2021 Isole e Olena "Cepparello" Toscana

One of Tuscany's flagship wines, the Isole e Olena 2021 Cepparello immediately delivers ripe fruit flavors that are firm, even crunchy, and that bodes well for the future evolution of this classic vintage. The wine is packed with tart fruit flavors followed by balanced acidity. Compared to past vintages that are more extracted and dense, this edition is delightfully bright and transparent. I appreciation the age-worthy direction Cepparello is taking. (ML)

I mean this wine doesn’t need much introduction. It is a monumental Sangiovese, and it is one of Italy iconic label. The first vintage was 1980 and it became a legendary wine immediately. Paolo De Marchi wanted to make a statement back then, Sangiovese deserved to stand on its own, without the strict DOCG appellation requirements. Since then, this is a benchmark of the potential of this grape. The 2021 vintage might be one of the best ever released with its thrilling combination of power and finesse. A spectrum of dark cherry, violets, leather, and sweet spice, that get balanced by tons of minerality with secondary notes of graphite and balsamic herbs. The palate is bold but elegant, it’s a wine that force you to get back to the glass to get more aromatics. Aged in French oak (about one-third new), this wine is a perfect balance between oak and fruit. Cepparello isn’t just a Super Tuscan or super chianti if you will—it’s a Sangiovese masterclass.