ISOLE E OLENA Cepparello 2006 The name Isole e Olena came about in the 1950s when two adjoining estates, Isole and Olena were purchased by the De Marchi family and combined to form one. The history of both estates dates back many hundreds of years, and the earliest documentation of the village of Olena goes as far back as the 12th Century. During the 1950s, the De Marchi family planted new specialised vineyards and expanded the cellars. Today, the Isole e Olena estate is run by Paolo De Marchi, his wife Marta and his sons. Paolo comes from a family with three generations of winemaking experience in the northern part of Piemonte. For each vintage, the grapes for Cepparello are picked from the best sites on the estates. The vineyards are situated 400 metres above sea level, facing south-west. Soils are primarily galestro (clay/slate). The grapes were harvested by hand during the second and third week in October. 2006 was an outstanding vintage in Tuscany, with perfect autumn weather conditions including long, sunny days and cool nights which allowed tannins to ripen well and encouraged development of the aromatic qualities in the grapes. After crushing, the must was fermented on the skins for 21-28 days, with delestage and pumping over twice a day. During fermentation, temperatures reached up to 32-34°C. Delestage is a method of extraction used during fermentation, which gives wines of good colour and soft tannins. The maceration tank is emptied of fermenting must, the cap allowed to dry out for two to three hours and then the must is poured back over the cap. After malolactic fermentation, the wine was racked into barrels. It was 100% barrel-aged, 1/3 in new French and American oak (15% of total), 1/3 in one year old oak and the remaining third was put into two year old oak. The wine remained in barrel for 14-18 months and then matured in bottle under stelvin closure before release. 2006 Cepparello is powerful yet elegant as befits this outstanding vintage. Deeply coloured, with dark red fruit characters on the nose, well-integrated with fine-grained, spicy perfumes from just the right amount of oak, the intense nose gives way to rich, supple fruit on the palate and a perfectly balanced structure. Vintage 2006 Grape varieties 100% Sangiovese Region Barberino Val D.Elsa Winemaker Paolo De Marchi Closure Stelvin Bottle Sizes 75cl, 150cl, 300cl, 600cl, 1200cl Find this wine at www.winestore.co.uk Price: £51.68 (Including VAT at 20%)