Isole e Olena

Isole e Olena, a paradise in the Tuscany of Chianti Classico

Paolo De Marchi's Isole e Olena estate, in the heart of Chianti Classico, is a stunningly beautiful place with a stunning view over the hills and the surrounding valley where the grapes for outstanding wines grow.
In the mid 50's Paolo De Marchi's father bought this piece of land where 130 wine growers, farmers and farm workers have plots and farm. With the exodus to the cities in the following years, there are finally only 15 left. Paolo, a young agronomist and oenologist by training, decides in the mid-70s to take over his parents' estate and turn his love for nature and wine into a lifelong passion and commitment.

Isole e Olena and Mr Sangiovese

After his studies at the University of Turin, Paolo De Marchi starts traveling to wine regions all over the world. With these experiences and acquired knowledge, his decision to join his parents' winery is a logical consequence, whose potential he had recognized and in order to realize his ideas and visions. He manages in a unique way to make the winery a showcase for Sangiovese, which also earns him the nickname "Mr.Sangiovese".
With dedication he works to get the best out of the terroir, producing award-winning wines of incredible elegance and finesse. At the same time, the winery's old farmhouses are being restored to make life in the countryside more attractive again, to create a place where people enjoy living and working, where nature and sustainability naturally intertwine. Alternating with the vines, olive trees and ancient cereals grow here. Thanks to a solar system, the winery is now also energy independent.

Isole e Olena - a life's work

Paolo De Marchi lives for his winery. From the vineyards, which are tended with the utmost care, the selection of the Sangiovese clones for the Cepparello, the selection of the most suitable sites for the individual grape varieties, to the winery, where the wine is made from the grapes, the barrel cellar with barrels of different sizes, the underground barrique cellar open to the rock, the internal transport system for the bottles, everything was planned and implemented by Paolo De Marchi himself according to his ideas.
His long-term goal is to obtain the best results by expressing the terroir in the grape varieties. All the wines have characteristics that reflect exactly this and more.

With the 1980 vintage, Cepparello is born, one of the first Super Tuscans, which soon becomes the icon of the winery. Paolo De Marchi defies the existing rules of Chianti Classico and focuses only on Sangiovese. Undeterred, he follows his own ideas of quality, sustainability. He produces a Chardonnay that is a real insider tip as a "silent wine" and is sold out in no time. His Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon have also become insider tips. Of course, every year Paolo De Marchi also produces a classic Chianti Classico DOCG, which delights wine connoisseurs and connoisseurs, as well as a very fine Vin Santo.