Isole e Olena Chianti Classico DOCG

Fermentation took place in stainless-steel tanks with 12 days of maceration, délestage (or 'rack and return') and pumping-over twice a day. De Marchi first experimented with the délestage method in 1996 and subsequently began using it for all red wines from the 1997 vintage. Maturation lasted one year and took place in 225 litre barrels (of which 5% was new oak) and 4,000 and 2,700 litre oak casks. The wine was then released after three to four month of bottle ageing.

Isole e Olena’s vineyards, like those of Giovanni Manetti at Fontodi, are superbly tended. More than anything, this yields wines of the quality that have kept both these Chianti wineries ahead of the chasing pack for the past three decades.

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 dates back hundreds of years, with the earliest documentation of the village of Olena in the 12th century. In 2022 Isole e Olena was purchased by Christopher Descours, the owner of Charles Heidsieck, Piper-Heidsieck, Rare Champagne, Château la Verrerie and Biondi Santi. Christopher has a clear vision to build on Paolo De Marchi’s exceptional results, with a restless quest for quality and excellence.

Isole e Olena is in the western part of Chianti Classico, just north of the village of Castellina. Its 45 hectares of vineyard are planted between 350 – 450 metres above sea level, primarily on galestro soil (a kind of rocky, schistous clay). Because the western flank of Chianti is open to breezes from the sea, this is a much cooler part of the zone, resulting in lighter but more scented and elegant wines than many others.