2017 Chardonnay Collezione de Marchi
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2017 Chardonnay is rich, unctuous and creamy, with all of the intensity of the vintage on display. Dried flowers, marzipan, lemon confit and pastry give the 2017 much of its extroverted, rich personality. Tropical notes develop later, adding an exotic flair. Dehydration on the vine and tiny juice yields produced an unusually lush, flamboyant Chardonnay.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Top-grafted onto an existing vineyard in 1987, plus a new vineyard planted in 1989 using four different Burgundy clones. After fermentation in oak barrels, the wine remained on the lees in the barrels, of which one-third was new, for approximately ten months. During the first six months the wine was stirred occasionally. Screwcap. Scented with deliciously pure citrus and a fine layer of stony minerality. Ripe fruited and creamy in texture with chewy and savoury complexity on the palate. So creamy it is almost thick. The oak is just right for the richness of fruit and although it is quite a rich wine, it remains beautifully fresh. Delicious harmony between those textural lees qualities and the precise, clean-cut fruit. (JH)
About the producer
Situated north of Castellina, on the western side of Chianti Classico, Isole e Olena was created by the De Marchi family in the 1950s and has since become one of the region’s leading names. It is renowned for its top bottling Cepparello, a pure Sangiovese, as well as its brilliant Chardonnay.