolo De Marchi says, "If a producer is going to make a Gran Selezione, it should at least be a new, different wine. It shouldn't just be a former Chianti Classico Riserva that's had an extra six months ageing, or a wine that used to be labelled as an IGT."

Vineyard:The Isole e Olena estate is located on the western slope of the Chianti Classico hills, which is influenced by the Mediterranean breeze which results in a milder climate.The vineyards are located on south-west facing slopes at an altitude of 350-490 metres above sea level. The soil is a combination of clay-shale (galestro) and limestone (alberese). The vines are 50 years old, planted at a density of 3,000-7,350 vines per hectare, and Guyot trained.

Technical Information:
Grape: 92% Sangiovese & 8% Petit Verdot
Vineyard: Isole e Olena
Region: Chianti Classico, Tuscany
Acidity: 6.7 g/l
Residual sugar: 0.8 g/l
pH: 3.46
Closure: Natural Cork
Production: 162,000 bottles
Alcohol: 14.5%

Tasting Note: The nose displays subtle cherry and plum notes that burst onto the palate, which is broad and concentrated with firm acidity and impressive length. The fine tannins provide an exceptionally balanced backbone to this wine.