2020 Isole e Olena Cepparello

In the 1950s, the father of current winemaker Paolo de Marchi purchased the adjoining hamlets of Isole and Olena and their estates in the Tuscan commune of Barberino Val d'Elsa. Paolo entered the business in 1976 and the quality of the estates wines improved rapidly after decades of sharecropping. Paolo de Marchi is one of the region's kings of the Sangiovese grape and at a time when Chianti was a blended wine it was he that stepped out to produce wines that were 100% Sangiovese. Cepparello is the true embodiment of a ‘Super Tuscan’ wine and one of Italy's most iconic wines.

Totally opaque black dark red colour with a dark red hue. A kaleidoscope of red to black currant, red cherry, red plum, Mediterranean herb, earth, spicy vanillin cedar and subtle fresh tobacco notes captivate the olfactory senses. Very refined and long across the palate a mixture of rich spicy red currant, red cherry and red liquorice fruits are featured over a Mediterranean herb infused back drop of vanillin cedar, earthy forest floor like characters, black olive and tobacco. Slightly muscular in it’s feel it possesses fine graphite like tannins and is both powerful and deep. The long, elegant and structured conclusion carrying a compelling savoury quality.
Drink over the next 8-10 years.
Alc. 15%

Other Reviews…..
My most recent visit to Isole e Olena was decidedly bittersweet. Paolo De Marchi turned out an exceptional set of 2020s, wines that are among his very best ever. However, the sale of Isole e Olena has been quite traumatic. It’s a complex subject, the result of a mix of family dynamics and the lack of an industry structure that could long-term stability. These factors are not unique to Isole e Olena but rather conditions that afflict all family-owned wineries in Italy. Personally, I would like to see more long-term thinking in Italy, but that is not typically part of the cultural construct here. New owners EPI Group, who also own Biondi-Santi, will surely put their own stamp on things. Obviously, it is much too early to know where things will go. Right now, I can only advise Isole e Olena fans to snap up the 2020s, as they are magical.
The 2020 Cepparello is a total stunner, just as it was last year. Deeply colored, layered and explosive in the glass, the 2020 possesses striking textural richness and overall intensity. Black cherry, graphite, plum, spice and lavender flesh out effortlessly. There's tremendous pedigree and sheer stature here. Cepparello is surely one of the wines of the year. Drink 2027-2045.
98 points
Antonio Galloni – Vinous

Supple and smooth, the 2020 Cepparello brings Sangiovese to soaring heights in a manner only Paolo De Marchi can manage. This is his second to last vintage before he would retire and sell this historic estate. The wine opens to medium to full-bodied concentration with dark plum and redcurrant. Those cede to sweet spice, earth, crushed stone, rusty nail and candied orange peel. Give the wine more time to flesh out with cellar age. It registers a powerful 15% alcohol content. Drink 2024-2045.
96 points
Monica Larner – Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate

Expressive and sumptuous from the get-go, this red features cherry, strawberry, rose, orange peel, mineral and Tuscan herb aromas and flavors. Sangiovese. Best from 2025 through 2045. 4,800 cases made.
96 points
Bruce Sanderson - Wine Spectator