2013 Isole e Olena Cepparello
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
18 months in French barriques. Much deeper than the 2022 and rather old-fashioned in style. Tight and tough with a drying finish although it sweetened up in the glass. (JR)
Critic scores
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Hands down beautiful, The 2013 Cepparello is a creation of stunning elegance and balance. A pure expression of Sangiovese, this wine undergoes a sophisticated oak regime that sees ageing in various barrel sizes and barrique of various ages. It lives 18 months of its life in French and 3% American oak before being released. This vintage (that is cooler compared to 2012 and 2011) delivers an exceptionally soft and mellow bouquet with slightly sweet sensations of ripe cherry and fragrant blue flower. Soft tones of spice and cinnamon bring up the rear. The wine is medium to full in terms of body weight, and the finish is driven by cool tones of balsam and menthol herb. The 2013 Cepparello is one of my favorite wines of the vintage.
The 2013 Cepparello is superb. Polished, silky nuanced and exceptionally beautiful, the 2013 exudes freshness and energy from start to finish. Succulent red cherry, plum, lavender and rose petal are some of the signatures. Aging in French oak shapes the wine nicely without marking it excessively. The purity of the flavors is striking. This is an especially cool, savory Cepparello built on finesse and persistence rather than power. Rain during harvest robbed the wine of some of its breadth. Otherwise, this is a striking Cepparello. I can't wait to see how it ages.
Stelvin or cork. 100% Sangiovese. Mid garnet. More spicy and intense than the Chianti Classico 2014. Deep, velvety and caressing but with driving and pure Sangiovese fruit. Oak shows in spice rather than sweetness and there's impressive persistence, moving through spice and umami on the fresh, long finish. (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.