Isole e Olena

Cepparello 2018

Paolo de Marchi has spent the majority of his life dedicated to the development of his family’s Tuscan wine estate, Isole e Olena. Passionate about indigenous varieties and better clonal selection, Paolo produced one of the most respected 100% Sangiovese wines in Chianti, when the DOC laws prohibited this encépagement. (There was a time not so long ago when Sangiovese legally had to be blended with other grape varieties to be labelled Chianti Classico). In homage to its Super Tuscan roots, his Cepparello cuvée remains an IGT labelled wine to this day despite the change in rules. Although Isole e Olena has recently been purchased by EPI, the group behind the likes of Charles Heidsieck Champagne, Paolo will stay on as chairman of the board for the indefinite future.