Isole e Olena Chardonnay
Country: Italy Region: Tuscany
Varietal: Chardonnay Vintage: 2022
Category: White Wine Style: Dry
Producer: Isole e Olena
As Paolo De Marchi started using less and less white grapes in the Chianti Classico blend, he decided to use the best Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes to increase the production for Vin Santo and to make a still white table wine from a blend of the remaining grapes. After a few attempts, he realised that the best wine was one produced from 100% Chardonnay, so grafted Chardonnay onto existing vines on the estate. 1987 was the first vintage for the ‘Collezione De Marchi Chardonnay’. The Chardonnay is made in a more Burgundian style than most in Italy. It remains on the lees in 1/3 new oak barrels 10 months (up to 12 months depending on the vintage). During the first six months the wines is stirred occasionally, in the Burgundian style. Fresh and aromatic, with cream, ripe pineapple and lime aromas that follow through to a full body, with lively honey, ripe apple and toasty oak character. Long and rich with intense flavours.
The Domaine
The name “Isole e Olena” was conceived in the 1950s when two adjoining estates, “Isole” and “Olena” were purchased by the De Marchi family and were combined to form one. The estate is located in the central part of Chianti Classico in the province of Tuscany. In the beginning of the 1950s the De Marchi family gradually began phasing out the sharecropping system, new specialized vineyards were planted and the wine cellars were expanded. Today the Isole e Olena estate is run by Paolo de Marchi and his family. Paolo, widely known as one of Italy’s finest winemakers, comes from a family with three generations of winemaking experience in the northern section of Piedmont and in 1976 he began managing the estate with the goal of combining his technical training with the desire to firmly establish the winery as one of the forerunners in Chianti. At that time the cellars were modernized and experimental vineyard plots were planted. The traditional 4-grape Chianti Classico blend was gradually altered to decrease the quantity of white grapes until none at all were used. Thus the Isole e Olena Chianti evolved from being a light, young wine to the fuller-bodied wine of today.
Tasting Notes:
Deep straw yellow. A classic ripe-fruit Chardonnay nose, with a blend of tropical fruit and vanilla and appealing notes of spice. Elegant structure with a fresh acidity and superb finish.
Food Suggestion: Enjoy with creamy pasta, seafood or even white meats.
